The North Country National Scenic Trail, commonly known as the North Country Trail or simply the NCT, is a footpath stretching over 4,800 miles (7,700 km) from Middlebury in central Vermont to Lake Sakakawea State Park in central North Dakota and connects both the Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail with the Lewis and Clark Trail. Passing through the eight states, it is the longest of all the eleven National Scenic Trails authorized by Congress. By early 2019, there is 3,129 miles (5,036 km) of the trail open for hiking.

The NCT is administered by the National Park Service, managed by federal, state, and local agencies, and built and maintained primarily by the volunteers of the North Country Trail Association (NCTA) and its partners. The 28 chapters of the NCTA, its 3,200+ members and each affiliate organization have assumed responsibility for local trail construction and maintenance of local sections of the NCT.

The eastern terminus of the trail is in Vermont and proceeds to the western end of New York state. It cuts across northwestern Pennsylvania, then follows a southwesterly course through the hilly region of southern Ohio until it nears Cincinnati when it runs north through western Ohio to the hills of SE Michigan. It continues from southeast Michigan through the western Lower Peninsula, crosses the Straits of Mackinaw, and takes a northern route the length of the Upper Peninsula. After crossing northern Wisconsin, it follows the Lake Superior shore to the northeast corner of Minnesota before turning west through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and then southwest to the Chippewa National Forest in central northern Minnesota. The trail enters southeast North Dakota, and continues to its western terminus in the center of the state.