I’m a huge believer in research. In preparation for my Continental Divide Trail adventure, I did a lot of reading and note-taking, and this here is the result. This will be my crowdsourced guide as I make my way from Mexico to Canada, and I hope it helps some of you too, eh.
My information sources were Reddit, the annual HalfwayAnywhere hiker survey, and trail journals by Cornfed, Daybreak, and Flatfoot. I’m going to keep a trail journal of my own: that seems to be a disappearing art form, which is as sad as it is logical. Fewer and fewer folks post written updates about their adventures, opting for videos instead. It’s a lot harder to speed-read and cross-reference video logs, and if something ever happens to that platform… But also, the inherent laziness is always a factor – it’s much much easier for me to write something down than to record, edit, tag, and post a video. (In my defense, I was already 20 when youtube was founded.)
I’ll keep a daily log of my adventures over yonder: https://trailjournals.com/journal/entry/678787
Mandatory disclaimer: double-check this information before you hike. Sometimes, post offices or businesses shut down, and they might be closed on weekends. Make your own decisions, eh. All the quotes in the detailed travelogue section come from previous hikers’ trail journals.
And so…
CDT shuttle water caches:
Water Cache 1: Mile 14.1 (01_141WT)
Water Cache 2: Mile 25.9 (01_259WT)
Water Cache 3: Mile 45.4 (02_194WT)
Water Cache 4: Mile 58.3 (03_127WT)
Water Cache 5: Mile 78.2 (04_198WT)
Suggested Mailing Resupply (from Halfway Anywhere’s annual survey):
Pie Town (New Mexico) 83.7%
Doc Campbell’s (New Mexico) 41.0%
Ghost Ranch (New Mexico) 35.5%
Lima (Montana) 35.5%
Leadore via Bannock Pass (Idaho) 31.9%
Encampment via Battle Pass (Wyoming) 30.1%
East Glacier Village (Montana) 29.5%
South Pass City (Wyoming) 13.3%
Twin Lakes (Colorado) 12.1%
Chama via Cumbres Pass (New Mexico via Colorado) 9.6%
Mailing resupply, in order:
1 – Doc Campbell’s (New Mexico, mile 39 of the Gila Alternate, or ~mile 209 of CDT)
Gila Alternate is 106 miles long; rejoins the red line at mile 344)
The next resupply is 70 miles away: Reserve – a hitch from mile 367.
Hold for CDT hiker: <Name> ETA: <Date>
C/O Doc Campbell’s Post, 3796 Highway 15, Mimbres, NM 88049
2 – Pie Town (New Mexico, mile 415)
The next resupply after that is Grants: 109 miles away.
Hold for CDT hiker: <Name> ETA: <Date>, 33 Apricot Ave, Pie Town, NM 87827-5000
2a. Cuba, mile 628 – send the snow gear here!
Hold for CDT hiker: <Name> ETA: <Date>, 6358 US-550, Cuba, NM 87013
3 – Ghost Ranch (New Mexico, mile 11 of the Gila Alternate, or ~mile 686 of CDT)
The next resupply is 94 miles away: Chama.
Ghost Ranch’s physical address: 280 Private Drive 1708, Abiquiu, NM, 87510-2001 (of course, add “Hold for CDT hiker: <Name> ETA: <Date>”)
4 – Chama via Cumbres Pass (New Mexico via Colorado, mile 780)
The next resupply is 67 miles away: Pagosa Springs & South Fork, mile 847.
Hold for CDT hiker: <Name> ETA: <Date>, 199 5th St W, Chama, NM 87520
<<< Shipping stuff to Twin Lakes: Pagosa Springs at mile 847 has a Walmart >>>
5 – Twin Lakes (Colorado, mile 1,144)
Many resupply points afterwards. I’m aiming for Breckenridge: 76 miles away.
Twin Lakes General Store:
Attn: [first & last name] [ETA]
6451 E. State Highway 82,
Twin Lakes, CO, 81251-9724
<<< Shipping stuff to Wyoming: Fraser – a hitch from mile 1,290 >>>
6 – Encampment via Battle Pass (Wyoming, mile 1,529)
The next resupply point is 82 miles away: Rawlins, mile 1,611
Hmmmm… There’s an option to skip it entirely with a mega-hike:
“Many people shoot straight from Steamboat Springs, CO, to Rawlins, WY, instead of hitching into Encampment on a low traffic road. It is 160 miles, the first half is a lot easier than the preceding part of CO and the second half is mostly the Basin and so is basically flat.”
Hold for CDT hiker: <Name> ETA: <Date>, 622 McCaffrey Ave, Encampment, WY 82325
7 – South Pass City (Wyoming, mile 1,729)
The next resupply point is 79+11 miles away: Pinedale, accessed from Pole Creek Trailhead (mile 1,808) + a hitch.
South Pass City State Historic Site, 125 S Pass Main St, South Pass City, WY 82520
[Note: this seems sketchy, but after a lot of searching and vague references to hikers picking up their boxes, this seems like the most reasonable place to send them to.]
<<< Shipping stuff to Idaho: Dubois, mile 1,888 >>>
8 – Lima (Montana, mile 2,146)
The next resupply point is 104 miles away: Leadore, but it’s also rumoured to be overpriced…
Mountain View Motel:
Hold for CDT hiker: <Name> ETA: <Date>, 111 Bailey Street PO Box 277, Lima, MT 59739
9 – Leadore (Idaho via Bannock Pass, mile 2,250)
The next good resupply point is 123 miles away: Darby, MT
(there are some tiny towns with tiny stores along the way; long hitches)
Stage Stop: 100 S Railroad St, Leadore, ID 83464
<<< Shipping stuff to Montana: Helena, mile 2,639 >>>
10. East Glacier Village (Montana, mile 2,895)
98 miles to the finish line – no more resupplies.
Looking Glass Hostel: 1112 MT-49, East Glacier Park, MT 59434
Full(-ish) list of resupply stops:
New Mexico
Mile 84: Lordsburg
Mile 158: Silver City
Mile 38 of Gila Alternate: Doc Campbell’s (recommended to mail food)
Mile 415: Pie Town (recommended to mail food)
Mile 525: Grants
Mile 629: Cuba
Mile 689: Chama via Cumbres Pass
Colorado
Mile 847: Pagosa Springs via Wolf Creek Pass
Mile 961: Lake City via Spring Creek Pass
Mile 1061: Salida via Monarch Pass
Mile 1144: Twin Lakes
Mile 1181: Leadville
Mile 1216: Breckenridge
Mile 1290: Winter Park
Mile 1343: Grand Lake
Mile 1436: Steamboat Springs via Rabbit Ears Pass
Wyoming
Mile 1520: Encampment via Battle Pass (recommended to mail food)
Mile 1602: Rawlins
Mile 1722: Lander
Mile 1799: Pinedale
Mile 16.1 of Old CDT Alt: Dubois via Togwotee Pass
Mile 1988: Old Faithful Village in Yellowstone
Idaho/Montana
Mile 15 of Macks Inn Alternate: Island Park / Mack’s Inn
Mile 2134: Lima (recommended resupply box)
Mile 2236: Leadore via Bannock Pass (recommended resupply box) (long food carry!)
Mile 2358: Darby via Chief Joseph Pass
Mile 27 of Anaconda Cutoff: Anaconda
Mile 2618: Helena
Mile 2686: Lincoln
Mile 2744: Augusta (long food carry!)
Mile 2877: East Glacier Village (recommended to mail food)
Towns, in order:
Mile 84: Lordsburg, NM
Buffet:
Does Lordsburg’s “Los Victor’s” have the same free salsa bar as the one in Silver City?..
Silver City description:
“My favorite reason to eat there after a hike is they have a complimentary salsa bar with homemade tortilla chips, 3 red + 2 green salsas + fresh pico. Make up a big plate of chips and salsa while waiting on your meal. As for the main course, I usually go with 2 breakfast burritos which are on special all day at $5/each and are fat, not those little skimpy burritos you get at the hipster places in Colorado.”
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Water in Lordsburg sucks; there is a machine at the grocery store where you can fill bottles for like $0.50.
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We decide on the EconoLodge. It’s $55 per night, but hikers get a $10 discount so it’s only $45 for the total for the room (not per person). Our $40 room also includes a continental breakfast buffet featuring a waffle maker?
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After checking in, we head across the street to get some food at Kranberry’s. This place also turns out to be very hiker-friendly with excellent food and service (note: they do not sell alcohol). With full bellies, we go about the rest of our town chores: resupplying at the grocery store, buying beer, showering, using a flushing toilet, and doing laundry ($5 per load and the hotel washes it for you).
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The town’s sole restaurant is closed on Sundays.
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Just north of Lordsburg, the trail disappears for a few miles: no markers, confusing.
Mile 158: Silver City, NM
The bar/distillery has karaoke nights!
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Buffet:
Los Victor’s:
“My favorite reason to eat there after a hike is they have a complimentary salsa bar with homemade tortilla chips, 3 red + 2 green salsas + fresh pico. Make up a big plate of chips and salsa while waiting on your meal. As for the main course, I usually go with 2 breakfast burritos which are on special all day at $5/each and are fat, not those little skimpy burritos you get at the hipster places in Colorado.”
Mile 367. The Reserve, NM
“Started the day with a big breakfast at Ella’s Cafe consisting of the “Kitchen Sink” which is an omelet with everything in it and 4 pieces of toast.”
Mile 415. Pie Town, NM
14 miles south of Pie Town on our alternate, there is a place called “Davila Ranch CDT Rest Facility”. By the sounds of it, this place offers many amenities such as laundry, a kitchen, showers, etc. There isn’t lodging, but to stop at a place and clean up will be great. Pie Town doesn’t have much to offer for Thru Hikers, so this alternate is a common choice for most of us
[$35 suggested donation]
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the post office closes at noon
Mile 525, Grants
Buffet:
Asian buffet (by the Walmart)
Mile 675. Abiquiu, NM
“That place was expensive, glad I didn’t need to do a full resupply. “
Mile 686. Ghost Ranch, NM
While you could mail food to Ghost Ranch to break up a long carry, the better option is to go into Santa Fe if time allows. On weekdays there is a free bus that will take you into Santa Fe from Ghost Ranch. The Santa Fe International hostel is $30 a night or so and typically has a fully loaded kitchen with tons of donated Whole Foods food. The bus to Santa Fe has a transfer in Espanola where you can hit up a BBQ joint within walking distance of the bus depot. Smokey Shack BBQ is run by a 2012 CDT graduate and the food is absolutely some of the best you will have on trail.
Mile 780. Pagosa Springs, NM
“The Malt Shop”. I ordered a dense burger and an ice cream cone that was probably taller than my head.
Mile 780 (+ 31.2 Elwood Pass Alternate). Creede, CO
A mile or two later I made it to Creede. I’ve come across some cool towns in my life before while on thru hikes, but Creede just might take the cake for the coolest location. This town reminds me of Lake City (which is about an hour away). It has a few more crummy spots in town, but it’s located in the bottom of a tall canyon which is beautiful, especially in the golden hour. I walked through the downtown area, and went into a restaurant to order a pizza and beer. Skunk rolled into town later and found me.
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After enjoying some town food, I went to the hostel in town. This “John Lawley’s Place” hostel is donation based, and the care takers are some of the nicest people around. Most donation based hostels are kind of run down, but this place is great and well kept. They will be getting a nice donation from me. Once I claimed a bed, I went to the local bar. [And got 3 free shots from the impressed locals! 😀]
Mile 961. Lake City, CO via Spring Creek Pass
Lake City Presbyterian Church, which has established an “annex” for hikers, a building where we can hang out, shower, charge equipment, etc.
Around mile 1,040
“Mt Elbert, the highest mountain in Colorado and second highest in the lower 48, at 14,433 feet. I’m embarrassed to admit I only found out about this opportunity yesterday while walking around Twin Lakes, when I spotted an industrial plant with “Mt Elbert” in its name. As it turned out, the side trail up Mt Elbert left the CDT less than three miles from the campground Uphill, Low Branch, and I slept at last night. There are actually two side trails: the South, which I went up, and the North, which I took down. The South Trail was longer but immaculate, with gentle switchbacks, a smooth tread, and wood or rock steps where they were called for.”
Mile 1,061. Salida, CO via Monarch Pass
Hayduke’s Hideout may well be the best hostel on the CDT. The living quarters are located in a massive converted garage that contains several refrigerators, couches, rugs on the floor, and charging stations for our electronics. Oh yeah, there’s a beer tap as well.
Mile 1,089. Copper Mountain Resort, CO
The Ten Mile Tavern for a burger, fries, beer, and salad that came to $40, with the tip. Is it just Colorado, or has inflation gripped the country more than I realized since I’ve been on the trail?
Mile 1,167. Leadville, CO
“Skunk and I hitched into town. I went to “Zero Day Coffee” to pick up a small package. The shop is run by former thru hikers, and they allow hikers to mail stuff to their shop rather than the Post Office. Inside were my rain mittens. I’m glad to have those back. I then went to ”Tennessee Pass Cafe” to eat lunch where I ate some beloved red meat.”
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There was a line at High Mountain Pies, but the pizza was well worth the wait
Mile 1,305. Grand Lake, CO
“I walked to the Mountain Market where Skunk and Forgettable were. All of us grabbed food from inside to eat and resupplied after. This place was extremely expensive, fortunately the stretch to Steamboat Springs isn’t too long.”
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Highway-walk around the RMNP!
“The trail from Grand Lake goes through Rocky Mountain National Park. This year RMNP decided to make it mandatory for thru hikers to carry bear canisters through the park. I am yet to see a Thru hiker out here with a bear canister. Rumor has it that there have been hikers attempting to go through without canisters, getting caught, and then getting a hefty fine to pay. What RMNP rangers must not realize is that Thru Hikers have the capability to get in and out of the park in a day very easily, maybe even half a day. Due to this inconvenience, nearly all hikers (that I know of, at least) are highway walking around RMNP. Is this really necessary, RMNP? The road walk continues.”
Mile 1,386. Encampment & Riverside, WY
“Encampment and Riverside are a dual town, just a mile apart. Many of the Encampment businesses listed in the GoFar app have been shuttered, so Riverside is the place to be.”
Mile 1,581. South Pass City, WY
“South Pass City is just a gift shop; Atlantic City has 2 restaurants but they both might be closed. (Were both closed on Tuesday in July.) The sole open business was Wild Bill’s bed& breakfast, but it might not have food.”
Mile 1,602. Rawlins, WY
Buffet:
the lunch buffet at the Thai place (Anong’s)
Mile 1,722. Lander, WY
“Lander is a nice town, but unless you really want to get the long hitch in, skip it and send a resupply box to South Pass City. The museum there will let you charge electronics.”
Mile 1,808. Pinedale, WY
“Don’t rush the Wind River Range (Wyoming). They were easily my favorite section. Plan on breaking it up by going into Pinedale so you don’t have to rush through there.”
Mile 1,847. Dubois, WY
Dubois, WY (mile 1,847) doesn’t sell any Altra Lone Peak shoes, but Jackson, WY does. It’ll require a hitch. (“the REI happened to be on the Southwest side”)
[Jackson is an 86-mile drive from Dubois; 1h 41min…]
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[Dubois] “I resupplied at the Family Dollar. The Family Dollar was much more affordable than the other grocery store in town”
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get dropped off in the middle of the city, not at the edge. Long roadwalk otherwise.
Village Cafe has giant portions. 🙂
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The Church of Christ hosts thru-hikers.
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allegedly the last place for a looong while to find affordable electrolyte packages
Mile 1,910
“With so many horse trails in the area, I took a wrong turn.”
Mile 1,975. Grant Village (Yellowstone National Park)
Buffet:
“The breakfast buffet at Grant Village rivaled that of the Timberline Lodge on the PCT.”
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“Grant Village is a strange place. Everything this place has to offer is very spread out and weirdly placed. A laundromat/shower center was close, so us three walked there and began a load of laundry. I was going to pay for a shower and a towel, but to my surprise the showers for CDT hikers are free thanks to donations. After a shower, I walked in the rain to the campground to pay for a place to camp for the night.”
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“There’s an all you can eat breakfast buffet at a restaurant here in Grant Village, so every hiker in the area usually attends.”
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“In order to camp in Yellowstone, we need “Backcountry Permits”. The bad thing is that they are all sold out for the day, and if someone gets caught without a permit while camping, it’s a $600 fine. I did not want to take a zero day here, but I was basically forced into it. I would rather take a day off than risk paying a $600 bill. I went to the office in Grant Village and made a backcountry reservation for tomorrow for myself and Pace.”
Mile 2,000. Old Faithful Village
Buffet:
Old Faithful Inn buffet (last year they also let hikers shower for free!)
“After the geyser explosion, we hiked the remaining three miles to “Old Faithful Village”. It was close to lunch time, and we had heard about a lunch buffet at one of the buildings”
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an alternate:
“From here the CDT doesn’t go past many more geysers or mineral pools, so many hikers road walk to the town of “West Yellowstone” in order to see more of the park. I did the same, even though walking on hard surface isn’t as fun.”
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“With the majority of hikers taking the “Big Sky alternate route” (an alternate that cuts off about 250 miles out of West Yellowstone), I have not seen hardly any NOBO’s since leaving West Yellowstone.”
Mile 2,146. Lima, MT
“The Mountain View Motel, which was fully booked for the night, but for 10 bucks allows hikers to set up their tents behind the motel, shower, and do laundry.”
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“Last night may have been my worst of the hike so far, in part because the tenting area at the Mountain View Motel and RV park is about 100 yards from the interstate.”
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“My next stop was the gas station. There is no grocery store in Lima, so the overpriced gas station items would have to do. Since Lima is small, everything is close by. The laundromat is technically part of the motel in town, so I walked over a block to take care of laundry. Us four hikers loitered inside the laundromat while doing laundry and taking turns showering.”
Mile 2,238. Leadore, ID
“Resupplying in small towns is expensive, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”
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“I planned to go back to the gas station for some beer, but unfortunately it closed at 4:00 without me realizing it.”
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“Not all towns are created equal – the one restaurant/bar in Leadore, Idaho is quite a terrible and hate-filled place. Probably don’t go there.”
Mile 2,358. Darby, MT
“he informed me that the “Montana Cafe” had great food and was going to close in about an hour. He also told me their card machine was down so I needed cash.”
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“Our first stop was the Montana Cafe, renowned for its huge portions. My blueberry pancake was the size of a large frisbee.”
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“I remembered Bovi informing me about a guy in Darby who offers a place to stay for trail travelers. She gave me his number a while back so I texted him. They guys name is “Curtis”, but he goes by “Gravity”. He gave me his address, so after my resupply I walked over. Gravity is a bike packer, and he offers a place to stay for bikers and hikers for those who know about him. His information is only spread via word of mouth, and because of this I am only his ninth hiker to stay with him this year.”
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Also Darby: “We were able to accomplish so much in town so quickly because the RV park, where we took showers and did laundry, was just across the street from the cafe, and the Family Dollar and grocery store were a block away. It also helped that the single meal at the cafe left us bloated until late in the afternoon.”
Mile 2,455. Montana
“Hike the Butte Route. The trail there is in great shape with good views. The tread is in better shape than much of the rest of the CDT. Few hike it opting instead to do the long busy road walk to Anaconda.”
Mile ~2,480. (Anaconda cut-off at 2,455 + 24 miles) Anaconda, MT
Anaconda is known to be a very hiker friendly town with lots of accommodations. There is a “Hiker Hut” in town in a city park where I was headed. Forgettable texted me the location of it, and after another 10 minutes of walking I found myself inside. The hut is basically a shed with electrical hookups for a fridge, a fan, heater, and even Wi-Fi. It may not be much, but it’s all that a hiker needs to be satisfied.
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made a room reservation at the “Pintler’s Portal Hostel” in downtown Anaconda. The hostel in town is extremely nice, and is one of two nicest hostels I have ever stayed at.
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The goods here in Anaconda are a lot cheaper than the small towns we have been in, so I finally felt like I was getting some good bang for my buck again.
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I knew goods here in the “Smelter Town” of Anaconda were much cheaper than other places, but I had no clue that the total cost of a burger, chips, and two PBR’s on tap would come out to be $6.75! The burger wasn’t necessarily anything to write home about, but for the price it was spectacular
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By late morning we left the hostel together. Skunk and Forgettable needed to make a run to the Post Office, so I walked along the highway until I reached “Murdocks”. It is here where I would go in and exchange both of my worn out Darn Tough socks for new ones.
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“Pintler’s Portal Hostel, which is more like a fancy hotel with four-person bunk rooms. Our timing was right, because the hostel was holding a hiker cookout tonight in celebration of its one-year anniversary.”
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“Carmel’s Sports Bar and Grill, where on Wednesdays they have a $14 special on any steak in the house.”
Mile 2,618. Helena, MT
Buffet:
all-you-can-eat sushi place
Mile 2,660. Stemple Pass, MT
“I made it to Stemple Pass and walked off trail a short distance to an outfitter. The name of this place is “High Divide Outfitters”, and Dave (the owner) is a very down to earth guy. This is a funny spot for an outfitter, but he seems to get a lot of business from all sorts of backcountry crowds.”
Mile 2,887. Glacier National Park
“In order to travel through Glacier National Park, backcountry permits need to be reserved just like in Yellowstone.”
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“I would only be hiking to “Two Medicine” (a tourist camping area). Since I need to make backcountry permit reservations for Glacier NP, I had to go to the Ranger Station. I arrived at 2:00, but it wouldn’t open until 2:50 since the Ranger was on lunch break. I used the building as wind block to hide behind until the Ranger was back. After looking at the map, I made a reservation for me, Skunk, and Forgettable at the “Red Eagle Lake Campground”. I will have to make another reservation once I get to the Ranger Station at “Many Glacier” in a few days, but that can wait for now. I hate hiking in National Parks, permit systems are the worst.“
Mile 2,941. Many Glacier, MT
“The Ranger Station here at Many Glacier would open at 7:30, so I did my morning chores while keeping an eye on the time. At 7:15, I walked to the Ranger Station to make sure I would be the first in line; we would need as much light as possible for one more big day. I secured a backcountry permit for me, Skunk, and Forgettable for the “Goat Haunt” shelter/campground by Waterton Lake.”
Mile 2,971. Goat Haunt, MT
“The Goat Haunt area is something I didn’t expect. Here, there are a couple shelters, a pavilion area called the “Peace Shelter”, bathrooms with running water, and a few boat docks.”
Grigory Lukin.com 