Are there any particular vaccinations one should get? I got the usual, Hepatitis, Tetanus, etc. anything special needed? Does a rabbies vaccination make sense?

Hi all!

I've been thinking about doing a CDT thru either next year or 2026 (depending how finances work out), and I wanted to get a gut-check on a routing question.

Would it be sensible/logistically realistic to start in Butte in early June, head north to the border, then flip back to Butte and SOBO the rest of the trail?

It'd be my first months-long trek (longest so far: 160 mi in CO), and I don't know how slow I'll be, so I'd like to maximize my hiking time, but I also want to give myself a little extra time to save up if I'm aiming for 2025, and would prefer SOBO generally. I'm just not wild about my chances of hitting NM before winter if I waited til July to start a fully-SOBO hike.

Secondary questions, I guess:

*Would I be likely to hit a problem level of snow in the Bob (or elsewhere) if I hiked this way? *Is there an easily-accessible Montanaho town to start at that'd make more sense for a flip like this?

Thanks a bunch, any input is appreciated :)

I had a bear encounter in another portion of the Gila a number of years ago. Safe to say I try to be bear-aware now. I have read websites talking about bears near Silver City, NM this time of year. Not necessarily recent but past activity. What have been people's experiences around there....notably coming up from the south?

Tale of the Trail: Land Cover Change

https://postholer.com/articles/Tale-of-the-Trail-Land-Cover-Change

Introducing 28 years of land cover change on your favorite trail! This is the latest feature added to Postholer Interactive Maps. It's made possible by USGS and Multi-Resolution Land Cover Characterization Consortium, which produces the National Land Cover Dataset or just NLCD. We've had current year land cover in the online data books for years. This is different as you can actually see the on-trail change from 1985-2023 at very high resolution, about 30 meters.

My partner and I are planning our first thru hike next year and will try for the CDT. We are looking at tents and the Durston Xmid 2 Pro+ is our favourite.

The main concern is the large footprint. Is it too large for the camp sites you typically find on the CDT?

I know the Durston tents are a popular choice, but the 2 Pro+ version is larger

I am starting on November 12 from Crazy Cook for my first 160+ miles to Silver City. Curious if there are going to be SOBOs still on the trail finishing up.

I struggled a lot hiking the Colorado section this summer. I'm almost 60 years old, not super fit, but I managed to walk across Colorado. I had a lot of sleepless nights struggling with the altitude. I had sciatica pain sometimes. I felt slower than I should be. I would get upset with all the rain. And now a couple months later, I miss it so much. I wish I was still out there.

Any fun sections near Butte? Within a 2 hour drive, 20 miles section. I’m working in Butte for a month, and would love to get a good day hike in before the snow really comes down.

Trying to see if it’s worth hiking 20 miles back from crazy cook to 81 to hitch up to hachita and eventually Lordsburg. Curious to see if people had relied on this and how busy that road is. Thanks!

One state to go. Trying to decide on a good start date, the earlier the better because waiting to go will drive me crazy!

Southern Terminus Shuttle Options Fall 2024

CDTC is offering a limited on-demand shuttle (October-December), driving hikers from the Crazy Cook monument to the city of Lordsburg, NM including water caching. Hikers should call 303-996-2759 (M-F 9am-5pm) or email info@cdtcoalition.org to book at least seven days in advance of pickup date. Pickup times from the monument will generally be at 8am.  A minimum of three riders is required, five maximum.

Local Drivers

Tim Sharp offers on-demand rides and water caching to and from Crazy Cook in the Fall. Call Tim at 830-456-6497 to arrange a ride.

I just burned through a bunch of books about the AT and I need a new adventure. I’ll read anything from history of the trail, personal experiences, and even guide books. What do got for me?

Hey! If anyone needs a ride from LORDSBURG to TUCSON Friday evening, I’m already doing a run to pick up another hiker! Or if you need anything brought to you in Lordsburg from Tucson also let me know! ❤️Big Spoon

I know each year is different and you can't predict what the snowcap will be like, etc. But still, I want to pick a good start date for my 2025 thruhike. :)

The annual surveys on Halfway Anywhere all say that the folks who started in May wished they'd started earlier...

Right now, I'm kinda-sorta thinking about April 23-ish. Tell me how you made your own decisions. :)

I’m curious has anyone attempted or finished the CDT with Multiple Sclerosis? I can’t find anything online about it but I was wondering if anyone knows about anyone who has or has any information.

My buddy and I are planning to hike south from the border of Wyoming and Colorado in mid-October.

Does any one know what the weather is like on the trail during that time of year? We're trying to get worst case scenario weather data, but it's not easy to find. I'm not sure how much are gear needs to change in order to accommodate the weather. Are we talking ice axes or just an extra midlayer?

We are planning 7 days and going as far south as we can get within that time period.

Also, if anyone has any insight into that area, please share :)

Due to wetting rains, the US Forest Service is rescinding the Marsh Creek Fire trail closure.

The following trails south of Lincoln, Mont. have reopened:

Trail #466 Nevada Creek Trail from the Nevada Creek Trailhead to the Continental Dive Trail

Trail#440 Continental Divide Trail from Meyer's Hill Trailhead to Stemple Pass Trailhead

Trail #467 Helmville/Gould Trail from the Continental Divide Trail to the Prickly/Nevada Creek Trail

Trail #487 Prickly/Nevada Trail from Nevada Creek Trail to the Helmville/Gould Trail

Visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/hlcnf/home/?cid=fseprd1043309 for the latest updates on forest closures.

I plan to do nobo CDT next year :) and I always like reading other hikers' journals to help me prepare. (I did the PCT in 2022, and journals were a great resource in my preparation.)

This year, though, there are just 3 CDT journals on the Trail Journals site, and all 3 ended early. :( One hiker was just writing about how he hiked the part he'd skipped a few years earlier. (~300 miles.) The other two hikers had to leave the trail due to injuries: covid complications and a bad back.

If you hiked the CDT this year, did you chronicle it anywhere? TikTok, YouTube, somewhere else? :)

(FWIW, I'll chronicle my 2025 hike on Trail Journals to help all those who will attempt it later.)

Based on FarOut it looks like there is not much snow in the San Juan's right now...wondering if anyone has gone through recently and can give a conditions update? Mainly wondering if micro spikes are currently necessary

I'm thinking of section hiking the Gila River Alternate northbound in the spring of 2025. I see it's a lot of miles between re-supplies at Doc Campbells until I guess Reserve or Pie Town.

Also, given the river crosdings, I expect it to be slow going. I live 8n New Mexico and I've hiked the Middlefork Trail to Jordan Hotsprings, the looped back via Littlebear canyon, it was lovely.

So, my question for those who have hiked this full section is how many days did it take you between Doc Campbells and the next resupply north? How many miles did you do per day?

I've got 6 months or so to train, and I'm thinking through how many miles I can reasonably prepare for.

It would be nice to take my time, but I can only carry food for so many days...

Where’s everyone? I’m still on the borderland of Idaho and Montana. Am I the last nobo?

🔥‼️Long Tom Fire | Beaverhead - Deerlodge National Forest | CDT Mile 2504-2524 | Updated 9/9/24

The CDT is closed from Deep Creek road (mile 2504) to mile 2524 due to the Long Tom Fire that started on 9/8/2024. The closure is from mile 2470.5 -2490.4 for those using the Farout app. The US National Forest has recommended a temporary reroute (pictured below).

Click to view larger interactive map: https://arcg.is/01H4LX

For more information contact 406-381-7451.

This survey is for anyone who hiked the Continental Divide Trail in 2024. It does not matter if you were a thru-hiker, section hiker, or ended your hike early.

https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/fill-out-cdt-survey

• If you are still hiking, please wait to fill out the survey. It will remain open for several months while everyone (including southbound hikers) finishes their hikes.
• Answer each to the best of your ability, and don't worry if your answers aren't exact. If a question does not apply to you, or you have no response/don't want to answer, SKIP THE QUESTION.
• For best results, complete on a desktop or laptop computer.
• The survey is NOT SHORT. Please allow adequate time to complete it.

THANK YOU in advance for taking the time to fill this out. Your time and answers are very much appreciated. If you have any questions, suggestions, or problems with the survey, feel free to comment or contact me directly.

I’m hiking sobo and keep coming across comments on water sources by a user named Kitchen Sink on FarOut and his comments get tons of downvotes but the information they give on water sources is always fine.

Just wondering if anyone knows why they get downvoted so much (literally every comment they post) even though the information they give always seems fine.

Not trying to slander if the person is just not liked for some reason, I just want to make sure I don’t think a water source is bad just because they say it has good water yet gets downvoted to oblivion.

Thanks :)

I was considering seeing Twin Lakes as a day trip during my zero in Leadville and going to La Plata directly from the south ridge of Elbert (skipping the lake walk) and doing a 14er route through the collegiates in 4 days (6 day carry out of Leadville from the Hatchery)

(La Plata/Huron) (Missouri/Belford/Oxford) (Harvard/Columbia) (Yale-->Buena Vista for resupply)

Curious if it's possible to combine Missouri with Harvard/Columbia in a single day and if anyone has any thoughts on the overall feasibility of this route?

Marsh Creek Fire | Helena Lewis & Clark National Forest | CDT Mile 2692.5-2712 | Updated 9/6/24

The USFS is expected to close the CDT due to the Marsh Creek Fire from CDT mile 2692.5 (Meyers Hill) to 2712 (Stemple Pass). 

Those who were planning to hike these sections of trail are advised to make alternative plans and avoid hindering firefighting efforts. https://cdtcoalition.org/closures-and-alerts/

Map of affected trails 

Official Closure Forest Order

For more information on the Marsh Creek Fire please contact the Helena – Lewis & Clark National Forest – (406) 475-1465

https://preview.redd.it/au48x91tb8nd1.png?width=1007&format=png&auto=webp&s=2bda74bb2a8d202b13d5535c5a287b5c5cffc6cc