The North Country National Scenic Trail is a 4600 mile hiking trail that is administered by the National Park Service, with its headquarters located in Lowell, Michigan.
Several different trails carry a route that stretches from Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont, down through the Finger Lakes region, around the base of Lake Erie, straight up through Michigan’s lower peninsula and west through the UP, across Minnesota, and all the way to the Missouri River in North Dakota. The North Country Trail Association (NCTA) is the nationwide nonprofit organization that works in partnership with the National Park Service to build, maintain, and promote the North Country National Scenic Trail.
Chief Noonday is the local chapter of the NCTA in the counties of Barry, Calhoun, and Kalamazoo in south central and western Michigan, sponsoring a 120-mile section that stretches from Grand Rapids to Homer, south of Battle Creek. The Chief Noonday chapter builds and maintains trails and, of course, sponsors hikes!
Upcoming free, guided hikes
Bell’s Brewery Hike, Kalamazoo
Saturday, February 5, 2022
11 am
This is a fun hike hosted by the Chief Noonday Chapter of the North Country Trail and is an awesome winter social event that is open to all. This will be a short 1.63 mile out-and-back hike on the the picturesque Kalamazoo River Trail, which is paved and ADA accessible. There is no alternate date for weather conditions.
MEET
Mayors’ Riverfront Park
251 Mills St, Kalamazoo, MI 49048
This event will start and end at this location.
Optional Post Hike Gathering:
Bell’s Eccentric Café
355 E. Michigan, Kalamazoo, MI
Hike participants are welcome to join us at Bell’s after the hike!
For more information about upcoming CND events and hikes on the 120-mile section of the North Country Trail in Barry, Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties, visit the Chief Noonday Chapter website and click on Events Calendar.
Contact for local trail and event information: Larry Pio, President, Chief Noonday Chapter (CND), email or 269-341-5964.