The North Country National Scenic Trail spans eight U.S. states over its roughly , traveling through North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont. The western end is at Lake Sakakawea State Park in North Dakota, and the eastern end is at a junction with the Appalachian Trail in Vermont's Green Mountain National Forest. As of 2023, most of the trail is in place, though about one-third of the distance consists of road walking; those segments are frequently evaluated by the North Country Trail Association for transfer to off-road segments on nearby public or private lands.
The route of the North Country Trail is described here from west to east. Along its total distance, the NCT traverses more than 150 public land units, including parks, forests, scenic attractions, wildlife refuges, game areas, and historic sites. Included at the federal level are ten National Forests, four units of the National Park system, and two National Wildlife Refuges. The trail also visits dozens of state parks, forests, gamelands, and historic areas, and several local/county forests and parks.
North Dakota Counties crossed: Mercer County → McLean County → Sherdian County → Burleigh County → Sherdian County → Wells County → Eddy County → Foster County → Griggs County → Steele County → Griggs County → Barnes County → Ransom County → Richland County
The North Country Trail spends about in North Dakota. The trail begins at Lake Sakakawea State Park in Mercer County, following footpaths in the state park (including a junction with the Lewis and Clark Trail and a crossing of US Highway 83) and then a series of roads until reaching the shore of Lake Audubon (a branch of Lake Sakakawea) and the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge. The trail is then on rural roads for a considerable distance through McLean and Sheridan Counties, visiting several lakes including Turtle Lake and the Chain of Lakes Recreation Area. Starting in Burleigh County it walks alongside most of the McClusky Canal, followed by a trail through Lone Tree Wildlife Management Area (North Dakota's largest).
The trail continues through Sheyenne Lake National Wildlife Refuge, follows the valley of the Sheyenne River for a considerable distance, then crosses US Highway 52 (US 52) near the town of Harvey in Wells County. The first of five overall crossings of North Dakota Highway 9 (ND 9) is found near the town of Bremen, and the trail passes through New Rockford in Eddy County, where it also crosses US 281. The NCT next passes through the towns of McHenry and Binford, where it joins ND 65 for several miles. The trail then trends to the southeast via several turns on southbound and eastbound rural roads, and passes through residential areas in Cooperstown, after which it joins ND 200 for a few miles.
In Griggs County, the NCT turns south and follows the valley of the Sheyenne River again. A brief walk along ND 22 is followed by a lengthy route along the shores of Lake Ashtabula. Still traveling south, the NCT walks through Valley City and uses a local street to pass under Interstate 94 (I-94). The trail reaches Clausen Springs Wildlife Management Area and turns back to the east. The trail passes through the small village of Kathryn in Barnes County then turns south again and walks through Fort Ransom State Park, followed by the wildlife management area and town of the same name. Now trending to the southeast, the NCT walks through Lisbon in Ransom County, after which it turns primarily to the east then northeast and spends about on footpaths and old roads in Sheyenne National Grassland. The NCT then joins a series of rural roads and walks through the towns Walcott and Colfax in Richland County. Shortly after Colfax the trail uses a rural road to pass over I-29, and then it reaches Abercrombie where it follows ND 4 over the Red River and into Minnesota.
Minnesota Counties crossed: Wilkin County, Minnesota → Otter Tail County → Becker County → Clearwater County → Becker County → Clearwater County → Hubbard County → Cass County → Itasca County → St. Louis County → Lake County → Cook County → Lake County → St. Louis County → (The following counies are traversed along the Wisconsin border) Carlton County
The North Country Trail spends about in Minnesota; this includes about of the official NCT route, after which it joins the preexisting Superior Hiking Trail for a further . After entering Minnesota at the Red River, the NCT joins a long series of rural roads and soon passes through the town of Kent, after which it walks briefly on US 75. The trail turns southeast at Rothsay; in western Otter Trail County it uses a rural road to cross I-94, US 59, and the Pelican River in close succession. The NCT then walks through residential and commercial areas in Fergus Falls, the largest city it has yet visited, and then proceeds via footpaths through Prairie Wetlands Learning Center and Delagoon Recreation Area. The trail then makes a U-turn to the north and walks through the east side of Fergus Falls before returning to rural areas of Otter Tail County. Heading to the north, the NCT spends about six miles in Maplewood State Park, then turns primarily northeast to visit many small lakes in this region of Minnesota. The trail passes through Vergas and then passes over the US 10 expressway shortly before walking through Frazee.
Continuing to the north through lake country, the NCT spends more than in a succession of mostly contiguous public lands, starting with Hubbel Pond Wildlife Management Area in Becker County. This is followed by lengthy treks through Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge, Becker County Forest, Greenwater Lake Scientific and Natural Area, White Earth State Forest, Clearwater County Forest, Itasca State Park (including a crossing of US 71), Hubbard County Forest, Paul Bunyan State Forest, Cass County Forest, Chippewa National Forest, and Itasca County Forest. Starting in the eastern reaches of Chippewa National Forest, the NCT walks along Minnesota State Highway 6 (MN 6) for several miles, then turns east on rural roads to the town of Cohasset.
After Cohasset, the NCT walks through considerable residential and commercial areas in Grand Rapids, including crossings of US 169 and US 2. Trending to the northeast and encountering several small lakes, the trail then walks through the towns of Coleraine, Taconite, and Marble in Itasca County, with two brief walks along US 169. The trail passes through a brief corner of Hill-Annex Mine State Park, and loosely follows US 169 through Nashwauk and Keewatin. The NCT uses rural roads around the west and north sides of Hibbing, utilizing several public parks, followed by a brief encounter with Chisholm and a walk through Buhl in St. Louis County. These towns are surrounded by various county forests and wildlife management areas. Still roughly following US 169 to the east, the NCT uses a suburban street to pass under the US 53 expressway and then enters extensive residential and commercial districts in Virginia, with a walk through parklands along that city's lakes. The trail continues to the southeast through Gilbert and then Biwabik. The NCT then passes through Vermilion Trail Park and walks for a short distance alongside Embarrass Lake, and then loosely follows the river of the same name to the northeast. Passing through extensive rural areas to the west and north of Embarrass Mountain, the trail reaches the town of Tower and then spends about eight miles on footpaths in Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park, followed by several segments of St. Louis County Forest and then a small segment of Superior National Forest.
This is followed by a lengthy walk on MN 1 to the town of Ely, where the trail is alongside Miners Lake. The NCT then walks along MN 169 though Winton, and continues on rural roads for about 12 miles through another segment of Superior National Forest, followed by about of footpaths. After a brief semi-rural area, the trail continues on extensive wilderness footpaths for about the next in the main body of Superior National Forest and various tracts of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, just south of the Canadian border, until reaching a junction with the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) near the north end of Swamp River Lake. This point is also a junction with the Border Route Trail. The NCT then joins the preexisting Superior Hiking Trail for the next 310 miles, heading southwest through more of Superior National Forest and six Minnesota state parks on or near Lake Superior. The NCT/SHT walks for a considerable distance through Duluth and its suburban areas, using a city street to pass under the US 53 expressway and then a local park path to pass under I-35/US 2, followed by two local parks and a lengthy walk through Jay Cooke State Park. The trail then reaches the Wisconsin border, where the SHT ends but the footpath continues as the NCT into Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Counties crossed: Douglas County (where it leaves the Wisconsin border) → Bayfield County → Ashland County → Iron County
The North Country Trail spends about in Wisconsin. Upon exiting Minnesota's Jay Cooke State Park, the NCT crosses the state line into Wisconsin and turns south, briefly winding back into Minnesota again for about (the North Country Trail Association manages and maps this segment as part of Wisconsin). The trail then turns to the east and crosses the state line again, entering the protected MacQuarie Wetlands and Douglas County Forest. After some lengthy rural road walking, the trail passes through Pattison State Park and trends to the south, passing through another sector of Douglas County Forest which features significant footpath hiking. The trail turns back to the east and passes through wilderness lands at Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway. Several more miles though Douglas County Forest are followed by a crossing of US 53 and a walk through the town of Solon Springs in Douglas County. This is followed by another extensive stretch of wilderness hiking through Brule River State Forest and then Bayfield County Forest.
The wilderness footpath continues to the east through Chequamegon–Nicolet National Forest for several dozen miles, including trails through Rainbow Lake Wilderness and Porcupine Lake Wilderness. After exiting the national forest, the NCT returns to rural road walking, and passes through Mellen in Ashland County. This is followed by about of footpaths through Cooper Falls State Park. Next is a lengthy hike through Iron County Forest, as the trail trends to the north. The trail exits the county forest for a few miles, crosses US 2, and then enters another segment of the county forest. The NCT briefly encounters the shore of Lake Superior at Saxon Harbor County Park, then joins a rural road to a remote crossing of the Montreal River at the Michigan state line.
Michigan Counties crossed: Gogebic County → Ontonagon County → Gogebic County → Ontonagon County → Houghton County → Baraga County → Marquette County → Alger County → Luce County → Chippewa County → Mackinac County → Cheboygan County → Emmet County → Charlevoix County → Antrim County → Kalkaska County → Grand Traverse County → Wexford County → Manistee County → Mason County → Lake County → Newaygo County → Kent County → Barry County → Kalamazoo County → Calhoun County → Hillsdale County