Continental Divide Trail

The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (in short Continental Divide Trail, CDT) is a United StatesNational Scenic Trail with a length measured by the Continental Divide Trail Coalition of 3,028 miles (4,873 km) 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 2,700 miles (4,300 km) to 3,150 miles (5,070 km). 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 (near Triple Divide Peak, from which waters may flow to either the Arctic Ocean (via Hudson Bay), Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean).

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."