About the Trail
Watershed map of the central and western United States.
(USDA Forest Service)The headwaters of our nation spring from the Continental Divide. The map below shows how water flows from the Continental Divide into streams and rivers that eventually make their way to the oceans.
Choose a small stream that begins on the eastern side of the Divide, the white line on the map, and notice how it joins up with other creeks and streams to become a larger and larger river, finally ending its journey at the Atlantic Ocean. All of the streams that run together into the same river make up that river’s watershed. Major watersheds are shown in different colors on the map.
Many of the nation’s mightiest rivers begin as a trickle of water near the Continental Divide. The Columbia and Colorado rivers flow west to the Pacific Ocean, while the Missouri River, the Mississippi River, and the Rio Grande flow east from the Divide to the Atlantic Ocean.
History and Heritage: a Trail for the Divide
"The forgotten outdoorsmen of today are those who like to walk, hike, ride horseback or bicycle. For them we must have trails as well as highways.” -President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965
President Johnson and associates view a map of the proposed National Trails System in 1968.
(USDA Forest Service)In the 1960’s, public concern about industrialization, urbanization, and vanishing access to natural spaces was growing ever stronger. Landmark environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act and the Wilderness Act were flying off the presses at Congress, and not least among them was the National Trails System Act of 1968. This Act set the stage for a network of long-distance trails throughout America, each line on the map carving out a path both for recreation and for the conservation of the incredible landscapes along each trail.
The Continental Divide Trail was designated by Congress as a National Scenic Trail in 1978, and the Forest Service was given the responsibility to manage the trail. At the time, the trail was more like a patchwork than a continuous footpath - shorter trails and dirt roads along the Divide were linked up to create a route, but there were many gaps where the trail only existed as a line on the map. Much of the Continental Divide Trail’s character comes from its patchwork origins: the entire trail is open to hikers and equestrians, but some sections allow other uses like mountain biking or motorized vehicles, since they were allowed before that section became part of the larger Continental Divide Trail. In the decades since, the gaps between existing trails have been filled in to create a continuous path on the ground.
Moving Forward
The Piikani (Blackfoot Nation) Trail Crew on the Continental Divide Trail in 2019.
(Photo courtesy of Sonny Mazzullo, MT Wilderness Alliance)The history of the Continental Divide Trail is not complete - there’s more work to be done! As of 2018, 96 percent of the Trail is located on federal land managed by the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, or the National Park Service. Though the trail now provides a continuous, marked route from Mexico to Canada, a number of sections are currently routed along roads or highways. The US Forest Service is working with other federal land management agencies and the Continental Divide Trail Coalition to acquire key plots of land, secure easements, and build new sections of trail to provide for safe, permanent public access and better recreation opportunities along the entire trail. See how we’re working with our partners to manage and complete the Continental Divide Trail!