A series where we take a #lookback at the stories and history of our community, brought to you by Mick Pryor, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones.
– Seth McFarland
The Continental Divide is a major hydrological boundary extending from Alaska through the Americas. In the United States, it generally follows the high spine of the Rocky Mountains. The Continental Divide Trail (CDT) is a roughly 3,100-mile National Scenic Trail stretching from the Mexican border to the Canadian border through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.
The idea for a trail along the Divide emerged during the 1960s, when Americans were increasingly focused on wilderness preservation following the success of the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. An early proposed section in Colorado by the Rocky Mountain Trail Association helped establish the concept in 1962. Appalachian Trail co-founder Benton MacKaye promoted the idea of a trail spanning the Continental Divide in 1966. In 1968, Congress passed the National Trails System Act, creating a framework for national scenic and historic trails and directing studies of additional long-distance routes. The Continental Divide Trail was formally designated by Congress under the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978.
The U.S. Forest Service serves as the lead federal agency for the CDT, working with the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and other land managers. The original designation consisted of approximately 1,900 miles of existing trails and 1,200 miles of planned trails and roads. Progress was slow, however, and the route remained a patchwork of trails, roads, and cross-country travel.
The Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA) formed in 1995 to organize volunteers and build trail segments. The organization helped construct and improve more than 1,000 miles of trail before ceasing operations in late 2011/early 2012. The Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC) formed in 2012 to continue national coordination, advocacy, stewardship, and protection of the trail. In 2027, The CDTC will celebrate Trail Days in Silver City, New Mexico near the start of the Trail in the United States.
Today, hundreds of hikers attempt the Mexico-to-Canada journey each year as part of the “Triple Crown” of long-distance hiking. Some complete the trail in a single season, while others hike it in sections over several years. The CDT remains a work in progress, with some portions still following roads or temporary routes rather than a continuous constructed trail.
The trail begins in New Mexico, crossing nearly 800 miles of high desert, mesas, volcanic fields, grasslands, and mountains. It then enters Colorado, where roughly 750 miles pass through rugged peaks, alpine tundra, and deep glacial valleys.
In Wyoming, the trail covers approximately 550 miles, crossing the enormous Great Divide Basin before reaching the dramatic Wind River Range. About 175–180 miles continue through Idaho before entering Montana, where the route travels through extensive forests, limestone cliffs, and glacially carved mountains. Exact mileage varies depending on route and alternate alignments.
In Wyoming, the trail crosses the Great Divide Basin, an endorheic basin where the Continental Divide splits and later rejoins. Water within the basin drains inward rather than flowing toward an ocean. The Great Divide Basin is the only place along the Continental Divide where the Divide itself splits and rejoins.
Farther north, the trail enters the Wind River Range, one of the most spectacular sections of the entire CDT. Elevations commonly range from 9,000 to 11,000 feet, with numerous passes above 12,000 feet. The range contains more than 40 named peaks exceeding 13,000 feet, including Gannett Peak, Wyoming’s highest at 13,804 feet. The Wind River Range also contains one of the largest concentrations of glaciers in the lower 48 states. Seven of the ten largest glaciers in the continental United States.
The route passes through lodgepole pine forests, open meadows, boulder fields, and hundreds of alpine lakes. Many hikers choose the popular Cirque of the Towers Alternate, crossing Texas Pass and Jackass Pass before entering an amphitheater surrounded by towering granite peaks and walls.
Hikers traveling through the Wind River Range face sudden afternoon thunderstorms, high winds, unseasonal summer snowstorms, boulder fields, talus slopes, and lingering snowfields above the tree line. The region is exceptionally remote, requiring careful planning for food, water, and emergency supplies between resupply communities such as Atlantic City, Lander, Pinedale, and Dubois.
Humans have traveled the Continental Divide for thousands of years. The Tukudika and other Indigenous peoples established high-elevation camps for summer hunting in parts of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. Archaeological evidence includes ancient hunting structures and drive lines used to take advantage of mountain terrain.
South Pass was one of the most important routes across the Rocky Mountains long before the arrival of emigrants. Its broad, gradual terrain allowed wagons to cross the Continental Divide, making it the preferred route for the Oregon, California, and Mormon emigrant trails. Between 1840 and 1869, as many as 500,000 emigrants traveled through South Pass.
Explorers including the Astorians, John Colter, and John C. Frémont, along with guides such as Kit Carson, traveled through and mapped portions of the high country during the first half of the 19th century. For these travelers, the Divide was a barrier to overcome rather than a destination.
The railroad eventually conquered another portion of that barrier. In 1868, the Union Pacific Railroad crossed the Continental Divide at Sherman Summit west of Laramie. The following year, in 1869, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads were joined at Promontory Summit in Utah, completing the first transcontinental railroad.
Hunting outfitters later established camps along the mountain ranges near the Divide, providing access to remote game herds and helping establish the recreational economy that continues today.
Swedish immigrant Peter Parsons made one of the earliest known attempts to travel the length of the Continental Divide. In 1924, he set out from the Mexican border intending to travel north to Canada, carrying a pack marked “Heading North—Mexico to Canada.” Because no Continental Divide Trail existed, he traveled on a mixture of trails, roads, railroad rights-of-way, and cross-country routes. His journey included occasional rides and even a section traveled by raft. Near Brooks Lake west of Dubois, Parsons recorded asking about a snow-covered trail ahead and being told that it was impossible to continue north. He went ahead anyway. His journals and photographs remained largely unknown until historian Barney Scout Mann brought renewed attention to his story several decades later.
Benton MacKaye’s 1966 proposal helped establish the vision for a continuous Continental Divide Trail. Eric Ryback was long credited with an early Mexico-to-Canada journey; his traverse is now generally dated to 1972.
In 1977, Kevin “Kip” Rusk traveled from Canada to Mexico along the Divide, completing one of the earliest documented long-distance traverses before the modern trail system existed. In his account, Rusk recalled being chased by a moose near Lake of the Woods close to Union Pass.
Jean Ella and Lynn Wisehart completed journeys along the Divide in 1978, and both are recognized by the Continental Divide Trail Coalition as the first women to complete the trail. Because early travelers followed routes that differed from today’s official trail, identifying the absolute “first” thru-hiker can be complicated.
The Continental Divide region is used year-round by hikers, horseback riders, snowmobilers, skiers, and other outdoor enthusiasts. Modern recreational snowmobiling expanded rapidly after the introduction of early snow machines in the late 1950s. Local riders and outfitters began using historic mountain passes, mining roads, and logging routes throughout the Rockies.
Today, communities such as Dubois serve as important outposts for people traveling through the high country. During the summer, CDT hikers can often be seen along Highway 26/287, arms out with thumbs extended as they seek a ride toward Togwotee Pass to reconnect with the trail. Many hikers stop in Dubois to resupply, rest, eat, do laundry, and prepare for the next section of their journey.
Travelers come from around the world to experience the Continental Divide and the rugged landscapes of Wyoming. In winter, Dubois becomes a base for snowmobilers and other winter recreationists heading into the mountains to follow sections of the CDT to challenge deep snow, steep terrain, avalanche slopes, and unpredictable weather.
The Continental Divide has changed from a formidable barrier to a destination in its own right. Indigenous peoples traveled these mountains long before written history; fur trappers and explorers followed their routes; pioneers crossed South Pass; railroads conquered the mountain barriers; outfitters opened the high country to hunters and visitors; and today’s hikers and recreationists continue to travel the same landscape. What once stood as an obstacle to westward travel has become a place where history, geography, wilderness, and adventure continue to meet.
Next up for the Fremont County Museum
September 12, 9am with the Riverton Museum, “Castle Gardens Trek” Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek Series
September 12, 10am with the Pioneer Museum, “Red Canyon Petroglyph Trek” Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek Series
September 14 & 17, 8am with the Dubois Museum, “Miller’s Wonderful WY Honey Ranch Trek” Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek Series
September 19, 1pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Apple Fest”
September 26, 10am at the Dubois Museum, “Kids Corner: Archaeology w/Dr. Dalyn Grindle
October 6, 8am with the Dubois Museum, “Crystal Cave Trek” Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek Series
October 7, 6pm at the Riverton Museum, “Polished Corners of the Temple Walls Lea Cavalli Schoenewald” Wyoming Community Bank Discovery Speakers Series
Daily through December at the Pioneer Museum, “Sweetwater Ranch Life, The Paintings of Jack Corbett” Exhibition Opening
Rare Relics Road Show: Save the Date: Saturday October 10, 2026 Lander, WY Lander Community Center, You Are Invited! Wind River Cultural Centers Foundation
ReDiscover the Winds podcast: Season 3, Episode 1 Brought to you in part by WY Humanities https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rediscover-the-winds-season-3-episode-1-frontier/id1766312534?i=1000786299462
Call the Dubois Museum 1-307-455-2284, the Pioneer Museum 1-307-332-3339 or the Riverton Museum 1-307-856-2665 for detail regarding their programs.
The Dubois Museum, the Pioneer Museum in Lander and the Riverton Museum need your financial support. In the current economic environment, the museums are more reliant than ever on donations from the private sector to continue to provide the quality programs, collections management, exhibits and services that have become their hallmark over the last four years. Please make your tax deductible contribution through the Wind River Cultural Centers Foundation https://windriverccf.funraise.org/ or by sending a check to Fremont County Museums 450 N 2nd Rm 320 or taking it directly to the museum you choose to support.