Great Divide Trail

The Great Divide Trail (GDT) is a long-distance hiking route running the spine of the Canadian Rockies and tracking the Continental Divide between Alberta and British Columbia. It’s a wilderness link-up of multiple trail systems connected by ATV tracks, roads, and off-trail routes, and it repeatedly crosses the divide—30+ times along the full traverse.

Route length is about 1,095 km. It is built for non-motorized travel and is managed as a hiking route rather than a continuously signed, single tread path; outside the parks it varies from blazed hiking to unmarked backcountry navigation where you may have limited or no backcountry facilities.

Thru-hike timing is typically early July through early September, when the route is nearly free of snow. Planning a full through-hike usually takes about five to ten weeks (around 6–8 weeks is commonly used), with many hikers favoring a northbound direction.

The trail is commonly broken into seven sections (A through G), which is how most itinerary planning and logistics are organized. The route’s endpoints connect with other long-distance continental-divide routes: the southern start is at the Canada–US border in Waterton Lakes National Park, and the northern finish is at Kakwa Lake Provincial Park.

Expect route-finding demands more than simple navigation-to-a-marked-trail: some days involve cross-country travel and glacial stream crossings, and mobile reception can be nearly absent on much of the route. This keeps the experience “route” oriented—built around your chosen segmenting, camping plan, and backup navigation—not just following continuous signage.

Because the GDT runs through multiple protected areas, permits and reservations are a major part of the hike. Backcountry camping permits are required for overnight stays in Canadian national parks, with the need for planning in advance and competition for permits in some places.

Maintenance and stewardship is handled through the Great Divide Trail Association and partners, with ongoing work to build, maintain, and protect the route across jurisdictions. The trail’s construction and reactivation history traces back to proposals in the 1960s, with modern momentum starting again in the early 2000s and continued organization-led maintenance since then.

More information: Official website, Official website, Wikipedia