Continental Divide Trail ◆ Mexico to Canada / NM-CO-WY-MT
The Continental Divide Trail, the wildest of the three.
3,100 miles along the Continental Divide from Mexico to Canada through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. Less crowded, less marked, and much more remote than the PCT or AT.
Field guide ◆ Continental Divide Trail
Plan the trip.
The Continental Divide Trail runs 3,100 miles along the Continental Divide of North America — Mexico to Canada through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. It's the longest, highest, and least-finished of the three major American thru-hikes (Triple Crown: PCT, AT, CDT). Roughly 200 people thru-hike it each year. The trail is famously incomplete in places: hikers route-find around gaps, and 'choose your own adventure' is part of the culture.
Section trips: the San Juans in southern Colorado (high alpine, technical), the Wind River Range in Wyoming (granite cirques, alpine lakes), Glacier National Park (the trail's northernmost section, world-class), and the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness in Montana. Even short 3-4 day sections in any of these put you in some of the most remote backcountry in the lower 48.
Best window: May through October for sections. Thru-hikers leave Mexico in April (cold New Mexico) and arrive Canada in September (snow possible). The Continental Divide Trail Coalition issues free thru-hiker registrations and maintains the trail.
On the map ◆
Where you're going.
Pack the kit ◆ For Continental Divide Trail
What to bring.
Trip-tested picks for this destination — gear that's earned its place across multiple visits.
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