The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail spans some 3,100 miles across 5 states from Mexico to Canada. The trail travels through the Rocky Mountains, exploring a vast array of different environments and landscapes along the way. The New Mexico portion of the trail features 820 miles of diverse hiking from the desolate Chihuahuan Desert in the south, to the unique Canyons of the Gila River, to the Rocky Mountains in the north. Exploring the Continental Divide Trail can be done as a single thru hike that will take 4-6 months, or by section hiking smaller segments. In this guide we’ll look at New Mexico Section 30.
Section 30 begins at Highway 64, just after Hopewell Lake. From here the trail dives back into the Carson National Forest where you’ll hike deeper into the mountains.
To start, the CDT follows a mix of singletrack and old forest roads. You’ll bounce between forested terrain and some beautiful open meadows as you hike.
The highlight of this section is when you near Olguin Mesa, then descend to the Rio San Antonio (a small stream). This is a beautiful valley.
The CDT then makes a sharp left turn and begins ascending along a ridge. This ridge parallels the Rio San Antonio and offers stunning vistas as you climb higher.
You’ll contour down to and cross another small drainage, then eventually come out to Forest Road 87. This marks the end of Section 30.
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