Michigan trails · North Country National Scenic Trail
North Country National Scenic Trail
A 44.0-mile section of the North Country National Scenic Trail in Michigan, with 408 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 4,800 miles. Reaches The Big Spring and other lake/spring destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 74% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 14.7. It gives back about 697 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- The Big Spring (spring)
- Dishpan Lake (lake)
- Trout Brook Pond (lake)
- Naomikong Pond (lake)
- Roxbury Pond (lake)
- Stump Lake (lake)
Getting there
TROUTBROOK POND TRAILHEAD — parking nearby. 46.18906, -84.78521 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:26 a.m., the sun rises at 6:58 a.m. and sets at 8:20 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:51 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 22 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 44.0-mile route works out to roughly 16 h 31 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 + North Country National Scenic Trail + Lost Nation State Game Area — 2.1 mi loop, 267 ft gain
- North Country Trail + North Country National Scenic Trail — 0.9 mi loop, 131 ft gain
- North Country Trail + -1 + North Country National Scenic Trail — 3.3 mi loop, 141 ft gain