Michigan trails · North Country National Scenic
North Country National Scenic
A 15.5-mile section of the North Country National Scenic Trail in Michigan, with 514 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 4,800 miles. Reaches Great Conglomerate Falls and other waterfall destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 50% of the ascent falls between mile 10.4 and mile 15.5. It gives back about 762 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Great Conglomerate Falls (waterfall)
- Gorge Falls (waterfall)
- Rainbow Falls (waterfall)
- Potawatomi Falls (waterfall)
- Nawadaha Falls (waterfall)
- Algonquin Falls (waterfall)
Getting there
NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL CTY RD 519 (EAST TRAILHEAD) — parking nearby, restroom, water. About 2 h 23 min drive (94 mi) from Houghton. 46.65737, -89.95273 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:45 a.m., the sun rises at 7:15 a.m. and sets at 6:15 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:45 p.m. (CDT) — 10 h 59 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 31.1-mile round trip works out to roughly 12 h 01 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- North Country Trail + Conglomerate Falls + NORTH COUNTRY NATIONAL SCENIC — 7.3 mi loop, 1,220 ft gain
- NORTH COUNTRY NATIONAL SCENIC + Manulife Investment Management + Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park — 4.5 mi loop, 361 ft gain
- North Country Trail + North Country Trail_Iron Belle Trail + NORTH COUNTRY NATIONAL SCENIC — 7.1 mi loop, 1,586 ft gain