North Country Trail gains footing among national trails

At the 50-mile mark of last year's 165 Mile Challenge from the North Country Trail Association, Steph Hogan made her decision.

"It was at that point I decided I was going to finish the challenge," said Hogan, 73, who was in Vergas in Ottertail County. "I really wasn't sure before that."

In 25 intervals beginning in April and ending in October, she and a small group of other outdoor enthusiasts hiked from Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge northeast of Detroit Lakes to Hwy. 6 near Remer, Minn.

Every step came on the North Country Trail (NCT), a wilderness route of major miles (2,880 and counting) and volunteers (thousands) that appears to be taking its place among national trails. That would achieve the mission of the trail association, the NCT's biggest cheerleader.

"What I learned was that it was a great way to see the state I live in, in a way I'd never see otherwise," said Hogan, who has "always been a walker" and is a member of the group's Laurentian Lakes chapter. "You're away from everyone. You don't hear city noises. It's just very relaxing and your learn about the changing landscape — from the flat and swampy area near Tamarac to the forested and hilly area around the Chippewa National Forest — as you go and as the seasons change. It was a lot of fun. I'd glad I completed it."

Hogan is one of 400 Minnesota members of the association who act as trail stewards. The association is a nonprofit partner of the National Park Service in building, maintaining, and promoting the NCT. The group, which has six Minnesota chapters, has 3,500 members from across the country. The public-private partnership is modeled after the Appalachian Trail, which is one of two original U.S. National Scenic Trails. Currently, there are 11.

"It's my job to get the word out about the trail in this region … and talk about our volunteers and members like Steph Hogan and many others," said Matt Davis, the association's regional coordinator, covering Minnesota and North Dakota. "Our members and volunteers are the lifeblood of the trail. If we didn't have them, the trails would cease to exist."

Davis said his group has a trail-adopter program in which members maintain a segment of trail year-round. He said the trails require constant maintenance and wouldn't be accessible without volunteer help. "In Minnesota, we have our trail segments covered, but some volunteers have longer sections than they should," said Davis, of Detroit Lakes. "We'd like to shorten them. That's why we're always looking for volunteers. Many do it as a family activity and have a lot of fun. I do it with my family."

Though technically still in development, the planned 4,600-mile NCT (many sections have already been completed and are readily used) will eventually stretch from North Dakota to New York state. That's twice the distance of the Appalachian Trail.

Minnesota's portion will include 840 miles, of which roughly 60 percent is complete and includes two contiguous sections. One runs 180 miles from Hwy. 34 near Detroit Lakes to Hwy. 6 within the Chippewa National Forest near Remer. The other segment meanders 400 miles and includes the Kekekabic Trail, the Border Route Trail and the Superior Hiking Trail near Ely, to the Wisconsin border near Jay Cooke State Park.

Minnesota's trail sections are open year-round to nonmotorized foot travel and are often occupied by hikers, backpackers, outdoor photographers, hunters, anglers and other recreationists, Davis said. No mountain biking or horseback riding (as well as any motorized recreation) is allowed. In addition, designated backcountry camp sites are spaced along the routes in Minnesota. They feature tent pads, fire rings, nearby water sources and toilets.

Below are three NCT hikes of different lengths and times suggested by Davis:

• Itasca State Park, from the Gartner Farm trailhead (off Hwy. 113 to the south entrance trailhead off Hwy. 71). The location is about 30 minutes northwest of Park Rapids.

The 6.2-mile hike features old-growth pine forest and beautiful backcountry lakes, including the "true headwaters source of the Mississippi River — DeSoto Lake," said Davis.

During the hike, you'll pass by the DeSoto Lake camp site, which makes for a great picnic spot. "This hike has all that Itasca is known for without the crowds."

• West Mail Road parking area to Solon Springs in northwest Wisconsin. The location is about 20 minutes west of Gordon, Wis.

This 14-mile hike begins with roughly two miles of trail that parallels the scenic water and rapids of the St. Croix River and includes stretches of old-growth white cedar. The trail moves away from the river and meanders through mixed upland forest before entering the Douglas County Wildlife Area. This five-mile stretch is managed for a "pine barrens environment" that features prairie grass and forbs with scattered brush and trees, he said.

The wildlife area is also managed for native sharptail grouse, as well as other prairie birds and wildlife. "The trail skirts and overlooks several prairie pothole ponds and a beautiful backcountry camp site on a knoll overlooking one of them," Davis said.

• The Border Route Trail, from the Magnetic Rock trailhead on the Gunflint Trail to the Otter Lake Road trailhead. The western trailhead is 48 miles northwest of Grand Marais via the Gunflint Trail, while the eastern trailhead is 16 miles north of Hovland, off the Arrowhead Trail and Otter Lake Road.

This 65-mile trek along the Border Route Trail features "dramatic cliffs and amazing views," Davis said, as well as old-growth pine and cedar forests, and the solitude of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. A word to the wise: The trek isn't for the faint of heart. "It's a rugged hiking challenge," Davis said. Most of the route parallels the U.S.-Canadian border chain of lakes, which, Davis said, "was the Voyageur route from Lake Superior to the Rainy River and beyond."

Tori J. McCormick is a freelance writer living in Prior Lake. Reach him at torimccormick33@gmail.com.