May we introduce the Chief Noonday Chapter...
Chief Noonday is the local chapter
of the
North Country Trail Association
(NCTA) in the counties of Barry, Calhoun and Kalamazoo in south central and
western Michigan. The 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.
|
contact us |
|
Our phone numbers
and e-mail addresses are listed here. |
|
|
The North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST) is a premier footpath that
stretches for about 4,600 miles linking communities, forests, and prairies
across seven northern states. It extends from Crown Point on the
 western
shore of Lake Champlain in eastern New York State to Lake Sakakawea in North
Dakota. Between New York and North Dakota it passes through Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Already, more than 1,700 miles
have been certified off-road. Additional miles follow shared paths, and
some road walks yet remain. When completed it will be the longest off-road
hiking trail in the United States. (Click here for some historical
background on
NCTA and the
NCNST.)
 The
Chief Noonday Chapter sponsors a 90 mile section just southeast of Grand Rapids,
thru the Middleville State Game Area, the Paul Henry-Thornapple Trail, the
Yankee Springs Recreation Area, the Barry State Game Area, the north east corner
of Kalamazoo County, the Kellogg Experimental Forest and Kellogg Biological
Station, Ft. Custer National Cemetery, through Battle Creek, Marshall, and Homer
in south central Michigan. (See related
links and
map
information.) We build trail, maintain trail, and of course hike
the trail! We are responsible for approximately 60 miles of off-road
trail, of which approximately 40 miles are certified.
We are named for
Chief Noonday. He was a member of the Ottawa nation and a chief of the
Potawatomi in southwestern
Michigan in the early 19th century. He played a prominent role in the War
of 1812. According to legend, he was with Chief Tecumseh when the latter
died in the
Battle of the Thames
in 1813. He lived out his many years near Prairieville and is
buried next to
his wife on Cressey Road west of Little Long Lake.
[Next: A
bit of our history]
|
