200 Acres Along Lake Superior Now Protected for Longest National Trail
National Park Service buys land for 4,800-mile scenic trail from North Dakota to Vermont.
A view from Superior Falls facing Lake Superior on Sept. 18, 2025. Sara Rubinstein/Courtesy of the Trust for Public Land
The National Park Service recently acquired more than 200 acres along the south shore of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin for the country’s longest national scenic trail.
The North Country National Scenic Trail is part of the National Park Service and stretches 4,800 miles across eight states from North Dakota to Vermont. About 1,500 miles of the trail has yet to be built.
The agency acquired 213 acres in Iron County this spring from the national nonprofit Trust for Public Land, said Chris Loudenslager, the trail’s superintendent. Iron County land records show the nonprofit group paid roughly $2.5 million to buy the property from a private landowner in September.
“When this property became available, that presented the opportunity to get the trail off the road and into a beautiful property that really provides for the type of experience the North Country National Scenic Trail is intended to provide,” Loudenslager said.
The National Park Service purchased the property with money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The National Park Foundation and Wyss Foundation also offset costs of the acquisition for the Trust for Public Land.
Loudenslager said the purchase means officials will be able to move about 3 miles of the trail off road.
Efforts to protect the property go back almost 20 years, said Will Cooksey, senior project manager at the Trust for Public land. The land purchased will connect Saxon Harbor County Park to the Montreal River that separates Wisconsin from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
“The property is outstandingly beautiful. It includes 1,300 feet of shoreline along Lake Superior, so it has commanding views of Lake Superior. Additionally, it has roughly 2,100 feet of shoreline along the Montreal River, including the mouth of the river with the lake,” Cooksey said. “This is a portion of the river that includes Superior Falls as it cascades down about 90 feet into a beautiful pool.”
A view of Superior Falls, which drops 90 feet before the Montreal River empties into Lake Superior. Sara Rubinstein/Courtesy of the Trust for Public Land
Eric Peterson, forest administrator for Iron County, said the county had previously examined buying the property in 2017. He said thousands of people typically visit Iron County on Memorial Day weekend with many of them going through Saxon Harbor campground. He anticipates the acquisition may increase traffic in the future.
“With the North Country trail going through that property now and accessing Superior Falls and the Montreal River, that’s just another access point for people to go and see those things when they’re at our facility,” Peterson said.
Loudenslager said a historic trade route for Native Americans known as the Flambeau Trail followed the Montreal River through the area. It was also the site of a fur trading post operated by John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company from 1808 to 1830, according to the Trust for Public Land.
In a statement, Gov. Tony Evers said the acquisition builds on work to conserve lands in Wisconsin “while bolstering our highly successful outdoor recreation economy and ensuring these spaces are accessible for generations of Wisconsinites and visitors to come.”
Outdoor enthusiasts provided a record-breaking $12 billion boost to Wisconsin’s economy in 2024, according to most recent federal data released this year. Overall, the state’s outdoor recreation industry supports more than 100,000 jobs.
Loudenslager said the National Park Service will work with partners, including the North Country Trail Association, on scouting a potential route through the property while ensuring protection of cultural and natural resources. Construction of the trail could begin as early as next year.
“I think it’s a fantastic achievement for the North Country National Scenic Trail,” Loudenslager said. “It moves the needle toward completing the trail where we have the opportunity to get temporary road walks replaced by actual trail that not only benefits the hikers, but also benefits the local communities.”
About 210 miles of the trail run through Wisconsin, of which about 145 miles are ready to hike.
Around 200 acres protected along Lake Superior for longest national scenic trail was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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