Our Stories

Blake Wirts: Hike 100 Finisher

  “Hiking has helped me get through quarantine and gave me something fun to do and look forward to every week.” Blake Wirts, 13-year-old from Grant, Michigan, recently completed his Hike 100 Challenge. All of his miles were in Michigan, not too far from his home. The Rogue River area is one of his favorite […]

NCTA Says Goodbye to the Schoolhouse

  The founding of the North Country Trail Association can be traced back to a group of visionary volunteers sitting around a kitchen table in a historic schoolhouse in White Cloud, Michigan. by Andrea Ketchmark, NCTA Executive Director For close to 40 years, the Birch Grove Schoolhouse has served the North Country Trail community in […]

New Director of the Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry: Brad Garmon

NCTA applauds Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s appointment of Brad Garmon as Director of the Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry. Andrea Ketchmark, NCTA Executive Director, joined other outdoor industry and recreation leaders for the announcement at Outside Coffee Co. in Grand Rapids yesterday. “From the Great Lakes to our expansive forest lands to a vast network of trails, […]