Northern Forest Canoe Trail

The idea of building the NFCT spawned in 1976 when a non-profit organization called Native Trails began researching the canoe routes of Native Americans in the Northeast. Upon retracing the routes, the members found a viable waterway connecting the Adirondacks to northern Maine and began work to create the now-passable trail. Federal grants administered by the National Park Service provided the start-up funding for the project and the NFCT now receives funding from state-level and foundation grants, corporate and individual contributions, memberships, maps sales, and royalties.

The NFCT has 13 mapped, neighboring sections with campsites, portage routes, and trail signs. The trail includes 22 rivers and streams as well as 56 lakes and ponds and traverses three national wildlife refuges and 45 towns. Nearly half of the trail lies in Maine, where it winds through streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes.

Local community groups do much of the maintenance and development of the trail. The NFCT is starting a locally-organized stewardship system in which volunteers manage each leg of the trail by, for example, updating and planning routes, installing signs and developing portages, access points and campsites. More volunteers are always welcomed, and ways to help or become a member are listed on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail web site.