What is the Continental Divide Trail?
The Continental Divide Trail, or CDT, when completed, will be the second largest contiguous hiking trail in the United States. Spanning the length of the country from the Mexican-New Mexico border to the Montana-Canadian border, the trail is just over 70% complete as of recent estimates. Along with the Appalachian Trail in the East and the Pacific Crest Trail in the West, the CDT forms what hikers refer to as the “triple crown” of American hiking. Appalachian Trail visionary Benton MacKaye and members of the Rocky Mountain Trail Association began plans for the CDT in the late 1960s. The group hiked what would become part of the trail, marking it by nailing blue-painted cans to trees for later approval by the United States Forest Service as trailways. In 1966, lobbyists for the trail were successful in having the plans brought before the US Congress. Plans for the Continental Divide Trail incorporated over 1,900 miles (3,057 km) of existing trails and rural roads in an effort to cut dow
The Continental Divide Trail, or CDT, when completed, will be the second largest contiguous hiking trail in the United States. Spanning the length of the country from the Mexican-New Mexico border to the Montana-Canadian border, the trail is just over 70% complete as of recent estimates. Along with the Appalachian Trail in the East and the Pacific Crest Trail in the West, the CDT forms what hikers refer to as the “triple crown†of American hiking. Appalachian Trail visionary Benton MacKaye and members of the Rocky Mountain Trail Association began plans for the CDT in the late 1960s. The group hiked what would become part of the trail, marking it by nailing blue-painted cans to trees for later approval by the United States Forest Service as trailways. In 1966, lobbyists for the trail were successful in having the plans brought before the US Congress. Plans for the Continental Divide Trail incorporated over 1,900 miles (3,057 km) of existing trails and rural roads in an effort to cut
The CDT is one of the National Scenic Trails that have been designated by Congress. The Pacific Crest and Appalachian Trails are two of the more well known, and travelled, NSTs. Unlike those two, however, the CDT is not well constructed and in many places no official trail has been designated. Most hikers choose their own routes and it is rare that any two hikers will tread the same path. The northern terminus is Canada, either in Waterton Park (Canada) or at the Chief Mountain border crossing (a highway). The southern terminus is Mexico, either near the minor town of Columbus, NM, or in the middle of nowhere NM near Antelope Wells. Or where ever a hiker decides to stop. Along the way, the CDT tracks close to the Continental Divide, following the Rocky Mountains, and passes through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. • What guidebooks are there? There are two different, competing guidebooks. The one you want is written by Jim Wolf and is published by the the Continental
