Running through Darlington, North Country Trail earns unit status from National Park Service

Scott Tady, Beaver County Times
Updated ·2 min read

LOWELL, MICH. ― The North Country National Scenic Trail, which runs through South Beaver and Darlington townships in Beaver County, has earned official unit status from the National Park Service.

Unit status provides the North Country Trail with official recognition within the National Park Service, and access to additional resources and funding. It also provides equal legal standing with the other trails and parks that the National Park Service administers.

Scenery along the North Country Trail in Beaver County.
Scenery along the North Country Trail in Beaver County.

The North Country Trail is the longest of the 11 National Scenic Trails in the United States, stretching 4,800 miles from North Dakota to Vermont. Six of these 11 trails are administered by the National Park Service but at the time of their official National Scenic Trail designation, only three were identified as units: the Appalachian Trail, Natchez Trace Trail and Potomac Heritage Trail.

Unit status was missing, for no clear reason, from the wording in the law for the remaining three: the North Country Trail (NCT), Ice Age Trail and New England Trail. This means they were not recognized as units of the National Park Service, and thus, not promoted fully to the American public, according to an NCT press release.

Watts Mill Road trailhead to the North Country Trail in South Beaver Township.
Watts Mill Road trailhead to the North Country Trail in South Beaver Township.

“Now, when the National Park Service tells the story of the amazing scenic and recreational opportunities provided by the National Park System; it will tell our stories too − the stories of all the National Scenic Trails it administers in cooperation with other units of government, nonprofit organizations, volunteers and private landowners,” Tom Gilbert, former National Park Service superintendent of the North Country National Scenic Trail, said last week.

Stewards of those three omitted trails have called for equality for 30 years, and are thrilled by the National Parks Service's decision for inclusion earlier this month, Andrea Ketchmark, executive director of the North Country Trail Association, said.

“This is such a win for us, our partners and our volunteers, who work so hard to build, maintain and protect the trail," Ketchmark said.

The North Country enters Beaver County at the Ohio border and Blackhawk Road/Route 251, snaking northeast through wooded South Beaver and Darlington townships. One of the busiest local trailheads is off Route 168 at the South Beaver-Darlington border, next to Little Beaver Creek.

The Beaver-Lawrence counties portion of the trail, clear to McConnells Mill State Park and westward to Zoar, Ohio, is maintained, protected and promoted by the Wampum Chapter of the North Country Trail Association.

"We would love to have like-minded individuals join us in our mission to build, maintain, protect and promote the North Country National Scenic Trail in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio," Tina Harkins, public relations chair for the Wampum chapter, said.

People can contact the chapter via email, at wampumncta@gmail.com, or social media (Meetup, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) to become a volunteer.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: North Country Trail granted unit status by National Park Service