Continental Divide Trail

Understand

The CDT offers scenic, primitive hiking and horseback-riding while conserving the natural, historic, and cultural resources along the Divide. Most of the route runs through public lands within 50 miles of the Continental Divide itself. Established in 1978 under the National Trails System Act, it is one of the major long-distance trails in the United States and part of the National Landscape Conservation System. The route combines dedicated trail, dirt roads, and paved roads, and it is still not fully complete: about 160 miles remain unfinished and generally require walking along roads. Current maps, trail conditions, volunteer opportunities, and planning resources are available from the Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds, promotes, and protects the trail. Hiking the entire route end-to-end in a single trip, known as thru-hiking, usually takes four to six months and demands careful preparation. Thru-hikers attempt the route every year, but finishing remains a major undertaking given the trail's length, elevation, weather exposure, remoteness, and unfinished sections. Riding the trail end-to-end on horseback is an even bigger challenge. As of 2008, no equestrian had ridden the entire route in a single year, though several long-distance riders had attempted it. German rider Günter Wamser — traveling from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska — and Austrian rider Sonja Endlweber, who joined him from Mexico northward, completed the route on four Bureau of Land Management mustangs over three summers, from 2007 to 2009.

Prepare

Poor preparation is the most common reason hikers fail to complete the CDT. Start with regular walks in the weeks and months before your hike, beginning with easy, low-impact day hikes while carrying minimal weight. As these become effortless, increase your distance and add multi-day hikes with a full pack of food, water, and gear. Work hilly terrain into your training as early as possible to build the muscles you'll need for climbs and descents. Pushing your limits on a regular basis will toughen your body and prepare you mentally for the sustained physical and mental strain of the trail. Much of this information is covered in the Wilderness backpacking travel guide, but as a rule, buy your equipment well before your start date and use it as often as you can. This lets you get used to your gear — breaking in boots, properly adjusting your pack — and catch any broken, impractical, or unsatisfactory items before you're on trail. Hikers vary widely in philosophy, from "lean and fast," which minimizes gear and weight, to "slow and comfortable," which trades speed for comfort. Gather opinions from other hikers, and test different gear loadouts until you find the balance of weight and speed that works for you. According to the 2025 CDT hiker survey by Halfway Anywhere, thru-hikers spent an average of about $9,700 on their hike ($9,200 for domestic hikers, $10,300 for international hikers), or roughly $68 per day on trail. That figure excludes gear, on which hikers spent about $1,200 on average before starting. Budget separately for travel to and from the trail, and keep a cushion for emergencies or unexpected costs. Many wilderness areas, national parks, and other special management areas require an overnight-use permit. Check with the local land manager to find out whether a permit is needed and how to obtain one.

Eat Food and resupply planning matter for a successful CDT thru-hike, but you don't need to solve every stop before you start. The CDT is remote and variable, and its route is often reshaped by alternates, weather, fire closures, snow, and long hitches into town. Keep your resupply plans flexible — your pace, appetite, route choices, and town plans will

Get in

The southern terminus of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) is located at Crazy Cook Monument in the remote Bootheel of New Mexico, near the United States–Mexico border. The nearest major airport is El Paso International Airport (ELP IATA), approximately 3.5–4 hours away by road. The nearest town with services is Lordsburg, New Mexico, about 85 miles north of the terminus. Because of the area's remote location, there is no public transportation to the trailhead. Many hikers use shuttle services operated by the CDTC from Lordsburg to Crazy Cook Monument, while local outfitters and trail angels may also provide transportation. Access to Crazy Cook Monument is via unpaved roads, and high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles are generally recommended. Some hikers instead begin at Antelope Wells, the former United States–Mexico border crossing, and hike approximately 15–20 miles north to Crazy Cook Monument. Lordsburg serves as the principal staging point for many CDT hikers and offers accommodation, grocery stores, and postal services.

Walk

New Mexico is where a CDT hike begins in earnest, and it doesn't ease you in. This is the trail's southernmost stretch, sitting entirely above 4,000 feet and mostly above 6,000 — high desert rather than the low, cactus-postcard version most people picture. You'll walk through sun-blasted valleys, black lava rock, cottonwood-shaded river canyons, pine forest, and finally alpine meadow, sometimes all in the same week. Pack for all of it, because the state genuinely delivers all of it. Start at the 1 Crazy Cook Monument, a lonely concrete marker in the bootheel with nothing around it for miles — no water, no shade, no cell signal. Most hikers stage out of Lordsburg and shuttle in, then walk back out the way they came. The Animas and Playas valleys that follow are a proper initiation: flat, hot, and thirsty, with the desert's colors turning genuinely beautiful at dusk even as your water bottles empty faster than expected. 2 Lordsburg (mi 85) is your first real town — nothing fancy, but it has beds, food, and a way to get you back to the trail. The character of the trail changes fast north of Lordsburg. Most hikers detour into 3 Silver City (mi 162) to resupply — it's consistently ranked hikers' favorite town on the trail, with real grocery stores, gear shops, and a lively main street, and it doubles as the jumping-off point for the Gila. The approach to the Gila is where New Mexico starts showing off, and the Gila River alternate — technically a side route, but the one nearly everyone takes — is a highlight of the entire New Mexico section, with the trail crossing the river itself dozens of times as it threads narrow canyons lined with cottonwoods. There are hot springs to soak in along the way, and 4 Doc Campbell's Post (mi 203) is a welcome pit stop near the Gila Cliff Dwellings, where you can restock a little and see cliff dwellings built by the Mogollon people centuries ago. Past the Gila, the landscape dries out again and builds toward something stranger: the black volcanic fields of El Malpais National Monument. The trail here shares ground with the ancient Zuni-Acoma trail, and it shows — this has been a walking route for a very long time, not just since 1978

Stay safe

The trail traverses through some of the most extreme wilderness in the continental USA. Trail users should be prepared for any emergency and accordingly plan ahead. It is best to be familiar with outdoor travel by reading about the area you may be traveling in and learn about potential hazards. Basic understanding of how to prevent hypothermia and heat exhaustion or how to avoid and treat poisonous plants and animals among other potentially life threatening situations can help to ensure that your time on the CDT will be rewarding. Trail users are cautioned to expect encounters with rattlesnakes, and be mindful of the presence of wolves and bears. Always letting others know where you are going and when you plan to return is a basic premise when traveling in remote areas. More detailed general safety tips can be found in the Wilderness backpacking section. There's no reason to fear the mountains, as long as you approach them with proper respect and preparation. As with any