The National Park Service has acquired more than 200 acres along the south shore of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin, allowing officials to reroute roughly three miles of the North Country National Scenic Trail off public roads and onto protected land.
According to Wisconsin Public Radio, the acquisition covers 213 acres in Iron County. The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit, purchased the property from a private landowner last September for approximately $2.5 million before transferring it to the NPS this spring. The National Park Foundation and Wyss Foundation helped offset costs.
The North Country National Scenic Trail stretches 4,800 miles across eight states from North Dakota to Vermont, making it the longest national scenic trail in the country. About 1,500 miles of the trail remain unbuilt, with approximately 145 of Wisconsin’s 210 miles currently open to hikers.
The newly acquired land connects Saxon Harbor County Park to the Montreal River, which forms the border between Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The property includes 1,300 feet of Lake Superior shoreline and around 2,100 feet of Montreal River frontage, highlighted by Superior Falls, a 90-foot waterfall that cascades into a pool before emptying into the lake.
Trail superintendent Chris Loudenslager said the property delivers exactly the kind of experience the trail was designed to provide and called the purchase a meaningful step toward completing the route. The site also carries historical weight, having served as a Native American trade corridor and the location of a fur trading post operated by John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company from 1808 to 1830.
Iron County forest administrator Eric Peterson expects the new access point to draw additional visitors to the area, which already sees heavy traffic through the nearby Saxon Harbor campground each Memorial Day weekend. Trail construction through the property could begin as early as next year.
