The North Country National Scenic Trail passes through Minnesota, from the Wisconsin border to the North Dakota border, connecting several other trails along the way. In December 2023, the North Country Trail in Minnesota - along with the other seven states it traverses - became a unit of the National Park Services. This should mean some changes for this longest of the national scenic trails - for the better.

At around 4,800 miles - nobody's quit sure yet, because it's not fully connected - the North Country National Scenic Trail is by far the longest such trail in the United States.

It's almost twice as long as the Pacific Crest Trail and passes through eight states: Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota.

From the east, the NCT enters Minnesota from Wisconsin, near Wrenshall, at the southern terminus of the Superior Hiking Trail.

Then NCT then follows the entirety of the Superior Hiking Trail, through several state parks, Duluth, the Superior National Forest, and even portions of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The NCT then continues westward along the Border Route Trail at the BRT's eastern terminus.

The Superior Hiking Trail's norther terminus and the BRT's eastern terminus are both located at a site known as 270 Degree Overlook, which offers sweeping views of northern Minnesota, Canada, and the Pigeon River.

The Border Route Trail - as the name implies - and, thus, the NCT, follows the Canadian border for a little over 60 miles, through the Boundary Waters, to the Gunflint Trail.

There, hikers have a short road walk - a few hundred yards - to the Kekekabic Trail's east trailhead.

The NCT follows the notoriously rugged Kek for around 40 miles through the Boundary Waters to its western trailhead at Snowbank Lake.

From there, hikers have a 21-mile road walk into Ely, where they pick up the Mesabi Trail.

The Mesabi Trail runs - with a few short segments that have yet to be built - for 150 miles to Grand Rapids.

After the 300-plus mile Superior Hiking Trail, the Mesabi Trail represents the longest section of the NCT in Minnesota.

The remainder of the NCT in Minnesota is a combination of road walks and trails through the Chippewa National Forest, several state forests, Itasca State Park, Detroit Lakes, and Fergus Falls. The NCT crosses into North Dakota at Fort Abercrombie State Park, west of Kent, Minnesota.

The new NPS designation should help to connect the trail, as well as add more trailheads, campsites, and other infrastructure in Minnesota and elsewhere. If you're interested in learning more, you can pick up a guide to the North Country National Scenic Trail's Minnesota section - Guide to Hiking the North Country Trail in Minnesota: Across Prairies, the North Woods, and the Wilderness - from Bookshop.org. Have you hiked any segments - or all - of the NCT in Minnesota? Tell us about it in the comments!