Continental Divide Trail

The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail is a United States National Scenic Trail with a length measured by the Continental Divide Trail Coalition of between the U.S. border with Chihuahua, Mexico and the border with Alberta, Canada. Frequent route changes and a large number of alternate routes result in an actual hiking distance of to. The CDT follows the Continental Divide of the Americas along the Rocky Mountains and traverses five U.S. states — Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. In Montana near the Canadian border the trail crosses Triple Divide Pass.
In 2021, the CDT was about 70 percent complete, with a combination of dedicated trails and dirt and paved roads. Hikers can continue north into Alberta and British Columbia via the Great Divide Trail to Kakwa Lake in Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area, B.C., north of Jasper National Park.
The CDT was described in 2013 by a Triple Crown hiker as "Raw, wild, remote and unfinished; it is a trail that will make use of all the skills of an experienced backpacker. It is also a trail that is beautiful, stunning and perhaps the most rewarding of the major long-distance hiking trails." Distances given are approximate as sections of the trail are uncompleted and the trail is sometimes re-routed.
Two-time CDT thru-hiker and professional backpacker, Jeff Garmire, trail name Legend, described the trail by saying, "If you’re into suffering in solitude, the CDT is a perfect match."

History

The establishment of the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail inspired proposals to create a Continental Divide Trail. The first section of the proposed trail was laid out in Colorado in 1962 by the Rocky Mountain Trails Association. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson proposed a national system of trails and in 1968 the U.S. Congress adopted the National Trails System Act.
In 1978, the Continental Divide Trail was formally established with the responsibility for management given to the U.S. Forest Service. Portions of the trail already existed and a few hikers claimed to have walked from Mexico to Canada on the informal trail, among them Jim Wolf, a Baltimore lawyer who had hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1971, and whose account of that journey appears in the two-volume book, Hiking the Appalachian Trail. Wolf envisioned a similar trail running along the Continental Divide, and in 1978, he organized the Continental Divide Trail Society, which advocated for the newly designated National Scenic Trail and published several early guidebooks.
Progress in completing the trail was slow and interest in hiking the complete trail was minimal. By 1995, only 15 people were recorded as having hiked the whole trail, still largely unfinished. In that same year, the Continental Divide Trail Alliance was created and with volunteers built or improved the route of the trail. In 2012, the Continental Divide Trail Coalition replaced the CDTA to coordinate the efforts of several regional partners engaged in constructing and maintaining the trail. Thru-hikers increased from four in 1999 to more than 150 in 2019, and uncounted thousands hiked sections of the trail every year. Horseback riding is permitted on the trail; mountain biking is permitted on 65% of the trail.
Thru-hikers of the Continental Divide Trail, the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail achieve what is known as the Triple Crown of Hiking. As of the end of the application period in late 2025, 837 hikers have been designated Triple Crowners since 1994 by the American Long Distance Hiking Association—West. More than 1,000 thru-hikers completed either the AT or PCT in 2019 compared to 150 completing the CDT, a reflection of the isolation and difficulty in hiking the CDT.

Thru-hiking

Successfully thru-hiking the entire Continental Divide Trail takes an average of five months. The definition of a thru-hike is left to the judgment of the hikers. The purists hike a "continuous and unbroken footpath between Mexico and Canada," but about 50 percent of the thru-hikers admit to having skipped small sections of road-walking or because the trail was closed, mostly due to forest fires or snow. All hikers must replenish their food every few days, often hitchhiking from a road crossing of the trail into a town to buy food and supplies. Most hikers occasionally take a "zero", a day without hiking, or a "nearo", a day with little hiking, to rest and recuperate. "Trail angels" at locations along the trail assist hikers with food, water, and transportation to and from resupply points to trail heads. A few hikers, especially those attempting to set speed records, are "supported," meaning they have helpers who meet or accompany them along the trail and perform non-hiking tasks, such as food preparation. Permits are required to hike or camp along some sections of the trail and a passport is needed to cross the Canadian border.
Most thru-hikers begin the hike in April in New Mexico, hike northbound, and finish at the Canadian border in August or September. If hikers begin too early they may encounter heavy and near impassable snow conditions in the southern San Juan and San Juan Mountains of Colorado, and if the hiker finishes too late they may encounter heavy and near impassable snow in Glacier National Park near the Canadian border. A few thru-hikers hike southbound from the Canadian border beginning in June and finishing in October or November. They may also encounter adverse weather conditions. A few hikers "flip-flop," hiking different sections of the trail when the weather is most favorable rather than sequentially. The most common problems reported by thru-hikers are injury and snow. The average base weight of a thru-hiker's backpack in 2018 was. Added to that, the thru-hiker carries up to a one-week supply of food weighing about per day and, in drier areas especially New Mexico, up to five liters of water weighing. Extra equipment carried might include an ice ax and bear spray.
In 2019, the respondents to a survey of CDT thru-hikers were two-thirds male with a median age of 31. Three-quarters were from the United States and the remainder came from eleven other countries. The average number of days to complete the hike was 147.
Although there are earlier claimants, Dave Odell is the first hiker officially credited with completing the still-undefined CDT in 1977. In 1978 three women hiked the entire trail: Nancy Andujar and the team of Jean Ella and Lynne Wisegart. In 2007, Francis Tapon became the first person to do a round backpacking trip "yo-yo" on the Continental Divide Trail when he through-hiked from Mexico to Canada and back to Mexico on the CDT. This seven-month journey spanned over 5,600 miles. Tapon took the most circuitous, scenic, high, difficult route north and while returning south, took the more expedient route. Andrew Skurka completed the trail as part of the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop in 2007. Olive "Raindance" McGloin, yo-yoed in 2020 becoming the first woman on her second attempt.
The youngest person to thru-hike the trail is Reed Gjonnes, who hiked the trail with her father Eric Gjonnes from April 15, 2013 to September 6, 2013 in one continuous northbound hike at age 13.

Route

The Continental Divide Trail closely follows the Continental Divide, but has a large number of approved alternate routes, some of which are more utilized than the official trail. The official trail is called the "Red Line." Alternates are called by other colors such as "Blue Line" or "Orange Line." The trail is incomplete in a few sections, especially in New Mexico, which requires walking on roads. Ninety-five percent of the trail is located on public land, including National Parks, National Forests, and land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. There are few facilities along the trail itself, and it is usually necessary for the hiker to leave the trail to resupply or find lodging.
Seventy percent of the trail is through land managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The Bureau of Land Management manages 12% or 372 miles of the trail, the National Park Service manages 10% or 310 miles, and state and private lands total 8% or 248 miles.

New Mexico

Forest fires are a danger to hikers. Sections of the trail are often closed to hikers because of fire danger. In 2022, for example, more than 300 miles of the CDT were closed for one month due to drought conditions causing fire hazards.
The official route of the CDT in New Mexico is long, although many alternate routes shorten or lengthen that distance. The lowest elevation of the trail in New Mexico is in the town of Lordsburg and the highest elevation in New Mexico is at the summit of Mount Taylor. Much of the CDT route in New Mexico traverses desert and dry mountains. Finding drinking water is a challenge for hikers.
Three southern termini of the trail exist: 1) Crazy Cook Monument, the official CDT southern terminus, east of the Big Hatchet Mountains; 2) Antelope Wells, New Mexico; and 3) near Columbus, New Mexico. The Crazy Cook Monument in New Mexico's bootheel is the most commonly used starting or finishing point of the CDT, but due to its remote location lacks lodging and other services. As of October 7, 2025, the area near the Crazy Cook Monument has been declared a "National Defense Area" under the control of the U.S. Army. Crazy Crook is not accessible to hikers without a permit from the Army. A shuttle for hikers is permitted to approach to within 1.1 miles of the Crazy Cook terminus. Only U.S. citizens will be granted permits to travel to the Crazy Cook terminus.
In northernmost New Mexico, the CDT crosses into Colorado near Cumbres Pass at an elevation of. The trail is unfinished and many miles of the hike require road walking.
Notable points on the CDT in New Mexico from south to north include:

Crazy Cook Monument. The CDT begins here at the border with Mexico at an elevation of and is accessed only by a dirt road.
Animas and Playas Valleys. In the Chihuahua Desert water is scarce and the trail route is mostly informal.
Big Burro Mountains. The first wooded areas on the CDT for the north-bound hiker.
Silver City, New Mexico. The CDT passes through the town, a rest and resupply center.
Gila Wilderness. Ninety-five percent of thru-hikers take the Gila River alternate trail which goes through the scenic canyon of the river. Voted third among favorite sections of the CDT by hikers in 2019.
Pie Town. A hiker and biker-friendly hamlet on the trail with a hostel supported by hiker's donations and a restaurant which serves pie.
El Malpaís National Monument. Most hikers take a shorter alternate route by-passing many of the lava fields of El Malpais.
Grants, New Mexico. A rest and resupply center. The CDT crosses Interstate 40 here.
Mount Taylor. Most thru-hikers summit Mount Taylor, the highest point on the CDT in New Mexico.
San Pedro Parks Wilderness. North bound hikers find here the first sizeable accumulations of snow on the trail until about 1 June at elevations of more than.
Ghost Ranch. A retreat and education center, the former home of artist Georgia O'Keeffe, and a popular site for filming Western movies.
Chama, New Mexico. A resupply center and near the beginning of the long and difficult hike through the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado.