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The Continental Divide Trail Information
The diverse and extraordinary landscapes in Wyoming have a variety of hidden gems for the CDT traveler. Some of these include: wild horses in the Great Basin; breathtaking Wind River Range; the iconic Yellowstone National Park (the first U.S. National Park) and all of this from the hike of the Continental Divide Trail. Also, this part of the CDT is rich in Native American history, pioneering stories, and much evidence of mountain building episodes of the geology of earth. The CDT in Wyoming travels across some 500 plus miles through deep gorges, along craggy ice carved peaks, across wide meadows and over open desert plains.
The CDT travels through some of the states most stunningly diverse landscapes including: Yellowstone National Park, with steaming geysers and volcanic activity; the craggy Teton Wilderness and Absaroka Mountain Range; the geographic phenomenon of Two Ocean Pass; the Bridger Wilderness and Wind River Range boasting 1,300 lakes and some of the largest glaciers in the lower 48 states; the historic South Pass City, where hundreds of thousands of travelers passed on the Mormon, Oregon, and California Trails; the deserted mining town of Battle; the Sierra Madre Mountains; and the unique endorheic Great Divide Basin which is the only location in the US where the Continental Divide forks, travels two separate paths and later rejoins into one path.
Description:
The official route of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) in Wyoming is 513 miles (826 km) long, although several alternate routes shorten or lengthen that distance. The lowest elevation of the trail in Wyoming is 6,522 feet (1,988 m) about 12 miles (19 km) north of Rawlins and the highest elevation in Wyoming is 11,115 feet (3,388 m) at Lester Pass in the Bridger Wilderness of the Wind River Range.
There are two separate ecosystems of the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming: (3J) Southern Rockies Ecoregion in south central Wyoming and (3G) Middle Rockies Ecoregion in northwest Wyoming. Between these two ecosystems is a vast desert range-land in the middle of the state known as the Great Divide Basin which is contained in both the
Red Desert as well as in the
Wyoming Basin ecoregion.
Hikers must decide on a route with regard to the Great Divide Basin as the actual Continental Divide forks, forming an endorheic basin. The shortest route is through the middle where water availability is uncertain in most years. Leaving the Basin, the CDT traverses the remote and rugged 'bench' of the Wind River Range, climbing to above timberline which is about 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in this area, and then through the Absaroka Range in the northwest portion of the state.
Before entering Idaho and Montana, the grand finale of the CDT in Wyoming is Yellowstone National Park. Grizzly Bears become a possible danger from the Wind River Range northward, especially in and near Yellowstone Park.
Trail Type:
National Scenic Trail
Trail Total Length:
3100 miles, 4989 km
Trail Use:
hiking, some horseback riding, some mountain biking
Trail Length in Wyoming:
504.4 miles, 881.7 km
Highest Elevation on Trail:
13,804 feet
Lowest Elevation on Trail:
feet
Geographical Region:
Rocky Mountains
(m6fo-wy-cdt-map) The Continental Divide Trail Map
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