The average time to thru-hike the CDT is about six months and most people hike south to north. Obviously, we had neither the time nor the funds to explore every alternative route along the divide, but we did sample several of them. The lowest elevation of the trail in Montana after leaving the Idaho/Montana border is 4,215 feet (1,285m) at Upper Waterton Lake which straddles the U.S./Canada border. Hopefully, none of this happens during your (or your loved ones) hike, but its possible. Death Valley; Eastern Sierras; Lassen Volcanic Nat'l Park; The Lost Coast; Sequoia - Kings Canyon; Joshua Tree National Park; Colorado. [15] Tapon took the most circuitous, scenic, high, difficult route north and while returning south, took the more expedient route. Camping alone when Id flipped up to Idaho/Southern Montana away from the bubble because I was trying to finish to go back to school. Kevin has put years of personal effort into developing this route, along with several alternative routes along the way. Amazon; Wilderness Press; hikers. Divides are boundaries that separate drainage basins or watersheds of all sizes. Continental Divide Trail - Wikipedia You being in the desert - not this high-altitude chaparral crap on the PCT - you're hiking for nearly 100 mi / 160 km through shadeless and waterless desert. Minneapolis mansion with mural by highly sought-after 1920s portrait artist lists for $1.295 million, Pickup driver strays over center line south of Prior Lake, hits SUV and kills other motorist, Active Chefs program equipping kids to cook healthy foods, Roseville, nonprofit will partner to add mental health outreach worker, Red Wing lures downtown residents with new developments. The CDT achieves an elevation of 10,091 feet (3,076m), the most northerly place on the trail to reach an elevation of more than 10,000 feet (3,000m). One night in the Collegiates (Colorado), I had already gotten rained on all day and picked a suboptimal campsite just to get it over with. Continental Divide Trail (CDT) - Uncommon Path - An REI Co-op Publication "He had a bonfire going in the middle of that storm.". 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.[4]. 22 hours and 51 minutes and was set in 2016 by Mike Hall (see Trail Notes for a full list of records). The CDT is now 95 percent complete. Rocky Mountain National Park has the highest paved roads in any National Park in the United States. Either way, best to sign up for my newsletter, yeah? Why? The most common problems reported by thru-hikers are injury and snow. There have been 15 thru-hiker deaths on the PCT. He didn't want to be the first to cross the river, he wanted to help everybody else across the river. A freezing rain and thunderstorm storm in the Winds made the trail entirely sludge. The Triple Crown Hiking Trails are the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Appalachian Trail. Most hikers typically hike the trail Northbound, from Mexico to Canada. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, NJ/PA. You can drive north on it or south, its completely up to you. Gatewood endured so much trauma in her lifetimewhich may be where she found the fortitude, endurance, and will to be the first woman to hike the ATat 67 years of age! Officials reported that the tree had rotted at the base, causing it to become unstable (source), DROWNING | Wang Chaocui | Mid July, 2017 | In Yosemite National Park (California), Wang Chaocui was discovered in a river in Kerrick Canyon. Several alternate trails shorten the meandering route of the official CDT in Montana. Continental Divide. And if youll be towing trailers, as we did, the tag-alongs will also require clearance and tough tires. The 2017 hiking season was plagued by many dangerous river crossings because of the unusually high snowpack from the previous winter (source), HEATSTROKE (SUSPECTED) | Marvin Novo | May 29, 2017 | In the Mission Creek Preserve (California), Marvin Novos body was discovered along the West Fork Trail. 1. It is also a trail that is beautiful, stunning and perhaps the most rewarding of the major long-distance hiking trails. It's also the most remote, and the highest - the lowest point on the entire trail is in New Mexico at 4,189ft . While the ride follows through the spectacular mountains . So if you ever see a headline something like, Hiker deaths on the PCT jump 200% in the National Scenic Trails deadliest year ever!, know that this means ten people died doing something inherently dangerous (aka its clickbait). Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in the USA . How Dangerous is the Continental Divide Trail? - YouTube Leaving the Basin, the CDT traverses the remote and rugged 'bench' of the Wind River Range, climbing to above timberline which is about 10,000 feet (3,000m) in this area, and then through the Absaroka Range in the northwest portion of the state. It was a long night. The name "Trail Ridge Road" derives from its proximity to historic pathways used by native peoples to cross the Rocky Mountains. Congress established the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) in 1978. Alex always loved being outdoors, his parents said. Much of the CDT route in New Mexico traverses desert and dry mountains and a challenge to hikers is finding drinking water. Have your own tale of woe from a Continental Divide Trail thru-hike? Hiking The Continental Divide Trail Colorado | Wildland Trekking Perhaps a more accurate description is that 30% of the CDT is on either a dirt or paved road. San Jacinto in an unseasonal snowstorm. The Continental Divide Trail: A Guide for Thru-Hikers I had to get off the road and climb over blowdowns to get around him. I also came across the following deaths which occurred on or near the PCT but did not involve thru-hikers: FALL | 30-year-old male | March 31, 2022 | A mans body was recovered just north of Forester Pass on the Pacific Crest Trail/John Muir Trail following a fall in monsoon-type weather(source), LIGHTNING | Nicholas Torchia | July 30, 2021 | On the Sallie Keyes Cutoff near Muir Trail Ranch in the Sierra, Torchia was leaning against a tree for cover during a storm when the tree was struck by lightning (source), HEATSTROKE | Unnamed Woman | June 16, 2021 | Emergency services were called to aid a woman near Anza (California) suffering from suspected heatstroke. Continental Divide Trail National Logo Vinyl Decal [8][9] Permits are required to hike or camp along some sections of the trail and a passport is needed to cross the Canadian border. [24], Notable points on the CDT in New Mexico from south to north include:[25], The official route of the CDT in Colorado is 735.5 miles (1,183.7km) long,[1] although several alternate routes shorten or lengthen that distance. The trail is incomplete in a few sections, especially in New Mexico, which requires walking on roads. Keep in mind, that when looking at the map, only 70% of the actual trail routing is . Portions of the trail already existed and a few hikers claimed to have walked from Mexico to Canada on the informal trail,[3] 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. [5] 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. Anaconda cutoff. [22], The Rocky Mountains of Colorado terminate in southern Wyoming and the CDT passes through a through a long section of desert range-land in the middle of the state, known as the Great Divide Basin. Alex also liked helping people when not hiking. Hannah got into the tent. [], CDTC, New Mexico Land Office, BLM Announce Partnership to Improve & Protect CDT Access, CDTC Applauds Important Milestone for the Bipartisan CDT Completion Act. For hikers who have completed all three trails, ALDHA-West presents the official "Triple Crown of Hiking" (TC). Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) - BIKEPACKING.com WARNING! 10 Fascinating Continental Divide Trail Facts Hiking The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail . Tips for hiking the Continental Divide Trail, or CDT - CNBC Another recommendation: For most of us, driving through the high lonesome on the continental divide will be a one-time thing, in other words a trip of a lifetime. The CDT stretches 4989 km between Canada and Mexico, slicing the United States from top to bottom, crossing New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Send this article to anyone, no subscription is necessary to view it, One of state's richest families feuds over $1 billion estate, Voting rights restored to more than 55,000 Minnesotans, Court penalizes leader of 'sham' Edina nonprofit that worked with Feeding Our Future. Consider all these things while assembling a group and planning your trip. 15. Its not unrealistic to say that a Continental Divide Trail thru-hike could be someones final adventure you could end up caught in an avalanche (the San Juans can be dangerous early in the year), with heatstroke in the desert (the Bootheel is no joke), surrounded by a forest fire (a truly underrated hazard), or in a hitch with a drunk driver (if you have a bad feeling about a hitch, dont get in; wait for the next one). In addition, memory chips are available through the website. State Land Office, BLM New Mexico Announce Partnership To Improve Continental Divide Trail Access; Scammers Posing As BeWellnm Representatives; Latest e-Edition 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 also encounter heavy snow in Glacier National Park near the Canadian border. Which also means youll need the clearance and traction that off-road tires and low range will give you. We recognize users regardless of sequence, direction, speed, or whether they carry a pack, or any variation of their hike. Hikers don't get the luxury of dictating every aspect of their hikes. T he Triple Crown trails (the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail) offer nearly 8,000 miles of some of the best hiking in the world. In most areas the CDT is well marked. A few thru-hikers hike southbound (SOBO) from the Canadian border beginning in June and finishing in October or November. M. Biggers, Ashley. Sleeping Bag or Quilt. Thru-hiking the CDT is an adventure of a lifetime, but it's not for the faint of heart. Coming over a ridge to end what was my longest day so far on the trail (27mi / 43 km), only to see a new, active fire less than 10 mi / 16 km away and no way to escape but forward. New Mexico; Continental Divide; I-40; . The road climbs to the continental divide at the top of the Pass (12,095 ft.). Perhaps now is a good time to discuss possible vehicles for this adventure. So remote and inspiring is the route that Land Rover chose it as a challenge for the North American introduction of the Range Rover in 1989, when six Range Rovers became the first vehicles to complete the entire journey. We had inadvertently passed them, but spent the whole day trying to catch up. This is the legendary Continental Divide, also known as the Great Divide. The rest is on land managed by the Bureau of Land (12% or 372 miles), National Parks (10% or 310 miles), and state and private lands (8% or 248 miles). At Datil we found a combination general store, motel, gas station, restaurant, and butcher shop, which also raised its own beef. As this trail follows the Continental Divide, there are parts that are very high in elevation and challenging. " the road was still plain, I therefore did not dispair of shortly finding a passage . Speaking of trailheads, because of various issueshealth and mechanicalwe completed the journey in three stages, much as you readers might do if youre as intrigued as I with exploring the Continental Divide: First stage: Mexican border to Interstate 40, second stage: I40 to I80, and third stage: I80 to the Canadian border. Jump in and jump out at the various interstates as your free time dictates. 1 mo. The road walk into Rawlins (Wyoming) after the Basin. Continental Divide Trail: THE Complete Thru-Hiking Guide His body was found just below the summit (source), FALL | Laurie Choate | September 5, 2018 | Laurie Choate, died in a fall hiking the Kendall Katwalk (Washington). As it turned out, we accrued almost 8,000 miles total on the expedition because of all the highway travel to and from the trailheads. The free printable Continental Divide Trail maps and guides below are organized by state starting in the south at the Mexican border in New Mexico, and working the way north along the C.D.T. A continental divide is a ridge or natural boundary of elevated terrain that separates the drainage basins of a continent. It was called the Eagle Guest Ranch, and when we found that they raised and served their own beef, we decided to eat, shower, and sleep at the Eagle Guest Ranch. Read More. The residents of Atlantic City, Wyoming, are just fine being off the grid. With the trails growing popularity, its important that people realize that a PCT thru-hike does not take place in a controlled environment and that death on the PCT is an entirely realistic possibility for the ill-prepared (or even the well-prepared). She previously covered Carver County and western Hennepin County as well as aging, workplace issues and other topics since she began at the paper in 2011. Detailed Description. St. Paul residents ask: When will the recycling truck cometh? Stretching for 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada, the Continental Divide Trail traverses some of North America's most scenic and remote terrains. Unexplained Deaths of Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers Progress in completing the trail was slow and interest in hiking the complete trail was minimal. The main continental divide in Canada follows the ridge of the Rocky . The Continental Divide in Southwest Montana. Parkview Mountain (2,913 feet vertical) - 10 miles round trip, with trailhead access from Willow Creek Pass on CO-125. He'd lost his glasses, so she mailed a spare pair and some cookies to Silverton, Colo. (March 2008) "There & Back Again", Bastone, Kelly (August 2008) "Taking the High Way: Thru-hiking the Continental Divide Trail,", Last edited on 10 February 2023, at 23:37, "A Quick and Dirty Guide to the Continental Divide Trail", "The Continental Divide Trail Thru-Hiker Survey (2019)", "Cheating their Way to Fame: The Top 9 Adventure Travel Hoaxes", "The Onion vs. Mr. Magoo - On your mark, get set hike. The Continental Divide Trail (CDT) spans over 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada and is one of the most significant trail systems in the world. The Continental Divide Trail in Colorado also has plenty of options for doing day or just short hikes: Berthoud Pass to Stanley MountainBerthoud Pass. 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. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) extends 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada across a range of landscapes in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. According to a Google search, The Great Continental Divide Adventure Route is a motorized route that follows closely along the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. The CDT is by far the most rugged of the three, being only 70% fully completed with a lot of portions of road walking and . In that same year, the Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA) was created and with volunteers built or improved the route of the trail. 1.2K. Need to come up with some statistics to put to rest your familys fears that you will be dragged from your sleeping bag in the night by a bloodthirsty animal? When Julie didn't hear from her son for a few days, she called the local sheriff's office, which sent out a search and rescue team. It traverses a multitude of biospheres, from tundra to high desert, with a vast variety of flora and fauna, including several . Eureka acknowledged it's been a tough winter. The Triple Crown of hiking is a thru-hike trifecta that includes the three most prominent long trails of the United States - the Appalachian Trail (AT), the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). Continental Divide National Scenic Trail | US Forest Service Hiking the CDT means more than blindly wandering down a path filled with trail angels eager to help hikers on their journey to or from Mexico or Canada. Continental Divide Trail : New Mexico Nomad Has anyone died on the Pacific Crest Trail? Founded in 2012 by a passionate group of volunteers and recreationists, CDTC is .