Michigan trails · North Country Trail
North Country Trail
A 109.4-mile section of the North Country National Scenic Trail in Michigan, with 448 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 4,800 miles. Reaches Sable Falls and other arch/beach/lake/waterfall destinations. Managed by Michigan DNR.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 3,976 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Sable Falls (waterfall)
- James D Jeske Flooding (lake)
- Sail Rock (arch)
- Chapel Rock (arch)
- Grand Portal (arch)
- Spray Falls (waterfall)
- Alger Falls (waterfall)
- Twelvemile Beach (beach)
- Lovers Leap (arch)
- Chipmunk Falls (waterfall)
Heads up
Getting there
North Country National Scenic Trail access. About 2 h 24 min drive (108 mi) from Marquette. 46.66259, -85.91038 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:29 a.m., the sun rises at 7:59 a.m. and sets at 6:58 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:29 p.m. (EDT) — 10 h 59 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 109.4-mile route works out to roughly 40 h 44 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 + Lost Nation State Game Area — 6.1 mi loop, 905 ft gain
- 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
Nearby trails
- Pretty Lakes Hiking Trail — 12.3 mi
- Pretty Lake Pathway — 12.3 mi
- Fox River Pathway — 16.2 mi