Only about two hundred people a year attempt to hike the entire trail, taking about six months to complete it. Dave Odell thru-hiked in 1977 and in the same year Dan Torpey hiked from the NM/CO border to Mt Robson, B.C. German long-distance rider Günter Wamser, and Austrian Sonja Endlweber managed to complete the tour with four Bureau of Land Managementmustangs in three summers 2007–09. In 2007, Francis Tapon became the first person to do a round backpacking trip "yo-yo" on the Continental Divide Trail when he thru-hiked from Mexico to Canada and back to Mexico along the CDT and needed seven months to finish it. This seven-month journey spanned over 5,600 miles. Tapon took the most circuitous, scenic, high, difficult route north and while returning south, took the more expedient route. Andrew Skurka completed the trail as part of the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop in 2007. The youngest person to thru-hike the trail is Reed Gjonnes, who hiked the trail with her father Eric Gjonnes from April 15, 2013 to September 6, 2013 in one continuous northbound hike at the age of 13.
New Mexico
The CDT in New Mexico is about long and some portions have very limited water. Local volunteer groups place water caches at strategic points along the trail.ColoradoThe CDT passes through many of the highest and wildest mountain regions of Colorado, such as the San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado and the Sawatch Range in the central region. In most areas the trail is well marked. It is concurrent with the Colorado Trail for approximately. The CDT itself meanders in Colorado some at higher altitudes. Depending on any given year's snow-pack and a hiker's individual schedule, alternative routes are available. The Creede Cut-off in the San Juan Mountains to avoid persistent snow or unfavorable weather is such an example. This should be balanced with Colorado's 'monsoon season' with afternoon thunderstorms that usually occur in late July and August. The route's location makes short side trips to many of Colorado's peaks feasible. A few stretches of the CDT in Colorado have no distinct marked or named trail, but Jonathan Ley's or Jim Wolf's maps are helpful. Some stretches of the CDT in Colorado are still a wilderness footpath. Additional points of interest along the Colorado CDT include:
Of all the five states traversed by the CDT, Wyoming has the most diverse terrain. This includes hiking through a large section of range-land in the middle of the state, known as the Great Divide Basin. Hikers must decide on a route with regard to the Great Divide Basin since the actual Continental Divide forks in southern Wyoming, forming an endorheic basin. The shortest route is through the middle where water availability is uncertain in most years. Farther north the CDT traverses the mountainous 'bench' of the Wind River Range and then through the Absaroka Range in the northwest portion of the state. The grand finale is Yellowstone National Park where the CDT is routed from Yellowstone's southern back country, to Old Faithful and then exits west to Idaho. Additional notable features in Wyoming include:
Northbounders leaving Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming enter the Centennial Mountains of Idaho. For the next couple of hundred miles, the CDT follows the Continental Divide, which is also the boundary between Idaho and Montana. Next the Trail diverts east through the Anaconda Mountain Range toward Butte, Montana. Notable points on the CDT in Idaho include:
The Montana portion of the CDT is almost entirely in mountain ranges, running along the Idaho border in the southern portion, before heading east toward Butte and north toward Glacier National Park via the Lewis and Clark National Forest and two National Wilderness areas. Approximately of the CDT traverses Glacier National Park. Additional notable points on the CDT in Montana include:
The Montana Wilderness Association is the leading non-profit partner for the northern section of Continental Divide Trail. MWA staff are working to connect the of CDT in Montana and Idaho with the help of dedicated volunteers and agency partners.
