Outdoor enthusiasts can now hike a brand new section of the Continental Divide Trail in the Gila National Forest.

The New Mexico Volunteers for the Outdoors partnered with the Continental Divide Trail Coalition earlier in October to reroute part of the trail in the forest’s Black Range west of Truth or Consequences.

The chairperson for New Mexico Volunteers for the Outdoors, said the 1.5 miles of new trail will take the Continental Divide Trail off of a dirt Forest Service road.

The crew worked for six days, using a technique called “benching” to make a passable trail in the difficult terrain.

“Because the trail is going along a steep slope, it involves cutting a lot of soil and rock out of the side of the slope to create the trail and then refining it with other tools and making it less bumpyhairperson for New Mexico Volunteers for the Outdoors, said the 1.5 miles of new trail will take the Continental Divide Trail off of a dirt Forest Service road.

A Youth Conservation Corps crew completed about half the trail before the volunteers took over.

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2018 marked the 40th anniversary of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), the 50th anniversary of the National Scenic Trails Act, and the year Big Agnes became a steward over 75 miles of trail. To celebrate, all 70 employees hiked and biked the 740-mile length of the CDT’s Colorado section.

Now a year removed from that epic adventure, Big Agnes launched its own CDT trail guide to aid would-be thru-hikers. It contains technical information, like section distances, elevation change, high points, water sources, and more. But it also has photos, stories, and other first-hand accounts from the Big Agnes team.

“The trail inspires us in so many ways – from gear we develop to the outdoor activities our staff gets after,” Big Agnes co-founder and president Bill Gamber said. “Whether for a day hike, an overnight, or a complete thru-hike, we hope this online resource makes the CDT more accessible to more people.”

In all, the guide comprises 22 sections of trail, beginning with the New Mexico border to Wolf Creek Pass and ending with the North Lake Trailhead to the Colorado-Wyoming border.

Inside each section, Big Agnes provides a rundown of the team’s experience for that section and technical data, along with a list of skills needed for that hike (snow hiking, lightning and widowmaker safety, etc.) and some pro tips. The brand also includes helpful links to Leave No Trace tips, U.S. Forest Service info on nearby attractions, and the paid Atlas Guides app.

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This weekend, one of America’s most prestigious trails, and one that winds through Colorado, turns 40 years old.

The Continental Divide Trail, which runs 3,100 miles from Canada to Mexico, was officially founded in 1978, marking 2018 its 40th year serving as a beloved part of Colorado’s outdoor recreation. Hikers, horseback riders, runners, cross-country skiers, snowshoers, fishers, hunters and more have used the 800 miles of trail within Colorado before continuing on into Wyoming or New Mexico.

The people who know it best — members of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition — write on their website that the CDT is a “museum of the American West, a place to reconnect with nature, and a unifying force bringing people of all walks of life together.”

The CDT varies in difficulty. Some sections require solid trail experience and other parts are doable for a new day hiker. The elevation on the trail ranges from 4,000 to 14,000 feet, with some of the highest points in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

According to the Continental Divide Trail Coalition website, the trail winds its way through numerous beloved landscapes in Colorado including alpine tundra of the South San Juan, Weminuche, and La Garita Wildernesses, where the CDT remains at or above 11,000 feet for almost 70 miles.

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Stretching between the Canadian and Mexican borders, the Continental Divide Trail connects five states, 25 national forests, 21 wilderness areas, three national parks, eight Bureau of Land Management resource areas, and a national monument. Its many miles are maintained through the collaboration of every land management agency and by an army of volunteers — including long distance hiker Dan Fenn, who would start coming back to Montana to volunteer on trail projects in the years following his 2010 hike.

The majority of Continental Divide Trail hikers travel northbound to the Canadian border, kicking up dust in the warming springtime Southwest, smelling Colorado’s alpine wildflowers at high bloom, and then welcoming autumn in Idaho and Northwest Montana. After a few thousand hard miles, Glacier National Park is the victory lap.

“Once you get to the Bob [Marshall Wilderness], you’re almost there,” Fenn said. “You go through Glacier, which is just spectacular. You look back at where you started, at the Mexican border, flat as a pancake and dry … Boy, I tell you, there’s not much to compare [Glacier] to. You go out on a big note.”

Fenn says the Continental Divide Trail “has a reputation of being the wildest, most out-there, and the ruggedest” of what’s known as the “Triple Crown.” Fewer than 300 hikers have officially completed this trifecta, which represents the best of American long-distance hiking. It includes the East Coast Appalachian Trail, the West Coast Pacific Crest Trail, and the Rocky Mountain Continental Divide Trail. Totaling approximately 7,900 miles altogether, these trails also share protections by the National Trails System Act, which was written into law in 50 years ago in 1968.

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  If you’re among the thousands who will attempt to conquer a long-distance hiking trail in its entirety within the 2018 hiking season, then you’re probably already busy training, saving, planning, and steeling yourself for some serious communing with nature. In the United States, the term “thru-hiking” is most commonly associated with the Appalachian Trail (AT), the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and Continental Divide Trail (CDT)—although there are plenty of other satisfying end-to-end hikes to tackle.

Hikers hitting America’s most sought-after thru-hike typically head to the AT’s southernmost point in Georgia within three weeks on either side of the spring equinox, so as to complete their 2,189-mile trek before October, which is when its northern terminus, Mt. Katahdin in Maine, closes. Northbound PCT hikers tend to journey to the Mexican border in April or May, with hopes of arriving in Canada, 2,660 miles later, in September. Tackling the CDT? Experts suggest you start the 3,100 miles spanning Antelope Wells, New Mexico, and Glacier National Park between mid-April and mid-May. (You don’t have to take the northbound approach, but most thru-hikers opt to start from the south.)

Before setting out on what is by all accounts a completely transformative experience, you’ll need to muster up some serious courage—along with reliable gear, good maps, and moral support. Planning a thru-hike can be seriously daunting, but keep in mind, you’ll experience profound rewards—just think of the beneficial effects of all that flora, fauna, exercise, trail bonhomie, toughening, and self-reflection. Plus, you’ll get to use the coveted #thruhiker hashtag when posting jaw-dropping landscapes and/or anecdotes worthy of a cocktail party at trail angel stops.

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Bored with your extracurricular activities lately? Now’s the season to hike some outstanding Bureau of Land Management trails. While there are several trails the public can enjoy in the Las Cruces area, there’s one in southern New Mexico that will challenge a hiker’s skills and add some miles to their soles.

We’re talking about the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDNST). Congressionally designated in 1978, the CDNST navigates through diverse BLM-managed lands in New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.

While a weekend may only allow for hiking the southern terminus of the trail, the effort will introduce hikers to the BLM Big Hatchet Mountains Wilderness Study Area.

In New Mexico, the CDNST crosses approximately 770 miles of federal, state and private lands. Did you know the CDNST is considered the “King of Trails,” more difficult than the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails?

Hiking the CDNST requires thoughtful planning and making sure everything is in order for a safe and successful experience. Having current information, maps and GPS, will ensure hikers have a good perspective of the trail’s terrain, difficulty and special requirements.

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Unified Warrior Foundation is planning a Continental Divide Trail hike, beginning in late March 2017.

“Unless the issue of veteran suicide is constantly kept in the minds of Americans, it will silently disappear as many important issues do because of the vast amount of information we all have to compete with,” said Eshleman. “Keeping this issue alive is a fight in itself. Just as we fought for our brothers in combat, we must continue to fight to bring assistance and improvement to the current processes and solutions for them and their families.”

Unified Warrior Foundation has chosen foundations they work with to assist veterans. The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), America’s Fund and Guardian Overwatch have all demonstrated their commitment to helping veterans. These organizations will be featured in Podcasts delivered from the trail over the five-month journey.

An additional endeavor for this hike from the Canadian border in Northwest Montana to the Mexico border in Southeast New Mexico will be to pass on the benefits of the outdoors and a little knowledge to the youth in the U.S.; many who have never or may never have the opportunity to see this part of America and be involved in something so important.

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Hillsides of bare aspen trees, with their alabaster trunks and rocky cliffs shining silent in the sun, mark the coming of late fall to Taos. With many sunny days ahead, this is a good time to visit the forest.

Hopewell Lake Trail is located about an hour northwest of Taos past Tres Piedras in the Carson National Forest. In addition to being a beautiful trek through the trees along Hopewell Ridge, this trail is also significant because it is part of the Continental Divide Trail that runs from Canada to Mexico.

Hopewell Lake is a day use area with picnic shelters and restroom facilities. There is a campground just beyond it. Fishing is allowed at the lake, which is stocked by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

To find the trail, look for the group picnic shelter and the trail sign on the hill just above it. A short segment of trail leads through the aspen and evergreen forest to the campground. Follow the campground road and look for the trail sign on the right to rejoin the route. The path crosses an open field and once more heads into the forest, first turning west and then south.

Because it is part of the Continental Divide Trail, the route is marked with frequent “CDT” emblems on posts and trees. There are also rocks stacked into small cairns that help hikers keep on the trail. A gradual uphill climb leads to a gate marked by the CDT symbol.

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From its spawning grounds 28 air miles below Yellowstone National Park’s southeast corner, the fabled river enters a narrow deep canyon fighting its way down a boulder-strewn course. For about 10 miles the newly formed river passes through a forest of pine, spruce and fir fitted with small meadows and willow flats. The 1988 fires that burned a great deal of acreage in Yellowstone National Park also touched this corner of the Teton Wilderness, and as a result some new aspen growth is being observed. The conifer mix is changing, and lodgepole is coming back in places, while exhibits of wildflowers — including arnica and fireweed — are sprouting up under the burnt snags.

Numerous unnamed streams and waterfalls tumble off the Continental Divide to the west and from Thunder Mountain and volcanic cliffs on the east. Industrious beavers have created ponds in many places. The rough Continental Divide Trail follows the river on its north and east side, with many small but easy creek crossings. Here the river connects with some of the nation’s finest wilderness landscape — beautiful, untamed and gaining its wild soul. Far from any road, this is the gorge of the Upper Yellowstone.

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In 1968, the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails became the first “National Scenic Trails,” but ten years later Congress designated the third. Splitting the country’s midsection like a corkscrew, tight-roping the Rocky Mountains from Mexico to Canada, the 2,700-mile Continental Divide Trail is acclaimed as the third jewel in the hiking world’s Triple Crown.

The CDT has a split personality. The path careens like a pachinko ball veering from jaw-dropping scenery to moments when it claws you in the back. The CDT’s informal slogan is: “Embrace the Brutality.”

In Wyoming, the Wind River Range’s surreal, shark-toothed white granite nearly supplants California’s Sierra Nevada in natural beauty. In New Mexico, the trail swoops you up sheer cliffs out onto broad mesas the equal of better-known Zion and Bryce. And in Colorado, on the summit of a 13,000-foot slab-sided peak, you may look down at a helicopter struggling for elevation near its flight ceiling.

Today there are 30 National Scenic and Historic Trails. Our Forest Service lands have 158,000 miles of trails. I could give you chapter and verse on the conservation, environmental and health benefits of trails. But what will really strike you is the economic benefit of trails.

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