ADVOCACY CENTER

A view of Lake Superior's North Shore from the Superior Hiking Trail.

Arrowhead Re-route Update!
On December 5th, Representative James Oberstar (D-7, MN) introduced H.R. 4291, known as the North Country National Scenic Trail Route Adjustment Act of 2007. When enacted, this bill would "revise the authorized route of the North Country National Scenic Trail in northeastern Minnesota to include existing hiking trails along Lake Superior's north shore and in Superior National Forest and Chippewa National Forest."

What is the Arrowhead Re-route?
The Arrowhead Re-route is an effort to officially designate a revised route for the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT) in northeastern Minnesota (see map below). This change, which requires the approval of Congress, would replace a 100-mile stretch of trail route identified in the National Park Service�s 1982 Comprehensive Plan for Management and Use of the North Country Trail. The 1982 route lies between Jay Cooke State Park southeast of Duluth and the eastern end of the NCT in the Chippewa National Forest near Remer. Since the NCT was authorized by Congress in 1980, there have been no efforts to construct trail along this route because it contains extensive wetlands. It also lacks the outstanding scenery found along the Arrowhead Re-route..

(Click here for a PDF of a more detailed map.)

Minnesota hiking and trail advocates proposed using the Superior Hiking Trail, Border Route Trail, and Kekekabic Trail as components of a more feasible and scenic alternative to the originally planned route. The new route was evaluated and identified as the “preferred alternative” in the National Park Service’s “Northeastern Minnesota Route Assessment,” approved in September 2004. The revised route would be approximately 500 miles long (400 miles longer than the original route) and be located in exemplary “North Country” areas with world-class scenery, including Lake Superior's North Shore and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Over 375 miles of the Superior Hiking Trail, Border Route Trail, and Kekekabic Trail would be incorporated into the new route. The NCTA anticipates approximately 140 miles of new trail construction to link Ely and Remer, Minnesota.

For more background information, visit the National Park Service's North Country National Scenic Trail web site to download the Northeastern Minnesota Route Assessment and Environmental Assessment. Click on the picture of the backpacker to open a PDF.

How you can help!
The first step is to download our Fact Sheet to learn why the Arrowhead Re-route makes sense for Congress to authorize. After that, we encourage you to take any and all of the following steps that you feel comfortable with:

• The next step is to contact your Representative in Congress and ask them to support HR 4291 by co-sponsoring it. Tell them that this legislation is important for moving the North Country National Scenic Trail forward in Minnesota. Click here to find your representatives in Congress.
• Contact your Senators and ask them to support the companion Senate legislation (not yet introduced). Click here to find your representatives in Congress.
• Join the North Country Trail Association If you're already a member, tell your friends to join. Membership dues and contributions help us plan, build, maintain, and protect the nation's longest hiking trail.