About the Continental Divide Trail
The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) is unofficially considered to be one of the “triple-crown” thru-hikes within the United States, along with the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. Officially, it’s listed as one of the 11 National Scenic Trails within the US, which means that it’s well-maintained, and offers some of the most breathtaking scenery in the United States. It starts at the Southern Terminus (Crazy Cook Monument, on the US-Mexico border), then goes 3100 miles across the Continental Divide of North America, and ends at the Northern Terminus (Waterton Lake, in Alberta, Canada). It’s unofficially continued in Canada as the Great Divide Trail. The CDT takes you through very diverse landscapes, starting at a dry and hot climate, then climbing up to alpine mountainous regions, and finally ending at colder northern forests.
Statistics About the Continental Divide Trail
- Start point: Crazy Cook Monument, New Mexico, United States
- End point: Waterton Lake, Alberta, Canada
- Total distance: 3100 miles / 4989 km
- Total altitude gain/loss: 589 983 ft / 179 827 m
- Highest point: 14 278 ft / 4353 m (Grays Peak)
- Countries crossed: United States, Canada
- States Crossed: New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Alberta
- Time to finish: Usually 5-8 months
- Record finish time: 59 days
- Best time to hike: April- November
Alex –
Quality of the poster was a very welcome surprise. Will be buying again in the future.