North Country National Scenic Trail, MN – Volunteer Vacation 2024
September 15 @ 5:00 pm - September 21 @ 10:00 am
Trip Navigation
Trek the hills and valleys, and stand on the shores of lakes and streams formed by glaciers 10,000 years before at North Country National Scenic Trail! Clear-flowing water, a fairyland of snow, open prairies, and distant horizons paint this incredible trail. Historic sites along the way tell how America settled and grew as a nation. Spanning 4,800 miles across eight states, North Country National Scenic Trail is one the longest National Scenic Trails in the country.
Volunteers will work on building a new segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail southwest of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The work will involve using hand tools to clear the trail corridor of brush, remove tripping hazards like rocks and roots, and to level the soil creating the trail tread. Volunteers will drive or carpool to the trailhead. The hike from the road into the worksite is less than two miles. The campsite will be at Schoolcraft State Park, which is approximately 14 miles from the trail project site.
During this project, North Country National Scenic Trail’s average high temperature is 69°, and average low temperature is 48°.
There is no experience needed to join a Volunteer Vacation! Your expert hosts will provide detailed instruction, tool demonstrations, and project oversight throughout the week. All you need is a willing attitude and to be in good physical condition to participate in moderate physical activity for approximately 6-8 hours a day with plenty of breaks, at your own pace. Find out more about what it’s like to join a Volunteer Vacation and other frequently asked questions here.
AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, and Bdewakantuwan (Mdewakanton) peoples past and present. We honor the land itself, the Indigenous communities who have stewarded this land for generations, their deep and sacred connection to these lands, and those who continue to steward these lands today. We offer this land acknowledgement as the first of many steps to stand as an ally and amplify Indigenous voices. We invite the American Hiking Society community to join us through continued efforts to support Indigenous communities and learn more about the history of the lands on which we live, work and recreate.
Click here for a PDF of trip details.