North Country Trail

Founded

1980

The North Country Trail is a long-distance hiking trail in the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. The trail extends roughly 4,800 miles from Lake Sakakawea State Park in North Dakota to the Appalachian Trail in Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont, passing through eight states along its route.

Website

https://northcountrytrail.org/

Official Maps

https://northcountrytrail.org/the-trail/trail-map-and-downloads/

Trail Towns along NCT

Dayton

Dayton is located along the banks of the Great Miami River on Ohio’s Great Corridor and is known as the Outdoor Adventure Capital of the Midwest. Beyond the plethora of hiking opportunities, Dayton is a bicycle-friendly community situated at the center of the largest bikeway network in the country. The gem city also hosts some of the most significant outdoor recreation events in the Midwest while being situated amongst three state-designated Water Trails.

Deersville

The small village of Deersville is nestled in the eastern Ohio hills of Harrison County, with Tappan and Clendening Lakes nearby. Historic Deersville, which was established in 1815, offers a step back in time to its visitors. The Deersville General Store is the heart of the community. It has been around since 1898 and is famous for its homemade ice cream. The store also offers a little bit of everything from snacks, deli, pizza, and other hot foods, beer, ice, grocery items, fishing and camping supplies, and fuel.

Defiance

Defiance is the heart of the historic Maumee River Valley and is where the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers meet. From its earliest days, Defiance has been a hub for the shipping and receiving goods. Whether it was early supplies passing through Fort Winchester or goods being transferred on the Miami-Wabash and Erie canals that ran through the community, transportation has played a major role in our development. In later years, the addition of several railways that traveled through Defiance helped to facilitate the industrial growth that continues to support the city today.

Delphos

Delphos is located in Allen and Van Wert Counties, and was formed in 1851 from 4 small towns. It was a major port on the Miami and Erie Canal, an early hub for narrow gauge railroads, and on the original route of the Lincoln Highway. By 1879, over a hundred factories were churning out goods for the world, and even today, the city enjoys an international reputation as a manufacturing center.

Fort Loramie

The village of Fort Loramie is an original canal town along the Miami & Erie Canal. It was first established as a trading post by a French-Canadian fur trader Pierre-Louis de Lorimier (Peter Loramie). The indigenous Shawnee people used the post for attacks against the European settlers during the Revolutionary War. The post was burnt to the ground and abandoned in 1782, remaining vacant until 1795. After the victory of the Battle of Fallen Timbers, General “Mad” Anthony Wayne ordered a fort built at the site.