CDT SOBO guide

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Unofficial CDT Southbound Guide for 2024
by Soggy Whopper (aka Soggy)
Version 2.0
With Contributions from Oracle on:
Creede, Pinedale, & Super Butte Alternates
1

1. BIG PICTURE—IS A SOUTHBOUND HIKE FOR ME?
   So you (maybe) want to thru-hike the CDT southbound. Congratulations, you (might) be an intelligent
   human being, unlike all those northbounders who waddle into southern Colorado in June and realize they
   aren’t having very much fun crossing freezing icy streams and deep snow.
   This is probably a good time to mention that these are a compendium of my subjective opinions on what I
   encountered along the CDT and how I thought through decisions. If something I say elicits strong anger
   within you, please, take a deep breath and remind yourself that this is a free, unofficial hiking guide written
   by a man named after a cheeseburger.
   Now then, there are three real options for thru-hiking the trail: a northbound hike, a southbound hike, or a
   flip flop. The optimal option for you depends on a few factors: (1) your individual life obligations; (2) the
   snowpack in the San Juan mountains of southern Colorado versus the snowpack in northern Montana; (3)
   whether you are philosophically open to flip flopping. As we analyze these considerations, keep in mind
   that you have a fairly aggressive weather window to manage whether you hike north or south.
   If you are hiking northbound, you are trying to get to Canada before October 1, which is the “rule of thumb”
   day to beat, after which you may get caught by a problematic snowstorm if you keep pushing north deeper
   into October. If you are hiking southbound, you want to get through the San Juan mountains of southern
   Colorado to the northern border of New Mexico prior to October 1 for the same reason. These
   considerations are real, and failure to respect the changing seasons can have deadly consequences. You only
   have to read up on Otter (RIP) who died in 2015 after getting trapped by snow in a privy in northern New
   Mexico and whose body was found after the spring thaw, to understand how serious this can be.
   This means that whether you are hiking northbound or southbound, you have an incentive to start as early
   in the year as possible. Unfortunately for northbounders, the earlier they start, the more likely they will
   need to skip the Gila River middle fork (low route) in southern New Mexico, which is a top 5 highlight of
   the trail, due to high water levels. Furthermore, early northbounders face the risk that the snowpack in
   southern Colorado will force them to flip north to the Great Basin in Wyoming or up to Canada to then start
   hiking southbound. For southbounders, we also want to start as early as possible while avoiding the worst
   of the snow in Glacier Park and northern Montana.
   The snowpack can vary dramatically from year to year, but usually there is more snow in the San Juans of
   southern Colorado than up north in Montana. If you have your heart set on hiking the CDT in 2024, your
   best chance of having an enjoyable and successful thru-hike is to maintain flexibility and monitor the
   snowpack in both Colorado and Montana to make sure your start date is optimized to avoid as much snow
   as possible.
   This website is the best (or at least my favorite) resource to monitor snowpack in northern Montana and
   southern Colorado. The bottom graphic on the front page is the most useful to you as you determine your
   start date southbound. It shows the snowpack in Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall wilderness for
   all years from 2004 to 2024. My buddy Honey Bum completed a southbound thru-hike in 2022, the highest
   snowpack year on record for northern Montana. He began his hike on June 14 and had a good bit of snow,
   and had to use his microspikes and ice axe a lot for his first few weeks on trail. He let me know that if a
   given year had northern Montana snowpack levels similar to 2022, the best time to start the trail would
   have been sometime between June 19 and July 1. Fortunately for me, 2023 was a very low snowpack year
   in northern Montana. I started hiking south on June 14 and never had to use my ice axe or microspikes. Yes,
   there were a few snowy traverses to do, but it was all eminently doable with moderate risk. That risk was
   2
   worth it to me, as I was very grateful to have a couple extra weeks to get through southern Colorado before
   October 1.
   a. Weather Considerations
   Another factor that plays into your decision of whether to hike southbound or northbound is how nice the
   weather will be throughout your hike. Northbounders cover most of the trail outside optimal weather
   conditions. Southbounders tend to hit much more of the trail when weather conditions are optimal.
   b. Social Considerations
   This is the one area where northbounders have an advantage over southbounders. There are usually many
   more northbound hikers than “pure” southbounders (aka non-flip floppers). It is not entirely clear to me
   why, perhaps the human capacity for mimetic desire is responsible (see the work of philosopher René Girard
   for more info). Whatever the reason, if there is above-average snowpack in the San Juan mountains, then
   you can rest assured that many northbounders will flip up to Canada anyway. Between the southbounders
   and the flip floppers, there will be plenty of people to hike with if you aren’t too weird, and are willing to
   go-with-the flow on the alternate routes your hiking companions wish to take.
   c. Flip Flopping – Briefly
   There is something magical about hiking in one direction continuously. But if you are open to flip flopping,
   there is no denying that you will have a better chance of completing the trail in one calendar year. For
   southbounders, it is popular and eminently doable to knock out the desert sections of the trail in April and
   May prior to starting your hike south from Canada. This means hiking through the New Mexico desert in
   April/May, and then skipping up to the Great Basin and hiking the Wyoming desert in May/early June. The
   advantage of hiking the desert earlier in the season is that the desert will be cooler during the day, and good
   water will be easier to find. If you want a border monument finish, consider hiking north from Lordsburg
   rather than the Mexican border, so that you can later hike the southernmost section of the trail southbound
   to get that sexy border monument finishing photo.
   3
2. PLANNING RESUPPLIES
   So you decided to do the pure southbound hike. Sweet. We will assume that you have your start date picked
   or are closely monitoring the snowpack to make a good decision on timing. The first thing to get a handle
   on is whether you are going to be mailing yourself lots of boxes or doing most of your resupplies on-trail.
   This mostly depends on how wedded you are to eating healthily, how obscure your footwear of choice is,
   and whether you are willing to hang out in a town for a few days if you miss the post-office open hours or
   something gets screwed up. For me, if a town has a grocery store or good general store I did not usually
   mail myself a box with food, but I did sometimes mail myself fresh shoes. I have highlighted the towns
   where I thought boxes were a good idea in yellow. NOTE, it’s wise to mail your boxes to (1) Looking Glass
   Hostel in East Glacier, and (2) Benchmark Ranch before starting the trail.
   Southbound Mile
   No.
   Town Name Important
   Amenities
   Resupply Thoughts
   GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
   Mile 0 East Glacier, MT
   Looking Glass
   Basecamp Hostel.
   Bring two
   (no hitch
   required).
   resupplies: first
   to get you from
   the border back
   to East Glacier,
   and then from
   East Glacier to
   either the
   Benchmark
   Ranch/Augusta,
   or to Lincoln if
   you can push
   that far.
   Looking Glass
   Basecamp
   Hostel is the
   best and its not
   close. Luna and
   her husband run
   it and she is
   awesome. Check
   them out on
   Instagram and
   give Luna a call
   before you get
   there.
   Mile 35 (if starting
   at Waterton)
   Mile 27.7 (if
   starting at Chief
   Mountain)
   Many Glacier
   Campground, MT
   (no hitch
   required).
   Great for grabbing
   snacks, but not a
   great resupply.
   Mile 89.1 Two Medicine
   Campground, MT
   (no hitch
   required).
   Great for grabbing
   lunch and snacks;
   can resupply
   sufficiently to get
   back to East
   Glacier.
   Mile 99.6 East Glacier (no
   hitch required).
   (see above) No
   hitch required, trail
   goes straight into
   East Glacier.
   Can leave your
   second resupply
   box at Looking
   Glass Basecamp
   while you hike
   Glacier Park.
   THE BOB MARSHALL WILDERNESS (THE BOB)
   4
   Mile 232 Junction to
   Benchmark Ranch
   (3 extra miles to
   walk to the ranch
   from redline).
   Can mail yourself a
   box to the
   Benchmark Ranch.
   There are very
   specific instructions
   on how to mail the
   box. You do not
   mail the box to the
   ranch itself, and
   you need to give 2-
   3 weeks lead time.
   Instructions here.
   I did not send a
   box here, but
   wish I had.
   Getting into
   Augusta was a
   bit of an
   adventure.
   Optimally, send
   a box to this
   ranch and push
   on to Lincoln
   and stay there
   rather than
   Augusta or the
   Benchmark
   Ranch itself. See
   route description
   for further
   details.
   Mile 232 Augusta, MT (30
   mile hitch) HARD
   hitch from
   trailhead at the
   end of a dirt road.
   Call ahead for
   shuttle, no cell
   service at
   Benchmark ranch.
   Shuttle (if
   available) will be
   listed on Farout
   on the icon for
   town or the
   junction for the
   Benchmark ranch.
   Has General Store
   and RV
   Campground/Motel.
   I resupplied at
   the General
   Store in town.
   Great resupply.
   The Motel is
   great, can tent
   camp in back
   with access to
   RV shower and
   bathroom. Can
   charge devices
   in laundry room.
   Mile 289.7 Lincoln, MT (18
   mile hitch).
   Lots of motels and
   a good local
   grocery store.
   Lincoln Log
   hotel has
   laundry for free,
   which many
   motels in town
   don’t have.
   Going rate for
   two bed room in
   town seems to
   be about $90.
   Great town. Be
   annoying and
   ask locals about
   the Unabomber,
   who lived here
   back in the day.
   Mile 357.8 Helena, MT (16
   mile hitch).
   Big town; very
   spread out and car
   centric. If you are a
   fan of Wal Mart
   resupplies, choose
   lodging close to the
   Wal Mart. The
   Downtown is cool
   but far from Wal
   Mart ☹
   The sushi
   restaurant
   downtown has
   an off-menu all-
   you-can-eat
   option.
   Getting a hitch
   out of town is
   not the easiest.
   Decision Point: (1) Redline, (2) Anaconda Cutoff, or (3) Super Butte Cutoff (aka Big Sky). I did the
   Anaconda cutoff, so that is what I will discuss. The redline is cool I hear, but it’s not a top highlight area
   5
   of the trail, so you don’t have to worry about FOMO if you take the Anaconda cutoff. However, if you
   take Super Butte, yes you’ll skip some of the worst bits of the trail, but you’ll also miss the Anaconda
   Pintler Wilderness, which is beautiful. The Super Butte route is not on FarOut. Here is a Caltopo link to
   one Super Butte route. There may be better routes, but this is the first I found on Google with a search.
   [See Appendix 1 for Oracle’s description of his Super Butte Route]
   ANACONDA CUTOFF
   Mile 430 (distance
   reflects redline to
   Helena + Anaconda
   cutoff route)
   Anaconda, MT
   (no hitch).
   One of the best
   towns on trail.
   Tough road walk
   with small shoulder.
   You hit McDonalds
   right at the north
   side of town.
   Golden arches call
   to you like the
   sirens to Odysseus.
   Great food and
   lodging options.
   The CDTC
   Thru-Hiker Hut
   is better than the
   hostel in my
   opinion. But
   Anaconda does
   not have a great
   outfitter for shoe
   resupply. Butte
   has a good shoe
   store. You can
   hitch to Butte
   from Anaconda
   and back easily.
   Mail new shoes
   here if you
   aren’t feeling a
   hitch over to
   Butte.
   Mile 572.6 (100.6
   miles from
   Anaconda if taking
   cutoff)
   Sula, MT.
   Darby, MT.
   Wisdom, MT.
   A few choices here.
   Wisdom is a harder
   hitch from a less
   traveled road. I did
   this, and would not
   recommend.
   Recommend
   mailing box to Sula,
   or resupplying in
   Darby at the
   grocery store.
   Mile 738.9 Leadore, ID (13.6
   mile hitch).
   Difficult hitch from
   a dirt road fully
   exposed with no
   shade or cover. Call
   ahead the day
   before because no
   service at trailhead
   or for like 15-20
   miles north of
   trailhead. Multiple
   shuttle drivers listed
   on junction in
   Farout. Jen was
   awesome.
   I sent a box to
   the stage shop,
   but was
   unnecessary. The
   store has
   developed a
   fantastic hiker
   resupply.
   Mustang Inn
   was great for
   bunk room
   upstairs.
   Mile 841.5 Lima, MT (15
   mile hitch).
   Hard hitch. Call the
   Motel in town for a
   shuttle ride. No
   Send a box to
   this town. Post
   office is best bet.
   There is one
   motel to stay in
   town. It is, shall
   6
   reliable Verizon
   service at the
   highway tunnel, but
   there is AT&T
   there. Call from the
   hills before you
   drop down if you
   have Verizon.
   we say, one of
   the more
   “authentic”
   motel
   experiences on
   trail. It has a
   bunk room you
   have to ask
   about or they
   won’t mention
   it.
   Decision Point: After leaving Lima, you decide whether to take the red line 94 miles to the West
   Yellowstone junction (hitch required), or to take Mack’s Inn cutoff (69.2 miles) no hitch required. Half
   of the Mack’s Inn trail is cross country, but it’s not too difficult if you navigate around the beaver dam
   (see route description). Additionally, if you intend to transit through Yellowstone National Park without
   stealth camping, you need to call the West Yellowstone ranger station, or hitch over there to get a
   camping permit for at least one night, unless you want to spend $500 on a room at the Old Faithful
   Lodge. Old Faithful Ranger Station does not provide permits. I took Mack’s Inn cutoff.
   MACK’S INN CUTOFF
   Mile 911 (taking
   Mack’s Inn Cutoff)
   Mack’s Inn (no
   hitch).
   Town has 2 parts. I
   stayed in the north
   part of town near
   the grocery store at
   Sawtelle RV park.
   Above average RV
   Park.
   Grocery store
   was fantastic for
   resupply.
   WYOMING/ YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
   Mile 987.2 (38.7
   miles from Mack’s
   Inn grocery store)
   Old Faithful
   Village (no hitch).
   Not a great
   resupply, but lots of
   snacks and lunch
   options. Second
   floor of Old
   Faithful Inn is open
   to the public and
   has great seated and
   shaded viewing
   platform for Old
   Faithful eruptions.
   Can send a box
   to the post office
   here…but not
   necessary.
   If you are
   someone who
   likes risky
   business. Can
   try to sneak a
   shower in the
   public
   bathrooms on
   the second floor
   of the Old
   Faithful Inn.
   Depends Any campsite
   between Old
   Faithful Village
   and Grant’s
   Village (no hitch).
   No resupply here,
   but included
   because it’s a
   National Park so a
   permit is required.
   Mile 1011.7 Grant’s Village
   (7ish mile hitch).
   This area is like a
   maze. Good idea
   to load up a
   Google maps of
   the area when you
   Not a great
   resupply, but can
   get good snacks at
   general store and
   couple options for
   meals.
   The Grant
   Village dining
   room has same
   breakfast buffet
   food as the Old
   Faithful Inn.
   Purrrrty good.
   Campground has
   $10 tent sites for
   the win. Note.
   This is outside
   of Yellowstone
   Park, so don’t
   7
   have service
   before getting
   here.
   Consider
   mailing yourself
   to this
   need permit to
   stay here.
   shoes town.
   OLD CDT ROUTE
   Mile 16.1 via OLD
   CDT Route. (75
   miles south from
   Grant’s Village)
   Dubois, WY (big
   hitch).
   Good (but
   expensive) grocery
   store in town.
   Cowboy cafe one of
   the best restaurants
   on trail.
   Staying at the
   KOA RV park is
   the best option
   for thrifty hikers.
   Need to decide
   whether you are
   going to
   Pinedale or
   skipping
   Pinedale.
   WIND RIVER RANGE (with knapsack Col and Cirque of the Towers Alts)
   Decision Point: You have a few decisions here. (1) Do you take the Teton alternate route? This route is
   not on Farout and the logistics are difficult by CDT standards. I did not do this, but heard it was
   spectacular. However, if you are hiking with people, they may not want to do this with you. (2) Do you
   do either or both of the Wind River alternate routes on Farout? I did both the Knapsack Col and Cirque
   of the Tower Alternate routes, and would unhesitatingly recommend doing both. (3) Do you take the
   Skurka or Allan Dixon high routes? These are not on Farout, and basically connect the Knapsack and
   Cirque of the Tower routes with a section of cross country. They are very hard to do logistically within
   a CDT thru-hike. (4) Do you resupply at Pinedale and/or the Big Sandy Lodge, or do you push all the
   way from Dubois to Lander? I recommend stopping in Pinedale, even though it complicates your
   logistics, and the route to do so is not on Farout. [See Appendix 2 for Oracle’s Description of his
   route to Pinedale].
   These distances should help your decision-making:
   Dubois via Old CDT to Knapsack Col junction is 66.7 miles and 9,263 feet of gain.
   Knapsack Col is 13.5 miles and 3,753 feet of gain.
   Redline between Knapsack Col and Cirque is 31.5 miles and 5,708 feet of gain.
   Cirque of Towers alt is 21.5 miles and 4,839.9 feet of gain.
   Redline south of the cirque to Lander is 27.3 miles and 3,565.9 feet of gain.
   If you do both alts, then you have 160.5 miles and 27,128 feet of gain between the Dubois and Lander.
   This is why Pinedale is popular.
   Mile 1253.1 Lander, WY (35
   mile hitch).
   Great town with
   lots of good places
   to stay, places to
   eat, resupply
   options, and
   outfitters. RV park
   on the south side of
   town has good
   cheap cabins.
   No need to mail
   a box here.
   THE GREAT BASIN
   8
   Mile 1255 South Pass City,
   WY (no hitch).
   Historic mining
   village with tours.
   Little store sells
   soda, but no good
   resupply.
   Mile 1260 Atlantic City, WY
   (1.3 mile walk off
   trail).
   Good food and
   good lodging, but I
   skipped this since
   it’s only a few miles
   outside Lander.
   Mile 1373.7 Rawlins, WY (no
   hitch).
   Good hiker town.
   Multiple grocery
   stores, and lodging
   options. Daily bus
   to Denver and back.
   No need to send
   a box.
   Econolodge is
   near grocery
   stores and has
   hiker discount.
   But a bit of a
   walk into town.
   Mile 1455.8 Encampment and
   Riverside, WY
   (13 miles hitch).
   Great little town.
   Better lodging
   options in
   Riverside; little
   general store there
   for a resupply to get
   you to Steamboat in
   a pinch.
   I sent a box to
   the Encampment
   Post office,
   wasn’t super
   necessary
   because of the
   Riverside
   General Store.
   COLORADO
   Mile 1539.4 Steamboat, CO
   (20 mile hitch)
   Great town has
   everything, but
   expensive. The free
   bus can get you
   around.
   Get new shoes
   here by mailing
   them to yourself
   or from one of
   the many
   outfitters.
   Decision Point: Do you (1) hike through Rocky Mountain National Park on the red line, or (2) take the
   on-trail shortcut, or (3) take the road walk into town. There are a few considerations here. Firstly, a bear
   canister is possibly required. Unclear to me whether a bear canister is required if you hike through, but
   don’t camp in the RMNP. If you do camp, then you need a canister. You can rent a canister in town…but
   this is really dumb for southbounders because you have to hitch into town, get the canister, then hitch
   out, and then hike back into town via the redline. I roadwalked into town and skipped the RMNP. There
   is also a shortcut trail on Farout, but I couldn’t be bothered to take it.
   Mile 1632.4 Grand Lake, CO
   (no hitch).
   Great town, has
   everything,
   expensive.
   Mile 1685.7 Winter
   Park/Fraser Co.
   (12 mile hitch to
   WP , and a bit
   longer to Fraser).
   Great towns. I may
   be biased because
   I’ve lived here. Can
   resupply at
   Safeway. Eat at
   Sharky’s across
   from the Safeway.
   If you need to
   get to Denver or
   the airport in a
   pinch. There is a
   shuttle service
   called “Home
   James” you can
   hit up. Bit pricy,
   but reliable. Y ou
   Well, you’ve
   now experienced
   a bit of life
   ridgewalking the
   high alpine.
   Colorado will
   have lots of this
   on the redline.
   Time to get real
   9
   can also take
   Amtrak into
   Denver’s Union
   Station from the
   Fraser stop, and
   then take light
   rail to the
   airport. The
   Amtrack prices
   vary. Light rail
   is $10.
   with yourself
   and decide if
   you need to take
   some lower alts.
   Long way to go.
   Decision: Silverthorne Alt or Redline? Below is the redline version because that’s what I did. Silverthorne
   is lower elevation and easier, but you’re on your own with that. I hear that Silverthorne has a pretty good
   party hostel though if you like to let your hair down.
   Mile 1759.2 Breckenridge
   (free bus, no
   hitch).
   Free bus runs into
   town from right
   next to trailhead. I
   think every 15
   minutes. Great
   resupply options.
   No box. Stay at the Bivvi
   Hostel if you
   like social
   hostels. Very
   nice. Fireside
   Inn is good
   alternative if you
   don’t want the
   hostel
   experience.
   Mile 1774.6 Copper Mountain,
   CO (no hitch).
   Not good resupply,
   but great spot to
   grab a meal. It’s the
   base of a ski resort.
   Eat at Camp
   Hale if its open,
   if not you’re
   stuck with
   Starbucks.
   Don’t be a
   goober and stay
   the night here.
   Keep going ya
   filthy animal.
   Mile 1794.2 Leadville, CO (9
   mile hitch).
   Great town. Full
   resupply. Get a
   Melanzana (aka
   Melly) if you can.
   You probably can’t
   because store
   appointments are
   required to be
   scheduled ahead of
   time.
   If heroing, ask to
   be dropped off
   downtown to
   grab a meal,
   then walk back
   towards the
   Safeway for
   resupply. Good
   cheap dispensary
   along the way.
   Hitch out of
   town can be
   tricky, walk far
   enough past
   Safeway that
   you’re on the
   correct road
   before hitching.
   I didn’t stay
   here, but looks
   like Inn the
   Clouds is a good
   hostel.
   Mile 1831.4 Twin Lakes, CO
   (no hitch).
   Great town. General
   store is above
   average for a
   Consider
   shortcutting the
   Camping along
   lake is a very
   10
   general store. Very
   cute and scenic.
   lake by going
   through town.
   social
   experience.
   Decisions: (1) Collegiate East or Collegiate West. Collegiate West is the redline; it has much more
   elevation and is more scenic. Collegiate East is a good option for shit weather, or if you’re a bit toasted
   by the trail. You’ll be in a tree tunnel though with Collegiate East and reconnect with the redline at Salida
   (I think). Collegiate East is not on Farout, so you’ll have to use another app. Note, if you do the shortcut
   to bypass the lakes, then you’ll have to backtrack a bit to get to the junction to take Collegiate East. (2)
   If taking Collegiate West there is a low route and a high route. The redline is the high route and much
   prettier, but exposed to weather.
   Mile 1872.2 Buena Vista, CO
   (19 mile hitch).
   Great town. Full
   resupply. Expensive
   lodging if you want
   a room unless you
   stay at the RV park,
   which has cabins
   and bunkhouse for
   reasonable price.
   No box.
   Mile 1914.8 Salida, CO (good
   distance hitch).
   One of my favorite
   towns on trail. Has
   everything.
   No box for food.
   But get new
   shoes here. Easy
   to get Altras in
   town.
   Best place to
   stay is the
   Simple Lodge
   and Hostel.
   Right
   downtown, chill
   vibes, and
   reasonably
   priced.
   Decisions: (1) Redline through San Juans; (2) Green Line the Great Divide Bike Route; (3) Brown Line
   Creed Cutoff. I did the redline because I reached here by the second week of September. I was rewarded
   for my punctuality with lots of snow and storms, but the snow was only 3 inches deep and melted by
   afternoon. Below info reflects a decision to do the redline. [See Appendix 3 for Oracle’s Description
   of his Creede Route]
   Mile 2014.1 Lake City, CO (17
   mile hitch).
   Great town. It has a
   general store on the
   far side of town
   from most lodging.
   General Store is
   pretty good.
   No box required
   if you’re not too
   picky.
   River Fork RV
   park was
   awesome and
   has bunk house.
   They will shuttle
   you to and from
   trailhead. They
   close by late
   September.
   Decision point: Bailout option Silverton. You will be above treeline until you get to Pagosa Springs. If
   there is bad weather, consider bailing out into Silverton. There are a few options of where to do it around
   mile 2049. Can take a steam engine narrow gauge train from Silverton to Durango. Durango is a cool
   college town, much bigger than Silverton.
   Mile 2128.4 Pagosa Springs,
   CO (far hitch).
   Good Town. Wall
   Mart is far outside
   town, but there is a
   bus.
   No box needed
   if you go to Wal
   Mart or are
   willing to shop
   at a Natural
   Grocers (lol).
   Some cheapish
   hotels.
   Dispensaries and
   outfitters both
   exceptional in
   town. “The
   11
   Rose” is good
   for breakfast and
   centrally
   located.
   Mile 2195.3 Chama, NM (far
   hitch).
   Good Town. No box needed.
   Definitely pay a
   visit to Tumble
   On Outfitters
   run by
   Tumbleweed
   and Janis Joplin
   out of a shipping
   container. They
   make packs and
   other gear. Rad
   dudes.
   The laundromat
   is a goddamn
   hike out of town.
   Would
   recommend
   Chama Trails
   Motel, more
   pricy, but you
   can do laundry
   unlike some
   other motels.
   Decision: Ghost Ranch Alt or Redline. I would highly recommend the Ghost Ranch alt. They have cheap
   tent sites, all you can eat buffet meals you need to reserve in advance (call ahead). They have a little store
   that is worse than any gas station resupply, but could do in a real pinch to get you to Cuba if you love
   peanuts, pringles and tuna. I would mail a box here or hitch into Abiquiu (still have no idea how to
   pronounce this town). The Ghost Ranch is a spiritual and artistic retreat where Georgia O’keefe lived
   and painted. If you have any degree of cultural refinement whatsoever, you will appreciate this beautiful
   and historic place. Plus, you drop down lower, so it is warmer and you get your first taste of “real” desert
   in NM.
   Mile 2,287.3 (Alt
   from north junction
   to the Ranch is 14
   miles)
   Ghost Ranch, NM
   See above. (no hitch).
   Box may be
   needed, see
   above.
   Mile 2,347.4 Cuba, NM. (no
   hitch) Watch out
   for dog attacks on
   walk into town.
   Highly advise
   pepper spray, bear
   spray, or a good
   old rock in your
   hand. There is
   apparently an old
   CDT route that
   bypasses the dogs.
   Check out Ley
   Maps.
   No box needed. The Korean food
   truck is amazing,
   even by big city
   standards. The
   Gas station right
   where the trail
   goes into town
   has great
   Mexican food
   and opens
   suuuuper early if
   you’re like that.
   The dispensary
   will let you
   camp in their
   weed field.
   Alternatively, if
   you’re lame, you
   can stay at one
   of many motels.
   Del Prado is
   pricey but really
   well run and
   great and next to
   the grocery
   store. If you ask,
   they’ll let you
   do laundry free.
   Mile 2,451.5 Grants, NM (no
   hitch).
   Grants is a bit run
   down. I have lived
   in inner cities, and
   it still got a bit
   weird, so stay safe
   and try to hike with
   Best resupply is
   at Walmart.
   Getting there is a
   psychedelic trip.
   Advise walking
   over the railroad
   Heard good
   things about the
   Lava Flow
   hostel. It
   supposedly has
   bikes, but I
   12
   Mile 2,560.8 Mile 2,681 (ish) this
   assumes you are
   doing the Gila high
   route. Low route is
   a bit harder and
   longer, and soggier.
   Mile 2,817.7 Mile 2,891 Pie Town, NM (no
   hitch).
   Doc Campbells
   Outpost (no
   hitch).
   Silver City (no
   hitch) one of the
   best towns on the
   whole trail.
   Lordsburg (no
   hitch). Call Tim
   Sharpe to set up
   your ride back to
   Lordsburg or El
   Paso if you
   haven’t done so
   already. He may
   also let you crash
   at his house in El
   Paso. Pay him a
   big donation, as
   it’s a long drive
   for him, and he
   stocks the water
   caches. By a lot, I
   someone. Best to
   stay on redline
   when going into
   town until you get
   to the old route 66
   going east-west.
   Cool teeny tiny
   town. Hope you
   like pie cuz your
   food options are
   otherwise limited.
   SEND Last pair of
   here!
   shoes Can mail a box here
   for good measure,
   but you can make it
   to Silver City with
   stuff from here
   pretty easily.
   Full amenities and
   resupply. No box
   needed.
   Good grocery store,
   no need for a box.
   tracks as
   opposed to
   taking the
   flyway with no
   shoulder.
   Mail a box to the
   Toaster House if
   that is still a
   thing. Or to Post
   Office if it’s not.
   As an alternative
   can resupply in
   Reserve, NM.
   But you have to
   hitch to do that.
   And I retired
   from hitchhiking
   after Chama.
   Try to get here
   early so you can
   figure out which
   of several RV
   parks to stay at
   and maybe get
   one with hot
   springs. I got in
   at dark, so I just
   stayed at the one
   I found.
   Oddly no hostel
   in this town. So
   grab a hotel or
   AirBNB.
   Another town
   that its best to
   have some
   company to
   walk through.
   Was approached
   by multiple
   shifty characters
   while solo.
   stayed at the
   Motel 6 nearer
   to Wal Mart.
   The legendary
   Toaster House
   hostel, as of this
   writing, is open
   for hikers and
   bikers, but
   nobody runs it.
   Boxes are left
   right inside the
   door by the post
   office. Leave a
   donation!
   Doc Campbell’s
   hours are worth
   checking out to
   make sure you
   can get your
   box.
   Definitely a
   good town to
   take your last
   zero day.
   Econolodge is
   great and across
   the street from
   the good
   restaurant in
   town.
   13
   mean over $150.
   Seriously, the
   northbounders pay
   $175.
   Mile 2,975 Mexico- u dun.
   14
3. HOW TO NAVIGATE & LEY MAPS
   I don’t pretend to know all the potentially badass stuff you’ve done, but speaking for myself, I had a bit of
   a learning curve to properly navigate on the CDT. If you have hiked the PCT and the AT, but not much else,
   chances are that like me, you have/had no idea what you are doing. Fear not, we will get you up to speed
   here. Oh yeah, it’s really dumb to just hike the redline and refuse to consider any alternate routes. I won’t
   bother trying to convince you of that because once you have hiked a bit of the CDT, you’ll get it.
   The first thing to do is pay for and download the Farout App (formerly Guthook) and the CDT package to
   your phone. If they doubled the price, it would still be worth it in my eyes. Then make sure you download
   the maps you need for offline access. To do this you need to do the following:
4. 2. 3. Go to the “store” icon on the bottom left, and open the relevant map section.
   Then go to the “more” icon at the bottom right and click “settings.”
   Then click “manage downloads” and click on all of the 4 maps: open topo, thunderforest, USGS
   National, and USGS Satellite.
   Downloading these maps will let you switch your maps while offline. You do this by going to the “more”
   icon then clicking “settings” then clicking “online” or “offline” maps depending whether you have cell
   service/wifi or not.
   Switching maps is helpful because often a trail or road will appear on one set of maps but not the others.
   While you are in this “manage downloads” area, it’s also a good idea to refresh the comments and trail route
   updates. So click those as well from time to time. It should happen automatically, but sometimes does not
   for mysterious reasons. The comments have great information on water, campsites, blowdowns, and towns,
   often on random intersection icons. Route updates can help you avoid construction or fire closures and
   reroutes. Shoutout to the 2022 SOBO thru-hiker Lilian for being the GOAT of commenting helpful
   information. You can trust a Lilian comment to be accurate and comprehensive.
   Once you have maps, you need to make sure your Farout map trail distances are oriented for southbound
   hiking. You do this by doing the following:
5. 2. 3. Go to the “store” icon on the bottom left, and open the relevant map section.
   Then go to the “more” icon at the bottom right and click “settings”
   Then go to “trail direction” and toggle to southbound.
   The final thing to note regarding Farout is how to create custom routes. This is especially helpful if trying
   to determine elevation or distance for an alternate route off the redline. You do this by doing the following:
6. 2. 3. 4. Click on the icon with a crossed hammer and wrench. It is not along the bottom menu items, but is
   in the vertically oriented menu below the map button and elevation profile view button.
   Once you have clicked that, a bunch more menu items should pop up, including a “create a route”
   button. Click that.
   Zoom in onto the exact location on your map where you want to drop a pin. You drop a pin by
   holding your finger on the screen for a little longer than if you were just normally tapping
   something. You will see a red pin drop once you are successful.
   Then find the end of your desired route and drop a pin there as well. A yellow line with directional
   arrows should then automatically populate on the fastest route possible between the two pins you
   have dropped.
   15
   If you tap on a pin, it will show you the total elevation and distance of your route. If you tap on the mountain
   icon, that normally gives you the elevation profile of the redline, it will instead provide you with an
   elevation profile of your chosen route. This will be super helpful to you.
   It’s sad but true that Farout can glitch from time to time, so best practice to have multiple navigation apps
   to help you out in a pinch. Some of the more popular ones are Caltopo, Gaia, and Avenza. I used Gaia, and
   it saved my bacon a few times, but I had to pay for it and it wasn’t awesome.
   Looking back, I wish I had just used Farout and the Avenza app. Avenza is free and there are two free CDT
   resources there: (1) the CDTC uploads map sets to there that you can use, and (2) the old Ley Maps are
   uploaded there as well.
   The CDTC Maps are not worth downloading if you already have Farout, but the Ley Maps are very worth
   having.
   What are the Ley Maps? Well, a long, long time ago when Soggy was in elementary school and smartphones
   did not exist, this guy named Ley made a set of paper maps of the CDT with lots of alternative routes, and
   provided them for free via a CD that he would mail to you if you emailed him asking for it. Rad. Ley has
   lots of shortcuts, long cuts, scenic routes, bail outs, and cool spots to check out. If you are into exploring a
   bit and not trying to just slam this trail as fast as possible, Ley Maps are a great resource for you. If you
   don’t like hiking and want to find flat roadwalks similar to your local gym’s treadmill, then the Ley Maps
   are also for you.
   How do you actually get the Ley Maps?
7. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Go to your phone’s app store and download Avenza Maps.
   Open the app. At the bottom of your screen should be a “store” icon. Click that.
   Once you’ve clicked it at the top should read “Find a Map” click the search box below that.
   This is important! Then, before typing anything in, click the button “keywords.” Now you are ready
   to search.
   Search by typing “CDT Montana” or “CDT Wyoming” etc. This should make the right maps pop
   up. The Ley Maps will have the name “Jonathan Ley” in the title. This is helpful to avoid
   accidentally downloading the CDTC uploads. Download for offline use.
   Once you are ready to use them, go to the “my maps” icon at the bottom of your screen. If you are
   then located “on” one of the maps you have downloaded, a helpful notation will inform you which
   map you are located on.
   These are essentially PDFs that have been coordinated with GPS. Therefore as you move, a blue dot
   indicating your location will move along the scanned paper relief maps.
8. TRIP REPORTS
   GLACIER PARK
   One does not simply start the CDT. As with all things CDT, there are options. The two most popular starting
   points are the Chief Mountain Border Crossing, or the Waterton start. If you are doing the Waterton start,
   then you need to get to Canada and figure it out from there. Good luck to you. If you are an early SOBO,
   just know that you will be hiking the high line trail, which has a few high traverses that can be sketchy in
   16
   the snow. If you’re not confident swinging that ice axe around, don’t be the first person to do it. Let some
   other person kick in the footsteps.
   Let’s assume that like me, you don’t want to deal with Canada and the high line trail, so you need to get to
   East Glacier, Montana with all your stuff. There are a few popular ways to do it. There is an Amtrak station
   in East Glacier, so the train is a popular way to go. It has the advantage of incredibly lax security. Do you
   have a compressed gas container and an axe? No problem on the train! You can also bring a cheap disposable
   Styrofoam cooler with food and booze, so there’s that as well. I took the train, and though I am a bit
   introverted, even I managed to make friends by slinging free drinks.
   The drawback of being on a train is that it’s hard to keep an eye on all your stuff. Keep in mind you have
   your pack (which has a full supply of food inside), and then another food box for your resupply heading
   into the Bob, and a cooler with yummy stuff. Try to board early and put your stuff where you can see it.
   Even better to not do this part solo. Even super better is to mail your resupply box ahead of time to Looking
   Glass Base Camp so you just have your pack and cooler to worry about on the train.
   Just know if you’re from Europe or Asia, that the United States has a weak spot when it comes to our
   passenger rail infrastructure. You may think we’re super high tech here, but alas, a ride from Chicago to
   East Glacier takes 30 hours. If you’re flying in internationally, I would recommend Minneapolis or Seattle
   as flight destinations and then taking the train to East Glacier from those cities to avoid earth-shattering
   boredom. The ride from Minneapolis is not particularly scenic, not sure about the ride from Seattle, it’s
   probably gorgeous.
   But if you don’t like trains for some reason, you can also rent a car and drop it off at Kalispell, or you can
   fly into Kalispell. If you’re flying, remember that you cannot check your extra battery pack onto your
   checked luggage, you need to carry it on. I’ll say it again, you should mail a box ahead to Looking Glass
   Base Camp. If you’re itching to hitch, you can get to East Glacier from Kalispell that way, or you can call
   the Looking Glass Base Camp hostel and ask for the number of a shuttle driver who is actively driving
   people. In small towns, a bunch of people start shuttling, and then stop doing it for various personal reasons,
   so it’s best to get current information on who the active drivers are and their rates.
   Once you’re at the Looking Glass Base Camp hostel, unless you are super early or late, you will start
   meeting other hikers who are doing the same stuff. The hike is starting to get real, so exciting!
   Now for the complicated part. Glacier National Park, like most national parks, requires that you have a
   permit in advance of any camping in the park. If you are international, here is a quick primer on land access
   and camping in the United States. Firstly, there is no “right to roam” on private land. Private land does not
   need to be marked, but usually is signed with “no trespassing” signs or barbed wire. There is lots of barbed
   wire on public land too, which functions to separate licensed cattle grazing areas, so the presence or absence
   of barbed wire is not particularly helpful as a clue to the nature of land ownership. The best source to
   differentiate public from private land boundaries are hunting apps such as OnX hunt, but I would not bother
   purchasing this for your thruhike. Trespassing on private land is considered both a criminal and civil offense
   in most jurisdictions. Enforcement by landowners and law enforcement varies wildly. However, there is a
   vast amount of public land in the United States, but the public’s right to access and camp on those lands
   differ.
   We have National Parks, these are run by a bureaucratic agency called the National Parks Service. This
   bureaucracy is super uptight about rules. The parks typically feature a bunch of clueless car-bound tourists,
   and its generally a pain in the ass to be there during high traffic periods. Then we have National Forests.
   These are way more chill and run by a different bureaucratic organization entirely. These places have many
   fewer rules and you can access and camp wherever you want. It’s similar with BLM (Bureau of Land
   17
   Management) land. Then you have Wilderness Areas. These are national forest lands that are kept in a
   primitive wild state. They have no roads, only footpaths, and no motors are permitted. Staff don’t even use
   chainsaws to clear deadfall; they have to use hand tools. You can usually camp anywhere you want here
   too, but sometimes not. Fortunately for hikers, unlike national parks, wilderness areas rarely enforce their
   camping restrictions due to lack of funding for rangers, so you can basically do whatever you like here as
   well. Almost all of the CDT is on public land, and you rarely have to worry about where you camp. Paved
   road walks, and National Parks, are the biggest exceptions to this rule of thumb. The roadwalks that pass
   through private or tribal lands are fairly trivial to figure out with the bare minimum of foresight.
   Ipso facto, the only places where you really need to plan ahead to camp are in National Parks. The CDT
   redline goes through the following National Parks: Glacier, Yellowstone, and Rocky Mountain National
   Park. Glacier is by far the most annoying to figure out.
   There are three ways to get permits for camping in Glacier: (1) you plan ahead and use the recreation.gov
   website to reserve your tent sites; (2) you obtain walk up permits at Two Medicine or St. Mary’s; (3) you
   show up at Looking Glass Base Camp and try to talk your way onto someone else’s permit.
   You should know that the recreation.gov permit system is a hot mess. I spent about an hour trying to figure
   it out, and couldn’t figure out how to get sites that were good distances apart, so I gave up and figured I
   would do walk-up permits. There are two main problems with the system (1) the system is optimized for
   people who are hiking between 8-15 miles per day, and it takes a ranger to override the system in-person to
   let you do big days; and (2) if you are starting early enough in the season, even on a low snow year, a bunch
   of perfectly placed sites will not be “officially” available to you because they are “summer only”. In my
   opinion, if you start early (meaning it’s still chilly and some snow remains on the ground), you are better
   off obtaining permits in person unless you want to do the roughly 100 miles of the park super slowly. Some
   people love the slow roll. I envy your patience.
   However, once June 19th rolls around, obtaining permits in-person often transforms into a time-wasting
   fiasco because the warmer weather will draw many more non-CDT backpackers who also need walk-up
   permits.
   Here is how I would do the Park, if I were doing it all over again and did not care about being a pure SOBO.
   Day 1- show up in East Glacier, and chill out at Looking Glass.
   Day 2 – In the morning, around 7 or 8 AM hitch from East Glacier up to Marias Pass, and hike back down
   to East Glacier. This completes the southernmost 15 miles of the park. You get to do your first hitch, and
   don’t have to worry about getting any permits.
   Day 3- In the morning, start hiking north from East Glacier to Two Medicine. Once there, line up at the
   Ranger office to get permits for a hike north from Two Medicine to the Chief Mountain border crossing. If
   you are trying to do big miles, make sure to look super legit, so the Ranger will override the system and let
   you do big days. This section is only 11 miles, so you can keep going north through the park same day, or
   you can hitch from Two Medicine back to East Glacier after sorting out your permits, and start hiking north
   the next day. Let’s assume you have a miserable wait for permits, so you end up picking the latter option.
   Day 4- In the early morning, shuttle or hitch back to Two Medicine and begin hiking north towards the
   Chief Mountain border crossing. If you want an early start, its best to pay for a shuttle rather than hitch.
   People start successfully hitching rides around 8:00 AM. Y ou only have 81.6 miles of park left to do.
   Day 5-7 Keep hiking north to Chief Mountain border crossing, and then hitch from the border back to East
   Glacier.
   18
   Now that the logistics are out of the way, what is the park like? Well, it’s gorgeous and the trails are great!
   You’ll have one big pass to climb every 20 miles or so. One thing to keep in mind is that there is a tunnel
   bypass for the first pass south of the border (Red Gap Pass), but the tunnel bypass usually opens in early
   July, so don’t take the bypass until you know for certain it is open.
   Also, when you get to Many Glacier, there is a really cool looking old hotel (the Many Glacier Hotel) where
   you may find a reasonably priced meal in a fancy dining room just off the trail.
   EAST GLACIER TO THE BENCHMARK.
   So ya did Glacier, congrats! Hopefully you didn’t do it so fast that you messed yourself up physically. If
   you did, take a zero in East Glacier because this next push is tough. It’s not that there are physically
   demanding climbs. Rather, this section is memorable for the ridiculous amount of stream crossings, the
   cold, paranoia about Grizzly bears, and the people riding horses while packing enough heat to invade
   Canada.
   One sight I will never forget is watching the couple of poor fools who brought bear canisters try to fit
   enough food into them to make it through to the Benchmark, or even worse, to Lincoln. I don’t think it’s
   possible. Everyone else had an Ursack XL or Ursack XXL. If you don’t know, an Ursack is an expensive
   black Kevlar bag that you can put your food into and tie tightly to a tree so a bear can’t rip it off. Extra
   credit if you get a huge “scent proof” ziplock bag to put inside your Ursack. The normal sized XL should
   be plenty to get you to Benchmark, but if you want to go to Lincoln, it is worth getting the XXL in my
   opinion. If like me, this was your first time hiking in Grizzly country, don’t underestimate the amount of
   fear this will cause you. Grizzly bears are larger and more temperamentally aggressive than black bears.
   Whereas black bears are usually easy to haze away, Grizzly are more likely to match aggression with
   aggression. You definitely want bear spray, everyone has it, but don’t be the only loser with a bear bell. Oh
   yeah, for more extra credit, find a video on Youtube where some old guy will show you how to tie
   supposedly bearproof knots for your Ursack. I didn’t do this, and definitely had knot envy. You will
   probably carry this Ursack south until you pass through the Winds (central Wyoming), so it’s worth learning
   a thing or two. There are only black bear south of the Winds, so the need for an Ursack is ameliorated except
   for those with acute bearanoia.
   If 2024 is a big snow year in Montana, then be warned, there will most likely be hellacious blowdowns in
   the Bob Marshall Wilderness, and you may question your life choices.
   Its best to bring extra changes of socks for this section. Be sure to dry out your feet at least three times per
   day. Those that didn’t dry out their feet every 4 hours or so regretted it. Once you get to the Benchmark
   Ranch intersection, walk up to the Benchmark to pick up your food box if you were smart enough to send
   one there. If you weren’t, you need to hitch or shuttle a ride into Augusta or push on to Lincoln. There is
   no cell service around to call a shuttle, so you should do that a couple of days ahead when you are still in
   the Bob. Hitching is hard because the ranch is at the end of a dirt road. So if you arrive in the middle of the
   week, you may be SOL.
   One thing to keep an eye on is the dates of the annual rodeo in Augusta and Lincoln, they are usually in late
   June or early July. If you can swing it, it’s a really cool and authentic experience. The night before the rodeo
   provides an excellent opportunity to get drunk with real cowboys, as they traditionally party hard the night
   before.
   When returning back on trail from the Benchmark, take a close look at your Farout, there is a shortcut to
   get back on trail so you don’t need to backtrack.
   19
   BENCHMARK RANCH TO LINCOLN
   This is a pretty cool stretch of trail. You are finally doing some extended-duration ridgeline walking directly
   on top of the Continental Divide in the alpine, as opposed to hitting passes on the divide briefly before
   dropping back into a valley. This means you will experience extended exposure to any severe weather, and
   water can sometimes require a bit of a jaunt downhill off the divide… and what goes down, must come back
   up. As you approach Lincoln, there is a yurt on-trail that you can stay in if you want. It’s pretty cool to
   check out either way. Lincoln is a cool town, and you’re doing great so far, keep it up!
   LINCOLN TO HELENA OR ELLISTON
   Helena is by far a more popular choice than Elliston. In 2023, there was a trail closure that influenced my
   group’s decision to pop down into Elliston, so I know a bit about it. It’s tiny. It has a post office, general
   store, and a bar. The folks that run the general store are super friendly and may let you camp behind their
   store for free. You can hitch to Helena from Elliston; it’s just a bit further than if you hitch from the trailhead.
   Helena’s downtown is super cool, but their breweries close unreasonably early, so keep an eye out for that.
   If you miss out on the breweries, you can soothe your disappointment with some amazing ice cream. Yes,
   the ice cream joints are open later than the breweries. Download the Helena transit app; there are no
   established routes, it’s an on demand service at 85 cents per ride. Town is so spread out that you’ll be glad
   you did, especially if your lodging is far from the Wal Mart.
   HELENA TO BUTTE OR ANACONDA
   This section of trail presents your first big decision on what route you will take: the redline, anaconda cutoff,
   or the super butte/big sky. If you are thinking about taking the super butte as a southbound hiker, just know
   that everyone will judge you, at least until they start taking a bunch of shortcuts themselves. The super butte
   is not on Farout, see the resupply chart above for more details on how to get an online .gpx.
   The redline is supposed to be nice, and there is a cool stature of the Virgin Mary, but I don’t think this is
   top tier trail. When people discuss the highlights of the trail, the following are typically mentioned: Glacier
   Park, the Winds, Collegiate West, the San Juans, and the Gila low route. So in my mind, a person should
   do their best to try to hike those sections in the best conditions possible. All this being said, in my opinion,
   it makes sense to not do the redline here, but there are good arguments on both sides of the issue of whether
   to do the Anaconda Cutoff or the Super Butte. What will you miss if you take the Super Butte? Much of the
   Southern Montana/Idaho section (skipped by doing Super Butte) can be ugly and brutal, but the Anaconda-
   Pintler wilderness is scenic and worth doing. Will I ever go back and do it again? No. But I am glad I did
   it. I think taking the Anaconda Cutoff is the goldi-locks option. You skip just enough trail to ease your
   deadline of completing the San Juan mountains by October 1, but you don’t skip anything you’ll overly
   regret. That said, if you do take the Anaconda Cutoff, there is a less-than-enjoyable road walk into and out
   of town. Do you like shoulders on your highways, well you’ll have to look elsewhere. Many a yellow-
   blazer is born on the Anaconda cutoff.
   On the bright side, there is a trail angel just north of town, who has somehow managed to snag his own icon
   on Farout. If you keep walking south past his icon, you will arrive at the beautiful golden arches of
   McDonalds. Anaconda is awesome. Way cooler than the town of Butte on the redline. Butte is a superfund
   site (seriously the town surrounds a mining pit filled with toxic water). In my mind the only reason to go
   into Butte is to get your hands on some shoe replacements; great running store in Butte.
   In Anaconda, check out the hiker hut before you choose to pay to stay anywhere else. It’s a CDTC funded
   thing. If you can make it to town for the 4th of July, I hear its wild. I only made it there on the 5th ☹.
   20
   ANACONDA TO SULA/DARBY/WISDOM
   Pretty trail here. Pick your town to hitch into wisely, see town chart.
   SULA/DARBY/WISDOM TO LEADORE
   Super buggy here early July.
   LEADORE TO LIMA
   Do you like cows? More accurately, do you enjoy cow poo? If so you will love this section of trail. Oh, and
   if you also enjoy exposed, hot, hilly trail with little water? Then you will be ecstatic. Seriously, keep an eye
   on your water sources here or you can get a bit thirsty.
   LIMA TO MACK’S INN
   The trail is interesting again, phew. Some cool stuff here. I recommend taking the Mack’s Inn cutoff because
   it is super entertaining. Apparently a beaver decided that it would be a great idea to dam up a stream right
   about when the alt starts on the north side. Don’t be like me and start bushwhacking through the willows
   with thigh-high water attempting to follow the gpx. line. Instead, be smart. Follow the footpath to the left
   around the flooded area. Eventually this trail will disappear; this is ok. Even before the beavers made their
   contribution to the route, a good portion was cross country, but it’s not difficult. Essentially, you walk up a
   big hill with an air traffic control station on top, then on the back side of the hill you begin your descent to
   Mack’s Inn and reach a dirt road populated with lots of side-by-sides. The “town” of Mack’s Inn has a few
   places to rent these vehicles, and tourists love driving up those roads. After you walk into town, there is a
   subway, an RV Park, a grocery store, and a bar. What else do you need? Before leaving Mack’s Inn, you
   need to get your Yellowstone Permit sorted out (you only need to camp one night in the park between Old
   Faithful and Grant’s Village). You may need to hitch into West Yellowstone to get permits in person if you
   can’t sort it out on the phone. Old Faithful ranger station does not do permits.
   MACK’S INN TO OLD FAITHFUL
   This begins as a bit of a tough road walk on paved roads with fast cars, and then you start walking on snow
   mobile trails. There is one unmarked intersection here where you are supposed to just walk off into a random
   spot in the woods with no tread, so keep an eye out on your Farout. If you find this spot, you transition onto
   some weird old dirt road where there are large dirt mounts every few hundred feet, seemingly to discourage
   use by vehicles. There is very little water on this trail so take care with your water sources. There is one
   spot in particular where the water icon is in the wrong place and the comments were comically intricate on
   how to find the water…well, comical except I thought I might just die of thirst. If you find the water at this
   spot, and you’ll know where it is, the rest of the way to Yellowstone is smooth sailing.
   Camp just outside the park, if you are a rule-follower, and then hike over to Old Faithful in the morning.
   Lots of cool geothermal activity on the path to Old Faithful village. The village itself was packed with
   tourists. There are a few places to eat and buy tchotchkes. The beautiful and historic Old Faithful Inn is
   $500 per night roughly, but don’t be intimidated. The breakfast buffet inside is open and worth doing. If
   you walk up to the second floor there is a shaded viewing area open to the public that provides a great place
   to observe any Old Faithful eruption. Additionally, if you are a hiker of the outlaw variety, you can try to
   shower in the public bathrooms on the second floor. Or, if you’re even more bold, you can try the separate
   bath tub rooms for a good soak.
   I will say that the parts of Yellowstone on the redline are generally flat and boring with little wildlife of
   interest. The cool animals are in other areas of the Park. So if you want a full dose of Yellowstone, you need
   to get off-trail. That said, in my humble opinion, you would be better served by spending some extra time
   21
   hiking in the Tetons rather than Yellowstone, if you are open to spending extra time in the area. If I were
   king of the CDT, I would make the redline go through the Tetons. But I won’t lie, the logistical difficulties
   dissuade most from tackling the Tetons as part of their CDT thru-hike.
   OLD FAITHFUL TO GRANTS VILLAGE
   During my entire hiking career, the only day I have had to wear a bug net for the entire day was in this
   stretch of trail. Mosquitos were awful. I was on this stretch July 22-25, so be warned. At this time I was
   meeting the early trickle of pre-bubble Nobos who were all saying that the mosquitos in the Wind River
   range were terrible, but I had almost no mosquitos there when I arrived August 1, so basically just keep an
   eye out for skeeters in mid-to-late July wherever on the trail you happen to be at that time.
   Oh yeah, and I have never been so lost in a town as in Grants Village. There is no cell service and Farout is
   entirely unhelpful. Download a Google Maps of the area ahead of time. It’s basically a giant RV park that
   happens to technically be outside of Yellowstone Park proper, so you don’t need a permit to camp there.
   GRANTS VILLAGE TO DUBOIS
   Here, the main thing I remember is hiking the “old CDT” on Farout. I can’t speak to the difference between
   the old CDT and new CDT, but the comments tended to show that the new trail was pretty rough. So I stuck
   with the tried and true. This was a notoriously bad area for blowdowns in 2023. Hopefully, those will have
   been cleared up for you. These blowdowns inspired one disgruntled hiker to send an email to the forest
   service complaining about the trail maintenance. If you enjoy drama, I encourage you to seek out this
   comment and share a giggle.
   There is a Ley Alt shortcut that takes you down to a log crossing that features a 100+ foot fall into a canyon.
   I did this crossing and it was kinda fun, but statistically someone is probably going to die at some point
   doing this, so I would advise you to not be that person.
   Hopefully, this section of trail is dry for you. If it rains, then you will have a muddy slip-and-slide of a time.
   DUBOIS TO LANDER
   This was my absolutely, positively favorite section of trail. I will 100% be coming back to the Winds if I
   can. I have no words, well I do, but they’re inadequate. The redline is gorgeous, so don’t feel like a total
   failure in life if you only do the redline. But the alternate routes on Farout (Knapsack and Cirque) are both
   individually the best sections of trail in my opinion. They are difficult high routes through the mountains,
   and the Knapsack features some routefinding and cross country bits, but totally worth it in my opinion. I
   will note that the south side of the Knapsack was covered in more snow that I found in north Montana, and
   the only feasible way down was to glissade (aka slide down on your butt).
   It is worth asking any northbounders you see about the conditions on these routes to determine whether
   you, with your individual experience level, would require microspikes or an axe.
   If you want to get super crazy, I would also encourage you to research online the Alan Dixon and Skurka
   high routes. If you do these, I think it would be highly advisable to resupply at Big Sandy lodge or Pinedale.
   These high routes feature a big chunk of cross country travel, and you should be comfortable navigating
   off-trail if you want to do them.
   At the point where the Cirque of the Towers alt reconnects with the redline, there is a comically terrible
   chunk of trail. This area has lots of blowdowns, and the person setting the .gpx picked the worst possible
   22
   route through it. In fact, the mapped intersection marker for the intersection with the redline is in the middle
   of a shallow pool of water surrounded by blowdowns, and there is no trail anywhere to be seen.
   Ignore the Farout line route here and just trust your instincts. You almost certainly can’t do worse using this
   method.
   LANDER TO RAWLINGS
   Well, you’re in the Desert. If you want to set a personal speed record, this is the best place on trail to do it.
   Yes, there is also flattish desert in New Mexico, but you will have much less daylight by that time, so this
   is your best place.
   This section of trail is notable for a simple reality. There is no good single-track. The trail is either a dirt
   road, a dirt double-track, or cross country. Don’t be silly and follow the redline cross country through the
   desert, you’re just playing rattle-snake roulette. Be reasonable. Find little dirt roads to follow because there
   are plenty of them if you just look.
   Because this is desert, you will plan your day around water more than normal. Also keep in mind that not
   all water is created equal. Some viable water will have cow poop and dead animals in it. So read comments
   to assess water quality as well as quantity.
   As you approach Rawlings, there is a bunch of cross country trail to take you into town. I would advise
   doing the paved road-walk instead.
   Oh yeah, and if you want to pop into Denver, the only major metro area close to the CDT, there is a
   convenient bus route that runs frequently from Rawlings.
   RAWLINGS TO ENCAMPMENT
   Sure, you could be a hard-ass and skip Encampment. But then you’d have to miss a neat little town. To be
   honest with you, the trail to Encampment is also pretty deserty, so take the stuff above and apply it here.
   ENCAMPMENT TO STEAMBOAT
   Ya made it through the Basin, congrats! Time for the hardest state. Colorado will test you physically like
   nothing else so far on trail. Mostly because you will be at high elevation for a lot, ok, basically all of it once
   you pass midway between Grand Lake and Winter Park.
   This chunk of trail includes some of the easiest parts of Colorado, so don’t get cocky.
   STEAMBOAT TO GRAND LAKE
   Time for the roadwalk out of Steamboat. Some may say the Cebolla in New Mexico is the worst roadwalk
   on trail, but for a true connoisseur of paved walking, it’s hard to beat the stretch coming out of Steamboat.
   After this stretch you are going to approach Rocky Mountain National Park. There is a fantastic climb and
   drop down into the park. The East Troublesome fire in 2020 destroyed 350 homes in Grand County. The
   fire got right up to the edge of the town of Grand Lake, and you will see some evidence of this fire around.
   I am still unsure if you need a bear canister if you are just hiking through the park but not camping in it. I
   couldn’t be bothered to figure out the details. Obtaining the bear canister would require one to walk or hitch
   into town, obtain the canister, then walk or hitch back out and start hiking through the Park. I thought this
   was silly, so I just road walked into town and skipped the park. The Town of Grand Lake is cute and scenic.
   23
   GRAND LAKE TO WINTER PARK
   At first, this section of trail is mellow. You walk along flat terrain next to a series of beautiful lakes and the
   Fraser River, but then at the Devil’s Thumb, you get kicked up on top of the divide, and you won’t leave it
   for a few days. If you want some super extra credit, you can look up the alternate route called the Piffner
   Traverse. It is a similar difficulty to the Wind River High Routes explored earlier. As always when up on
   the divide, keep an eye on water sources and weather. Beautiful section of trail.
   There used to be a train that crossed over the divide at Rollins Pass from Denver down into Winter Park.
   At the time, there was a hotel constructed on top of the divide with a restaurant. This explains the mysterious
   Farout icon noting there is a “food court” on top of the divide. Don’t get your hopes up, it hasn’t been
   operational since 1927, which is a slow update…even for Farout.
   You get to bag a couple of 13ers on your way to Berthoud Pass (where you hitch into Winter Park). James
   Peak and Mt. Flora. There is a Ley alt shortcut between them that is one of the more spicy Ley Alts. If
   weather is good would recommend. There is a warming hut at Berthoud Pass with bathrooms. I hid there
   for a few hours from storms in great comfort before finding a ride down into WP.
   WINTER PARK TO BRECKENRIDGE
   If you do the redline, you get to do your first 14,000 foot mountain on the CDT (Gray’s peak). You can also
   bag Torrey’s peak, which is right next to Gray’s, should you so desire. Colorado has a pretty cool culture of
   peak bagging the 58 officially recognized 14ers. The cathedral of this culture is the 14ers.com website
   (https://www.14ers.com). Check it out! It’s a cool old-school web 1.0 site that is a fantastic community of
   peak baggers. They also have a very active and fun Facebook group if you want to get social. Tooting my
   own horn here, but as of this writing I have bagged 32/58.
   With my bona fides established, here is a piece of advice. If you are new to hiking 14ers in Colorado, make
   sure you have a good weather window to get to Breckenridge from Winter Park, as it will be risky to proceed
   with this route if you don’t have a good weather window. Based on data since 1980, lightning causes 2
   fatalities and 12 injuries each year in the state of Colorado. In 2023, a couple from Denmark hiking
   southbound was struck by lighting and had to go the hospital. They ended up being ok and finished the trail,
   but things can always end up differently depending on your luck.
   The best source for Weather in Colorado (or at least my favorite) is actually this random guy on Facebook
   who puts out a weather report. Look up “Seth’s Weather Report” on Facebook and give him a follow.
   The hard part of managing Colorado weather is that in the summer, you hit the monsoon season and you
   may see a small chance of lightening in the forecast every day. All this means is that you should look out
   for afternoon thunderstorms, and be able to seek shelter during them. By shelter, I mean be able to drop
   down below tree line (roughly 11,500 ft) to set up your shelter in a place with some wind protection, should
   that prove to be necessary. Some areas of trail between Winter Park and Breckenridge will not afford you a
   reasonably safe bailout option. Specifically, I am thinking of the Gray’s Peak to Argentine Spine route.
   Bailout options are not viable for much of this piece of trail. So for this, I would want a 3 day weather
   window that looks sunny with no big storms moving in from the West on the radar.
   If the forecast shows a chance of rain and storms above 70%, this is danger zone weather. And for me, that’s
   a no-go. Either hang out in Winter Park for a few days, or accept your fate and hike the Silverthorne Alt.
   Silverthorne is much lower, so much safer to do in suboptimal weather.
   24
   All that said, the hike up Gray’s is fantastic, the traverse over to Walker is a moderate class 2 if you don’t
   completely screw up the route-finding, and then the Argentine Spine is gorgeous and amazing as well. So
   it’s worth it if you properly manage the risks. Aside from weather, the hardest part of this bit of trail is the
   water situation. After you start climbing Gray’s there will be no water until you finish the Argentine Spine,
   unless you are open to melting snow from snowfields that are covered in mountain goat poop. But, this is
   the old CDT route, and if those yahoos with external frame packs wearing jeans and smoking Marlboro
   Reds could do it. You, in your trail runners, dyneema, and versalite gear eating kale chips can surely do it
   too.
   BRECKENRIDGE TO COPPER
   Fun little piece of trail that ends with a hot meal at the base of a ski resort, yum! This is the first ski resort
   you get to walk across in Colorado, but don’t worry, there will be two more to come later (Monarch and
   Wolf Creek). As you ascend out of Copper, there is a beautiful and highly scenic piece of trail marred only
   by the mountain bikes that plague the Colorado Trail….oh, I forgot to mention, just before you get into
   Breckenridge, you start hiking the Colorado Trail, and you will continue to hike that trail until about midway
   between Lake City and Pagosa Springs.
   This can come as a bit of a culture shock. Prepare yourself for huge Osprey pack laden people hiking 8 mile
   days, well-constructed bridges spanning tiny creeks, frequent trail blazes, actual marked trail intersections,
   and mountain bikers. Mountain bikers are at the top of the food chain on this trail, and your job is to do the
   best you can to get out of their way as they blow past you in a cloud of dust.
   COPPER TO LEADVILLE
   Leadville is a very cool town worth checking out. There is some cool history in this area. The ruins of Camp
   Hale (which you hike through) hosted the 10th Mountain Division during World War Two. The US Army
   created this unit during to WW2 to specialize in mountain warfare. The army taught these troops how to ski
   and fight in snowy mountains. The division saw 114 days of combat in Italy. After the war, the troops came
   back to the USA and supposedly founded 62 ski resorts, including Vail and Aspen.
   LEADVILLE TO TWIN LAKES
   I guess I will be saying this a lot, but this is another cool little town worth checking out. You don’t have to
   hitch if you walk into town and take the bypass around the lakes. As you leave this town you climb Hope
   Pass, which is one of the most ironically named passes in the Rockies. There is no hope on Hope Pass. As
   a pure physical challenge it’s up there with the hardest passes on trail. The wonderful psychos who run the
   Leadville 100 mile race have the pleasure of going up and down it twice!
   TWIN LAKES TO BUENA VISTA
   If you chose to take the Collegiate West high route (which you should if you can). You will be treated to
   another top 5 scenic section of trail. This is my fourth favorite section, just below the Winds, Glacier, and
   the San Juans. Really enough said with that. Oh, and if you accidentally take a wrong turn, you end up in
   the ghost town of St. Elmo, Colorado.
   BUENA VISTA TO SALIDA
   Salida was my favorite trail town. And the trail is very nice too.
   SALIDA TO LAKE CITY
   25
   The trail between Salida and Lake City is kind of blah. It becomes scenic again after you pass south of San
   Luis Peak. Around then, you will be deciding whether to take the Creed Cutoff, or do the full San Juans. I
   am sure you can guess my point of view on this by now. It’s worth doing the full monty if you can. Most
   people take the Creed. Lake City is a cool little town that is similar to Silverton in scale and with dirt roads,
   off road vehicles, and Texas license plates.
   LAKE CITY TO PAGOSA SPRINGS
   Similar to the Winds, hiking this section of trail was a spiritual experience. Too pretty for words, so I give
   up. That said, someone with an electric hedge trimmer needs to do battle with the willow branches
   overgrowing this trail. If they’re wet, or snowy and cold they can be a real menace.
   PAGOSA SPRINGS TO CHAMA
   This part of trail is also breathtaking. I have nothing to add.
   CHAMA TO GHOST RANCH
   Your last bit of trail over 12k feet and 11k feet are on this section of trail. The intensity of mountains and
   cold are winding down. Your new challenge…that really begins south of Cuba, will be finding water
   sources.
   GHOST RANCH TO CUBA
   Watch out for aggressive dogs on the edge of Cuba as you walk into town. Pick up some pepper spray from
   a hardware store when you are in Chama. If you don’t have any weapons, then remember a good size rock
   is a tried and true tool for self-defense against dogs.
   CUBA TO GRANTS
   I almost stepped on a rattle snake on this bit of trail. Keep an eye out.
   GRANTS TO PIE TOWN
   Do the Cebolla. Yes you’ll miss the lava fields. But hear me out here. If you do the lava fields you have a
   40+ mile water carry. Additionally, lava fields are basically just black rock. After five minutes walking on
   it, you will realize that the novelty of walking on black rock has rapidly dissipated, after which you will
   regret the fact that your next water source is in 44 miles. So yeah, would recommend the Cebolla.
   PIE TOWN TO DOC CAMPBELLS
   This is another top 5 trail highlight. The Gila river low route (middle fork) is amazing. The amount of wild
   life is staggering because there is not a lot of other water around for animals to use. There are ancient cliff
   dwelling ruins, and it’s so different and unique from the rest of the trail. Oh, and it was great not to have to
   worry about where my water source was going to be for a while.
   DOC CAMPBELLS TO SILVER CITY
   26
   I chose to road walk this, making my own way on what looked like the most direct route. I went through
   the town of Los Altos. I hear I didn’t miss too much, and Silver City is awesome and worth spending some
   time in to check out.
   SILVER CITY TO LORDSBURG
   You are almost done, call Tim Sharpe and set up your shuttle ride. I kind of checked out by this point
   because I don’t really like hiking in flat desert, so I was cruising along without paying attention to anything.
   Lordsburg is not a top trail town from an exploration standpoint. But it has an Amtrak stop, so it is useful
   as a transit point.
   LORDSBURG TO MEXICO
   If you are lucky you may get to see a border patrol chase here. There is an open gate right where the trail
   meets the border and people regularly cross and meet suspicious vehicles that drive them further into the
   US. I witnessed the aftermath of a border patrol chase that resulted in a flipped vehicle that had to be towed
   out of the desert on a flat bed. Tim will have some good stories if you inquire, as he spends a lot of time
   there.
   Oh, yeah. You are done, congratulations on needing to figure out what to do with the rest of your life.
   27
   APPENDIX 1- Super Butte/Big Sky Alternate
   By Oracle
   Why take the alt?
   My primary motivation in taking the Super Butte was to simplify resupply logistics. Lima and Leadore are
   famously annoying resupply stops. A lot of hikers take Anaconda to make a shorter food carry to Darby as
   well.
   Other common reasons are to cut miles, depending on the route you take, you cut about 250 miles off the
   red line or 150 off the Anaconda Cutoff. Especially relevant if you got a late start.
   Or just for a change of scenery. Aside from the Whitehall road walk, I found this to be some of my favorite
   hiking in Montana, after spending the last two weeks hiking through terrain that was beautiful but pretty
   much the same day after day with another 400 miles of similar terrain to look forward to, this alt provided
   a lot of much needed variance. High sage desert, rocky peaks with mountain goats, abandoned mining
   towns, touristy lake towns, etc.
   I also enjoyed the chance to be away from the Guthooks/Farout route, it added a little sense of adventure
   not knowing what was around every corner.
   Water wasn’t as much of a concern as I feared. The only section without good water was the road walk into
   and out of Whitehall. If you go through in a drought year this might not apply, obviously.
   Maps
   There is a gpx. track being passed around online, a quick search and you’ll find it in several different places.
   You’ll need some sort of non-Guthooks/Farout navigation app. Some people online recommend buying
   maps on Avenza, which I did, but I just ended up using the USGS topo maps on Gaia the whole time
   instead. My buddy used the Garmin app which worked well too. This is just a line people have drawn
   linking together various trails, forest roads, and actual roads. There are lots of different ways you can choose
   to go, this is just the route I ended up taking.
   Mileage changes depending on which route, map, or app you’re looking at but ballpark numbers are:
   I-15 crossing (Butte) to Whitehall – 35 miles
   Whitehall to Ennis – 60 miles
   Ennis to Big Sky – 45
   Big Sky to West Yellowstone – 52 miles
   Or
   Big Sky to Mammoth Village – 55 miles
   Helena or Butte to Whitehall
   35 miles
   28
   So you’ll resupply either in Helena or Butte via the I-15 crossing [mile 427]. Leaving I-15 you have about
   8 miles on the red line before turning at the Nez Perce trail junction [approx mile 435, there’s no junction
   icon on Guthooks], which is actually the old cdt route. You’ll be on nice single track for a while before
   getting onto a fairly well traveled orv track which turns into dirt road after maybe ten miles. Coming
   through on a weekend there were about 20 rvs parked in a field here so you could possibly yogi some water
   (or beer).
   Whitehall
   You’ll be road walking right through downtown. There’s a good grocery store, a few restaurants, and I
   didn’t stay there but people told us CDT hikers were invited to camp in the town hall/rec center.
   Whitehall to Ennis
   You’ve got about 20 miles of road walk through farmland before you get back on a trail. Traffic was chill,
   not much danger, and the locals were all really nice. I stopped at a farmhouse to refill my water since I’m
   sure the river and streams are full of agricultural runoff. I’m sure you could yellow blaze this without too
   much trouble. There’s a hot spring around two miles off ‘trail’ at the end of the road walk, it’s called Point
   of Rocks.
   After another chill 20 you’ll hit Mammoth, not really a town but a community of summer camps. Leaving
   Mammoth you’ll start climbing the Tobacco Roots where there are some cool old abandoned mines. ‘23
   was a low snow year and there was still a decent amount of snowpack in the pass. If snowpack is high when
   you come through then ice gear might be a good idea. The National Forest ends and the ranches start ten
   miles before the highway going in to Ennis, so you’ll either have to camp there or go all the way into Ennis.
   Ennis
   Ennis is a six mile hitch down the highway. Bozeman is about an hour drive in the other direction too. The
   locals all seem to know and love CDT hikers. Apparently, Ennis is a very popular fishing destination
   (months later when I was in NM I saw tourist brochures for Ennis) so there are a selection of decent priced
   motels, restaurants, and a grocery store.
   Ennis to Big Sky/ Bozeman
   You’ll be following the High Lakes trail through the Spanish Peaks, beautiful single-track but hard to follow
   at times. Also, there are lots of lakes and you’re high up. Heads up… this section seemed to be about ten
   miles longer than the gpx claims. More potential snow hazards in a high snow year as you cross the last
   pass heading into Big Sky. The other side of the pass is a well-used day/overnight hiking trail leading into
   downtown Big Sky
   Big Sky
   Big sky is expensive, even by ski resort standards, but there is a grocery store and plenty of
   restaurants. More importantly there’s an hourly $5 bus running to Bozeman where there’s a hostel,
   Walmart, REI, etc. Plus you get to see the famously wretched hive of scum and villainy of “Bozeangeles”
   that everyone in Montana has told you about. If you have thruhiked before then I guarantee someone you
   knew on your last trail moved to Bozeman after finishing their hike so social engineer your way to crashing
   on someone’s couch.
   29
   Big Sky to Yellowstone
   This is where you’ve got a few choices. Head straight to West Yellowstone and get back on the red line,
   which is the most common option. I didn’t go this way. There are a few different routes but they all seem
   pretty straightforward.
   Alternatively, you can head southeast, straight into Yellowstone NP. I took the route SE over the Gallatin
   Range and entered YNP, hitching out from Mammoth Hot Springs to resupply at nearby Gardiner. The
   section from Big Sky to Mammoth was really cool, it follows the Sky Rim trail with great views into
   Yellowstone. My plan was to hike south from Mammoth to Old Faithful but I wouldn’t recommend it. Most
   of it is road walking and it’s a sketchy, very busy, no shoulder, windy mountain road. There were a few
   places you can get off the road and hike but a bunch of trails and campsites were closed. It’s just not an
   area the park wants you to hike through; they don’t devote any resources to hiking in this section. I hiked
   about half of the 60 or so miles before bailing on the road walk and yellow blazing down to Old Faithful. It
   is a really cool route as you pass through a bunch of thermally active areas that are all way cooler than what
   you’ll see on the red line, but unless you have a car it’s a hassle.
   You can also head east from Mammoth Village and get on the Thoroughfare Trail. This is supposed to be
   a really cool hike. Most of the wildlife is supposed to hang out on the east side of the park away from the
   tourists so this is your best bet to see Bison, Grizzlies, etc. but you’ll be missing all the cool geothermally
   active areas. In any case I didn’t take this route so I can’t really speak to it.
   Yellowstone
   One tip for Yellowstone, if you have trouble getting permits, is to hitch to front country sites at Madison
   Junction and Grant Village. They have walk up hike in/ bike in site that multiple people told us they always
   find spot for CDT hikers no matter how full they are.
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   APPENDIX 2- Pindeale Alt
   By Oracle
   Why take the alt
   You’d take this alt primarily to resupply to reduce your food weight through the Winds, especially for the
   Knapsack Col Alternate. Knapsack is, in my opinion, the most challenging and rewarding single section on
   the entire CDT, so having an essentially empty pack for it is huge. Taking the alt adds about 20 miles.
   Pinedale is also one of, if not the most welcoming towns on the CDT. The visitor center has a whole CDT
   room where you can charge, leave packs, or just chill. They have backpackers pantry meals, granola bars,
   stickers, patches, etc. to give away as well as a hiker box. They also give you a $10 pass to the rec center
   which has a pool, hot tub, water slide, rock wall, etc!
   There is a full grocery, great outfitter with trail log, hostel, brewery, restaurants, etc.
   Green River Lake trailhead
   You can get to town from here but it’s 20 or 30 miles down a dirt road so hitching isn’t the easiest plus
   you’ll still be carrying your resupply up Knapsack if you go into town here.
   Maps
   You can get away with using the topo maps on Guthooks. They don’t cover the whole area of the side trail
   but this is a very trafficked and marked area so you shouldn’t run into much trouble. Downloading the area
   in a separate mapping app e.g. Gaia or Garmin works too.
   The Alt
   So whether you take the red line or Knapsack you’ll come to the Seneca Lake trail junction [mile 1173.1]
   Take this 11 miles down to the trail head, at some point this trail will become Pole Creek trail. This trailhead
   is huge and busy at least during the summer. I’m talking 100 cars parked and they were doubling the parking
   space when I came through. Hitching was easy. We got a ride from a local who told us he picks up hikers
   multiple times a week. Hitching back out you might have to break it into 2 legs, one ride out of town on the
   highway and another hitch up the side road to the actual trailhead but you really shouldn’t have much
   trouble. Check Guthooks/Farout since there are two local thruhikers (Rerun and Irish) who were trail angel-
   ing and giving rides.
   To hike back out you’ll take Pole Creek trail to Highline Trail 14 miles to meet back up with the red line at
   Again this is all very busy, well-traveled, marked, and maintained trail so you should not have
   mile 1177.6. much trouble.
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   APPENDIX 3 – Creede Alt
   By Oracle
   Why take the Creede Cutoff
   To cut out about 65 miles of high altitude hiking in the San Juans, whether it’s because you didn’t beat the
   snow or, like me, you’re just tired of being up so high all the time. Remember if you take the brown line
   you’ll still be hiking almost half of the San Juans anyway. Also you’ll carry a day less food from Salida
   and two days less into Pagosa Springs.
   If the weather is really scary you can bailout of taking the San Juan section south of Creede by taking the
   road walk out of town (blue line) and hooking up with the GDMTB route (green line). This alt is in
   Guthooks so I don’t need to add much.
   It’s about a mile down the side trail to the trail head and then it’s a dirt road walk into Creede. There’s a
   spring beside the road around 12 miles in. Creede is a cool old mining turned tourist town. Check out the
   old mines and stop by the underground mining museum. The grocery store is small but well stocked and
   amazingly cheap. You can camp on the baseball field or stay at thruhiker John Lawley’s donation hostel.
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