Continental Divide Trail Travel Hiker Postcard

The Continental Divide Trail (CDT) is one of the most challenging and remote long-distance hiking trails in the world, stretching approximately 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) from the Mexican border in New Mexico to the Canadian border in Montana. Following the spine of the Rocky Mountains, it traces the Continental Divide—the hydrological boundary that separates the waters flowing to the Pacific from those flowing to the Atlantic. The trail traverses five U.S. states: New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, offering dramatic landscapes including desert basins, high alpine tundra, vast forests, and windswept plains. It’s part of the famed "Triple Crown" of U.S. hiking, along with the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. What makes the CDT especially unique is its ruggedness and solitude. Unlike other major trails, the CDT is not always clearly marked, and portions are remote, requiring strong navigation skills and self-sufficiency. Thru-hikers face extreme weather, wildlife encounters, and long stretches without resupply points—but in return, they’re rewarded with some of the most pristine wilderness in North America. Iconic sections include the San Juan Mountains in Colorado, the Wind River Range in Wyoming, and Glacier National Park in Montana. For many, hiking the CDT is not just a physical test, but a deep immersion into the untamed and varied heart of the American West.