A handful of long-distance hikers just wrapped up one of the toughest walks in North America. The Continental Divide Trail — the CDT — runs more than 3,000 miles from the Mexican border in New Mexico to the Canadian border in Montana, tracing the spine of the Rocky Mountains through five states. Finishing it is a badge of honour in the thru-hiking world, and The Trek has started rolling out its congratulations posts for the 2026 class of finishers, with the first batch covering hikers who came off the trail between late August and the end of September.
The names are classic trail aliases: Shoehorn finished on August 30, followed by Pitstop, Chef, 30 Ft, Vacuum, Alpine, Puff Puff, Bluker, Sidewinder and Count Chocula, who crossed the finish on September 30 with hiking friends Pudding and Hiker Gregg.
Some of the finisher quotes give a real sense of what the trail demands. Chef, 49, covered the route in 139 days — despite breaking a thumb in the Wind River Range of Wyoming, one of the CDT's most remote and rugged stretches. Puff Puff ticked off the Triple Crown of hiking's northern leg, meaning the CDT completes a set that also includes the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. Alpine summed up the mood simply: a great trail and the adventure of a lifetime.
For anyone curious about long-distance hiking, the CDT sits at the wilder end of America's big three trails. Unlike the AT or PCT, it offers route choices, sparse signage and long stretches between resupply towns, which is why hundreds start each year but far fewer finish. Most hike northbound (NOBO), starting from the New Mexico border in April or May and finishing in Montana in September — which matches the finish dates in this roundup.
If you're not ready for a five-month expedition, the trail is still worth knowing about. It passes through some of the American West's standout country: the desert and volcanic terrain of New Mexico, Colorado's San Juan Mountains, Wyoming's Wind River Range and Yellowstone, and the alpine ridges of Glacier National Park in Montana. Section hiking any of these gives you the CDT experience in a week or two instead of a season.
