{{Short description|Long-distance hiking trail in the Canadian Rockies}} {{Distinguish|Great Dividing Trail|Great Divide Mountain Bike Route}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox hiking trail | photo = Great divide trail marker on Tree.jpg | name = Great Divide Trail | location = Canadian Rockies, Alberta and British Columbia | length_km = 1095 | trailheads = South: Canada-US border at Waterton Lake<br />North: Kakwa Lake in Kakwa Park | use = {{hlist|Hiking|backpacking}} | highest_m = 2590 | lowest_name = Old Fort Point trailhead | highest_name = Unnamed pass | lowest_m = 1055 | sights = {{hlist|Canadian Rockies|Waterton Lakes National Park|Banff National Park|Kootenay National Park|Yoho National Park|Jasper National Park|Willmore Wilderness Park|Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area}} | hazards = River crossings, water-borne illness, hypothermia, wildlife, avalanches, lightning | maintainer = Great Divide Trail Association | website = {{url|greatdividetrail.com}} | map = GDT-Basemap.jpg | difficulty = Strenuous | months = July–September }}
The '''Great Divide Trail''' ('''GDT''') is a hiking trail in the Canadian Rockies, made up of several trails connected by roads and wilderness routes. It closely follows the Great Divide between Alberta and British Columbia, crossing it more than 30 times. Its southern terminus is at the Canada–US border (where it connects with the Continental Divide Trail), and its northern terminus is at Kakwa Lake, north of Jasper National Park. The trail is {{cvt|1095|km}} long and ranges in elevation from {{cvt|1055|m}} to {{cvt|2590|m}}. Although the idea and first trail work goes back to the 1960s, the project went dormant for decades until the early 2000s.
The GDT is most often hiked from early July until early September, when it is nearly free of snow.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=24, 25}} It generally takes between five and ten weeks, about seven at an average pace.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Itineraries – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/trip-planning-resources/itineraries/ |access-date=June 27, 2025}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=26}} Although there are popular sections that see thousands of hikers each year, fewer than 100 people thru-hike the entire GDT annually.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Discover the GDT – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/discover-the-gdt/ |access-date=June 27, 2025}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=14}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alvarez |first=Ted |date=December 22, 2016 |title=Hiking Canada's Great Divide Trail, North America's Loneliest Long Trail |url=https://www.backpacker.com/trips/hiking-canadas-great-divide-trail/ |access-date=June 27, 2025 |website=Backpacker}}</ref>
==History== The first record of the Great Divide Trail appears in 1966, when the Girl Guides of Canada proposed the idea of a trail running the length of the BC–Alberta border through the Rocky Mountains.<ref name="April1976" />{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=16}} In 1970, Jim Thorsell published the ''Provisional Trail Guide and Map for the Proposed Great Divide Trail''. Thorsell's route comprised roughly the middle 50% of the modern trail, from Banff's southern boundary at Palliser Pass to Berg Lake.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |last=Thorsell |first=Jim |url=https://canadianrockiestrailguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/great-divide-trail-guide-1970.pdf |title=Provisional Trail Guide and Map for the Proposed Great Divide Trail |year=1970}}</ref> Parks Canada approved the project, with the objective of completing the GDT in five years.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hogg |first=Carol |date=September 2, 1970 |title=360-Mile Great Divide Hiking Trail Receives Official Nod From Ottawa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1mpkAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA21 |access-date=January 30, 2025 |work=The Calgary Herald |pages=21}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=17, 18}}
Outside of the national parks, the route south of Palliser Pass was originally mapped in 1974 by six University of Calgary students with support from the Alberta Wilderness Association and the Federal Opportunities for Youth Program.<ref name="April1976">{{Cite web |title=History – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=http://www.greatdividetrail.com/discover-the-gdt/history |access-date=January 30, 2025}}</ref> Mary Jane Cox, Jenny Feick, Chris Hart, Dave Higgins, Cliff White, and Dave Zevick surveyed an estimated {{cvt|4800|km}} along the proposed GDT route through public lands.<ref name="bpMay2001">{{Cite web |url=http://www.backpacker.com/may_2001_destinations_canada_great_divide_trail/destinations/2050 |title=Canada's Great Divide Trail |last=Howe |first=Steve |website=Backpacker Magazine |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722003320/http://www.backpacker.com/may_2001_destinations_canada_great_divide_trail/destinations/2050 |archive-date=July 22, 2011 |access-date=September 22, 2010}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2002|p=18}} Despite initially low enthusiasm from the Alberta and BC governments, whose representatives cited a lack of interest in the trail and a priority on resource development,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ghose |first=Amrit |date=October 9, 1975 |title=Divide trail on rough road |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B3FkAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA25 |work=The Calgary Herald |pages=25}}</ref> the group founded the Great Divide Trail Association (GDTA) in April 1976 and began trail construction that summer.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=18, 19}}
Parks Canada continued to study the idea, but the agency was concerned about overuse and never moved forward with it. By the mid-1980s, with funding from the Alberta government, crews had built 90 km of trail from North Fork Pass to Fording River Pass.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Patterson |first=Bruce |date=August 15, 1985 |title=After a decade, trail-breakers still working |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nXdkAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA51 |access-date=January 31, 2025 |work=The Calgary Herald |pages=D5}}</ref> When support from the province of Alberta ended, and logging and off-road vehicle use destroyed trails, work ceased, and the GDTA became inactive.<ref name="April1976">{{Cite web |title=History – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=http://www.greatdividetrail.com/discover-the-gdt/history |access-date=January 30, 2025}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=18, 19}}
In 2000, Dustin Lynx revived the GDT by releasing his guidebook ''Hiking Canada's Great Divide Trail''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lynx |first=Dustin |title=Hiking Canada's Great Divide Trail |date=2000 |publisher=Rocky Mountain Books |isbn=978-0-921102-79-3 |location=Calgary}}</ref> By 2004, a group known as the Friends of the Great Divide Trail began to work on the GDT once again, particularly in the unprotected Alberta Crown lands between Crowsnest Pass and Banff National Park.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Cataract Creek – 2004 – The Great Divide Trail Association |date= June 17, 2014 |url= https://greatdividetrail.com/trail-maintenance/ |access-date=February 1, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= Baril Creek – 2006 – The Great Divide Trail Association |date= June 17, 2014 |url= https://greatdividetrail.com/baril-creek-2006/ |access-date=February 1, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= Etherington Creek – 2012 – The Great Divide Trail Association |date= June 19, 2014 |url= https://greatdividetrail.com/trail-maintenance-3/ |access-date=February 1, 2025}}</ref> In 2013, the Friends of the Great Divide Trail re-activated the GDTA as a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Calgary.<ref name="April1976">{{Cite web |title=History – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=http://www.greatdividetrail.com/discover-the-gdt/history |access-date=January 30, 2025}}</ref> Since then, the association has conducted annual maintenance and trail-building throughout the length of the GDT.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trail Work |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/get-involved/trail-maintenance/ |access-date=January 5, 2026 |website=The Great Divide Trail Association}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=20–22}}
In 2023–2024, the GDTA became the official trail manager of the GDT on Alberta public lands.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thorington |first=Olivia |title=Provincial government aiming to improve Alberta's trails through partnerships |url=https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2024/05/30/provincial-government-aiming-to-improve-albertas-trails-through-partnerships/ |access-date=June 30, 2025 |website=Lethbridge News Now}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Jessica |date=September 29, 2024 |title=Friends of Kananaskis step up public lands trail care in new deal |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/friends-kananaskis-country-public-lands-trail-care-deal |access-date=June 30, 2025}}</ref> The association also reached 600 members.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/annual-report/ |title=Great Divide Trail Association Annual Report 2023/24 |date=2024 |pages=7, 15 |access-date=June 30, 2025}}</ref>
==Geology== The Great Divide Trail is entirely within the Continental Ranges of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and traverses all but their southernmost extent, which stretches well into Montana. These ranges are bounded on the east by the Interior Plains and on the west by the Rocky Mountain Trench.{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=22, 23}} North of Jarvis Creek, just {{Convert|10|km|mi}} beyond the GDT's northern terminus,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Open Science and Data Platform – Plateforme de science et de données ouvertes |url=https://osdp-psdo.canada.ca/dp/en/search/metadata/NRCAN-GEOSCAN-1-208905 |access-date=April 15, 2025 |website=osdp-psdo.canada.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/AB-BC-sheet39 |title=Boundary between Alberta and British Columbia. Index Sheet |date=1924 |publisher=Surveyor-General's Office}}</ref><ref>{{Cite report |url=https://osdp-psdo.canada.ca/dp/en/search/metadata/NRCAN-GEOSCAN-1-208905 |title=Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area management plan |date=November 2006 |publisher=British Columbia, Environmental Stewardship Division, Omineca Region |location=Prince George |pages=39–40 |isbn=0-7726-5648-7 |access-date=April 15, 2025}}</ref> the Continental Ranges end and the Hart Ranges begin.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BC Geographical Names |url=https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/7728.html |access-date=April 15, 2025 |website=apps.gov.bc.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hart Ranges – Peakbagger.com |url=https://www.peakbagger.com/range.aspx?rid=1401 |access-date=April 15, 2025 |website=peakbagger.com}}</ref>
The GDT passes through mountains that are largely composed of sedimentary rock.{{Sfn|Kershaw|2016|p=11}} Limestone, shale, and quartzite are very common along the trail and date from the late Neoproterozoic{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=70–73}} to the Cretaceous, far younger than the granite and gneiss commonly found in the American Rockies.{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=23}} The exception is in Waterton Lakes National Park, which has some of the oldest rock in the Canadian Rockies, from the Purcell Supergroup.{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=52-60}}
The Canadian Rockies did not experience additional volcanic uplift, and so the GDT travels through generally lower-elevation valleys and passes than the CDT in the American Rockies. However, the deeper valleys and steep mountain walls caused by heavy glaciation give the Canadian Rockies, particularly the large mountains along the divide, comparable or even greater prominence than the highest American peaks.{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=23-25}}<ref name=":12">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgPpluXzAys |title=Natural History Webinar: Geology & Glaciology |date=April 5, 2024 |last=Elzinga |first=Connor |type=Video |publisher=Great Divide Trail Association}}</ref>{{Sfn|Kershaw|2016|p=12}}
===Points of interest=== thumb|Upper Waterton Lake is an example of a finger lake. thumb|Mount Assiniboine is a glacial horn, or pyramidal peak. thumb|Mistaya Canyon in Banff National Park is an example of a slot canyon.
There are unique rocks visible from or near the GDT in Waterton Lakes National Park in the Clark Range (Section A). Among the typical layers of limestone and dolomite, there are red and green siltstones called argillite, black bands of igneous Purcell Sill, and stromatolites: fossils of cyanobacteria colonies.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 25, 2024 |title=Geology and Landforms – Geology and landforms |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/waterton/nature/environment/geologie-geology |access-date=April 15, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref><ref name=":12" />
Upper Waterton Lake, at the southern terminus (Section A), is the deepest lake in the Canadian Rockies at {{Convert|148|m|ft}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=November 25, 2024 |title=Living Waters – Living waters |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/waterton/nature/environment/eaux-waters |access-date=April 21, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=180}} It is a finger lake; glaciers carved its present deep, steep-sided shape out of an ancestral river valley, deposited a dam of debris at the northern end of the valley while retreating, and filled the valley with meltwater.<ref>{{Cite report |url=http://parkscanadahistory.com/geology/misc-report-10-1964.pdf |title=Waterton Lakes National Park: Lakes amid the mountains |last=Baird |first=David M. |date=1964 |publisher=Geological Survey of Canada |issue=Miscellaneous Report 10 |location=601 Booth St., Ottawa |pages=39–41 |access-date=April 21, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=November 25, 2024 |title=Geology and Landforms – Geology and landforms |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/waterton/nature/environment/geologie-geology |access-date=April 21, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
Mount Assiniboine (Section C) on the divide between Banff National Park and Mount Assiniboine Park is an example of a glacial horn, or pyramidal peak. It was shaped by cirque glaciers that eroded its flat, steep sides, and is frequently referred to as the "Matterhorn of the Rockies".{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=728}}<ref name=":12" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nunataks, Arêtes, and Horns (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/nunataksareteshorns.htm |access-date=April 16, 2025 |website=nps.gov}}</ref> With an elevation of {{Convert|3618|m|ft}}, it is one of the ten tallest peaks in the Canadian Rockies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mount Assiniboine Park |url=https://bcparks.ca/mount-assiniboine-park/ |access-date=April 16, 2025 |website=BC Parks}}</ref>{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=736}}
The Burgess Shale of the Waputik Mountains in Yoho National Park (the Kiwetinok alternate of Section D) is a formation containing large numbers of exceptionally well-preserved fossils dating to over 500 mya. From his discovery of the fossils in 1909 until 1924, Charles Walcott collected 65,000 specimens. The vast diversity of soft-bodied organisms preserved in the formation has been highly informative to paleontology and paleoclimatology.{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=80}}<ref name=":12" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 5, 2024 |title=Burgess Shale fossil guided hikes Yoho National Park – Burgess Shale fossil hikes |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho/activ/burgess |access-date=April 15, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Locality Today |url=https://burgess-shale.rom.on.ca/science/the-burgess-shale/the-locality-today/ |access-date=April 15, 2025 |website=Royal Ontario Museum}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How Old is the Burgess Shale |url=https://burgess-shale.rom.on.ca/science/the-burgess-shale/geological-background/how-old-is-the-burgess-shale/ |access-date=April 15, 2025 |website=Royal Ontario Museum}}</ref>
There are extensive karst systems on or just off the GDT through the Palliser Formation, in and around southern Jasper National Park (Section E). Caves, sinkholes, and slot canyons are formed by slightly acidic surface water dissolving passages in the limestone layers. Examples include caves at the head of Cataract Valley and at the outlet of Medicine Lake, down the Watchtower Access Trail. During most years, the entire flow of the Maligne River drains through underground passages from the lake and emerges in Maligne Canyon, {{Convert|15|km|mi}} away.<ref name=":12" />{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=169}}
Maligne Canyon itself is an accessible example of a karst slot canyon just off the GDT, at the north end of Section E. It is up to {{Convert|55|m|ft}} deep and just {{Convert|2|m|ft}} across at some points.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=October 16, 2024 |title=Maligne Canyon |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/itineraires-itineraries/canyon-maligne |access-date=April 16, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref><ref name=":12" />{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=167}}{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=169}} Other examples directly on the GDT include Turbine Canyon in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, near the south end of Section C;{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=179}}<ref name=":12" /> Mistaya Canyon,{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=248}} cut into the Eldon Formation at the north end of Section D;{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=167}} and just north of the Owen Creek trailhead in section E.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=252, 253}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 1, 2016 |title=The Best of the GDT – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/the-best-of-the-great-divide-trail/ |access-date=April 16, 2025}}</ref>
Maligne Lake (Section E) is the longest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies, at {{Convert|22.3|km|mi}}.{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=718}} It was formed after the Last Glacial Maximum, {{circa|13,000 mya}}, when the glaciers (diminished but still present at the south end of the lake) rapidly receded, then briefly re-advanced to deposit a large terminal moraine, before retreating to the large mountains beyond Coronet Creek. That moraine now forms the north shore of Maligne Lake.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://ags.aer.ca/publications/all-publications/ofr-1964-01 |title=Geology of the Maligne Valley Jasper National Park |last=Road |first=M. A. |date=September 30, 1964 |publisher=Alberta Research Council |pages=10–11 |access-date=April 16, 2025}}</ref>
Mount Robson is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies (elevation {{Convert|3954|m|ft}}) and the most prominent anywhere in the Rocky Mountains ({{Convert|3128|m|ft}} from base to peak).{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=719}} Its height is due to its location at the base of a syncline. While nearby mountains are tilted by tectonic forces deforming the rocks, Robson's layers remained relatively horizontal and thus more stable and resistant to erosion.<ref name=":12" />{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=157}} While the highest mountains are usually directly on the continental divide, Mount Robson is several kilometres southwest of the divide, completely within British Columbia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mount Robson |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mount-robson |access-date=April 16, 2025 |website=thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite map|title=Berg Lake Trail Map|date=2000|publisher=BC Parks|url=https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/berg_lake_trail_map_fce7c2b377.pdf|access-date=April 16, 2025}}</ref> The junction between the North Boundary Trail and the Berg Lake Trail (the transition between Sections F and G) is at the northern base of the Robson Massif.<ref name=":9" />
==Climate== The Continental Ranges of the Canadian Rockies that the GDT passes through have a continental climate, with a wide range of temperatures between seasons and moderate precipitation; there is generally more precipitation on the west side of the divide. The trail is mostly covered in snow until June, which can linger well into July, particularly on the northeast sides of passes, due to less direct sunlight and deeper snow drifts caused by the prevailing westerly winds. Of the months that the GDT is typically hiked, June is the wettest, with average precipitation decreasing through the summer and fall. July is the warmest month, with typical daily highs between {{Convert|20|C|F}} and {{Convert|30|C|F}}. By September, precipitation often falls as snow at higher elevations, and overnight lows in the valleys are near freezing.{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=205, 208}}{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=55, 56}}{{Sfn|Copeland|2009|p=30, 31}}{{Sfn|Kershaw|2016|p=13, 14}}
Mountain weather is highly variable, and the GDT is no exception, as the trail goes up and down in elevation, from one valley to another, and from one hour to the next.{{Sfn|Kershaw|2016|p=13}}{{Sfn|Copeland|2009|p=29, 30}}{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=205}}<ref name=":13" /> The lapse rate is a drop in air temperature of at least 0.7 °C for every {{Convert|100|m|ft}} increase in elevation. Because the prevailing winds are perpendicular to the mountain ranges, winds below treeline are often lighter and shifting. However, the valleys that are aligned southwest-northeast tend to have strong, steady winds.{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=212, 213}} In the afternoons of hot July and August days, there is a greater chance of sudden thunderstorms that may be accompanied by hail.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=55}}{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=216}}
==Route== While portions of the GDT are recognized and supported by the province of Alberta,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alberta's public land trail guide – Open Government |url=https://open.alberta.ca/publications/albertas-public-land-trail-guide |access-date=March 10, 2025 |website=open.alberta.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Alberta stewardship stories: Great Divide Trail/AEP project 2018 – Open Government |url=https://open.alberta.ca/publications/alberta-stewardship-stories-great-divide-trail-aep-project-2018 |access-date=March 10, 2025 |website=open.alberta.ca}}</ref> the GDTA continues to work towards a formal designation, including by Parks Canada, for the long-term protection of the trail.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=11, 12}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=GDTA Strategic Plan – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/about-us/gdta-strategic-plan/ |access-date=March 10, 2025}}</ref> According to the GDTA:
<blockquote>The GDT is officially signed in portions of Sections A, B, D, and G, but elsewhere the GDT is not officially signed. Much of the trail within national and provincial parks is well marked but not identified as the GDT. The route is actually made up of several separate trail systems joined together by ATV tracks, roads, and wilderness routes. The GDT varies from being a well-developed, signed trail to an unmarked, cross-country wilderness route where navigation skills are required.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |title=FAQ – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/discover-the-gdt/faq/ |access-date=2025-03-10}}</ref></blockquote>
Since the trail follows the Canadian Rocky Mountains, it runs generally northwest–southeast, with the northern terminus being {{Convert|555|km|mi}} further north—equivalent to 5° of latitude—and {{Convert|511|km|mi}} west of the southern terminus.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-p1QeXUd2E |title=Natural History Education Series Episode 1: The Big Picture |date=May 21, 2024 |last=Great Divide Trail Association |type=Video |minutes=8:00}}</ref> The GDT passes through five national parks, nine provincial parks, four wilderness areas, and four forest districts.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=14}}<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Go Hiking! – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/ |access-date=January 30, 2025}}</ref> The trail is commonly broken up into seven sections, A–G, based on access and resupply.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Section Hiking – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/section-hiking/ |access-date=March 10, 2025}}</ref>
===Section A=== thumb|Carthew-Alderson Trail, part of the Great Divide Trail, in Waterton Lakes National Park
Section A runs approximately {{Convert|145|km|mi}} from the GDT's southern terminus at the Canada–United States border (which is also the northern terminus of the Continental Divide Trail) to the hamlet of Coleman, near Crowsnest Pass.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Section A: International Boundary to Coleman – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/section-hiking/section-a/ |access-date=March 10, 2025}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=74}}
The southern {{Convert|55|km|mi}} travel through Waterton Lakes National Park, where much of the area below the treeline burned in the 2017 Kenow Wildfire.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 29, 2025 |title=Kenow wildfire – Waterton Lakes National Park – Kenow Wildfire |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/waterton/nature/environment/feu-fire/feu-fire-kenow |access-date=March 10, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 9, 2023 |title=Kenow Wildfire timeline |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/waterton/nature/environment/feu-fire/feu-fire-kenow/calendrier-timeline |access-date=March 10, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref> This part of the trail visits several notable places, including the Waterton Townsite, Carthew Summit, and the second highest point on the GDT: Lineham Ridge, at {{Convert|2520|m|ft}}.<ref name=":2" />{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=74, 77, 78, 85, 92}}
The rest of the section is mostly in either Castle Wildland Provincial Park or Castle Provincial Park. The trail crosses or straddles the divide frequently, until it descends from La Coulotte Ridge. The northern {{Convert|70|km|mi}} take a mix of multi-use trails and roads east of the divide.<ref name=":2" />{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=76, 93, 104, 112–114}}
Alternate routes in Section A include Mt. Rowe-Sage Pass and Barnaby Ridge. Both feature long ridge walks, the latter with short sections classed as scrambling.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 22, 2022 |title=Section A: Barnaby Ridge Alternate – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/section-a-barnaby-ridge-alternate/ |access-date=March 11, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 21, 2023 |title=Rowe Alternate Fun – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/rowe-alternate-fun/ |access-date=March 11, 2025}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=90, 100}}
===Section B=== This {{Convert|195|km|mi}} section connects Crowsnest Pass in the south to Kananaskis in the north.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=119}} Nearly all of it is in public lands, with no designated campgrounds and no specific permits required.<ref name=":3" />
The section has undergone extensive route improvements since 2013, particularly the {{Convert|50|km|mi}} High Rock Trail near the south end.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Section: High Rock Trail – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/section-hiking/section-high-rock-trail/ |access-date=March 10, 2025}}</ref> The trail was built to keep the route just east of the divide, avoiding private land, including the Line Creek Mine, on the British Columbia side.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=119–121}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 19, 2016 |title=Volunteers get go-ahead to reroute 41 kilometres of Great Divide Trail |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/volunteers-get-go-ahead-to-reroute-41-kilometres-of-great-divide-trail |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927171457/https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/volunteers-get-go-ahead-to-reroute-41-kilometres-of-great-divide-trail |archive-date=September 27, 2019 |access-date=March 10, 2025 |work=Calgary Herald}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=October 2, 2016 |title=High Rock Trail – 2016 – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/high-rock-trail-2016/ |access-date=March 10, 2025}}</ref> It passes features such as Window Mountain Lake and Domke Ridge.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 24, 2020 |title=High Rock Trail – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/high-rock-trail/ |access-date=March 11, 2025}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=128, 137}}
The High Rock Trail reconnects with the original GDT, built in the 1970s and 1980s,<ref name=":1" /> near where it re-entered Alberta at North Fork Pass. During the next {{Convert|86|km|mi}} north of this junction, the route passes points of interest, including Tornado Saddle and the Beehive Natural Area.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=121, 138, 143}}<ref name=":3" />
North of Fording River Pass, the trail crosses into British Columbia and soon begins the longest road walk on the GDT, at nearly {{Convert|30|km|mi}}; this can be largely avoided by taking the Coral Pass alternate route. The north end of the road reaches Elk Lakes Provincial Park and, after crossing West Elk Pass, ends the section at Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=121, 122, 158}}<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Section B: Coleman to Kananaskis – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/section-hiking/section-b/ |access-date=March 10, 2025}}</ref>
===Section C=== thumb|Floe Lake, the Rockwall Trail, Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada
In contrast to section B, the {{Convert|207|km|mi}} section C is entirely within provincial and national parks, requiring permits nearly the entire way.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Section C: Kananaskis to Field – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/section-hiking/section-c/ |access-date=March 10, 2025}}</ref> Because the GDT in this section uses some of the most popular hiking trails in Canada, it can be competitive to obtain certain campsites.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=168, 170}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Park Backcountry Permit Online Reservation Instructions – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/national-park-backcountry-permit-online-reservation-instructions/ |access-date=March 11, 2025}}</ref>
In the south, the section starts at Kananaskis Lakes, before climbing over the divide into Height of the Rockies Provincial Park. This, the only area that does not require permits, ends in less than {{Convert|10|km|mi}} at the Banff National Park boundary at Palliser Pass.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=171, 180, 183}} Passing Marvel Lake, the route enters Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park at Wonder Pass, visiting Mount Assiniboine and Lake Magog before returning to Banff at Sunshine Meadows.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=191–193, 198}}<ref name=":4" />
Over the next {{Convert|30|km|mi}}, the trail passes through the Egypt Lakes area until leaving Banff and entering Kootenay National Park at Ball Pass to begin the Rockwall. After crossing Goodsir Pass and descending to the Trans-Canada Highway, section C ends in the hamlet of Field, BC.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=200, 201, 208, 209, 218–221}}<ref name=":4" /> Notable alternates in this section are the Northover Ridge<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 26, 2021 |title=Hiking Northover Ridge – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/hiking-northover-ridge/ |access-date=March 11, 2025}}</ref> and South Kananaskis Pass routes.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=175–178}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 9, 2019 |title=An Awesome Weekend Loop on the GDT – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/an-awesome-weekend-loop-on-the-gdt/ |access-date=March 11, 2025}}</ref>
===Section D=== thumb|The Howse River valley in Banff National Park
This is the southernmost section of the GDT with substantial stretches of unmaintained trail.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=223, 224}} The GDTA describes Section D, at {{Convert|106|km|mi}}, as the shortest section.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Section D: Field to North Saskatchewan River Crossing – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/section-hiking/section-d/ |access-date=March 11, 2025}}</ref> Although Section F is about {{Convert|100|km|mi}}, the northern end is {{Convert|26|km|mi}} from a trailhead, so completing it requires a greater hiking distance.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |title=Section F: Jasper to Mount Robson – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/section-hiking/section-f/ |access-date=March 11, 2025}}</ref>
From Field, the main route takes an overgrown road up the Amiskwi River to Amiskwi Pass and requires the first significant unbridged river crossings that a northbound hiker is likely to encounter.<ref name=":5" /> The popular {{Convert|33|km|mi}} Kiwetinok Alternate also goes north from Field. It takes maintained trail to Burgess Pass, the Iceline Trail, and Kiwetinok Pass. An off-trail route then reconnects with the main trail at the Amiskwi River about {{Convert|31|km|mi}} into the section.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=January 16, 2019 |title=Section D Facelift – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/section-d-facelift/ |access-date=March 11, 2025}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=222–233}}
From Amiskwi Pass, the main route leaves Yoho National Park and follows a gravel road down to the Blaeberry River. North of the pass, hikers use the David Thompson Heritage Trail to reach Howse Pass, where they re-enter Banff National Park.<ref name=":5" /> Since 2019, the GDTA has been active in maintaining the stretch of trail between those National Parks by clearing the David Thompson Heritage Trail and the Collie Creek Trail, building bridges, and establishing campgrounds.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=234–244}}<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 23, 2025 |title=GDT Route Updates for 2025 – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/gdt-route-updates-for-2025/ |access-date=March 11, 2025}}</ref>
The northern {{Convert|30|km|mi}} follow the Howse River out to the Icefield Parkway and Saskatchewan River Crossing.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=244–248}}<ref name=":5" />
===Section E=== thumb|A view from the highpoint of the GDT, an unnamed pass in the Job/Cline PLUZ, Alberta, Canada; looking south towards Owen Pass.
This {{Convert|190|km|mi}} section between Saskatchewan Crossing and the town of Jasper has a mix of high-popularity recreation areas and remote wilderness. Section E is the only section that never crosses the divide, remaining well east in Alberta. It contains both the highest ({{Convert|2590|m|ft}}) and lowest ({{Convert|1055|m|ft}}) points on the GDT.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=250}}<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=Section E: North Saskatchewan River Crossing to Jasper – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/section-hiking/section-e/ |access-date=March 12, 2025}}</ref>
Northbound hikers leave Highway 11 at the Owen Creek trailhead and, once over Owen Pass, exit Banff National Park for the third and final time.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=256–258}} For the next {{Convert|34|km|mi}}, the route uses unsigned but maintained trail in the Job/Cline Public Land Use Zone, and unmaintained trail in the White Goat Wilderness Area.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 11, 2025 |title=Bighorn Backcountry – Overview and Maps {{!}} Alberta.ca |url=https://www.alberta.ca/bighorn-backcountry-overview |access-date=March 12, 2025 |website=alberta.ca}}</ref> Permits for specific campsites are not required. Highlights in this area include Michelle Lakes, the highpoint of the GDT at an unnamed pass, and Pinto Lake.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=259–266}}<ref name=":7" />
At Cataract Pass, the route crosses into Jasper National Park and uses the Brazeau and Poboktan trail network, crossing Jonas Shoulder and Maligne Pass. North of the pass, the {{Convert|30|km|mi}} trail down the Maligne Valley to Maligne Lake had been unmaintained by Parks Canada for about a decade, leading to rougher hiking and camping conditions.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=266–281}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Patton |first=Brian |date=December 12, 2014 |title=Jasper National Park – decommissioned trails {{!}} Canadian Rockies Trail Guide |url=https://canadianrockiestrailguide.com/jasper-parks-decommissioned-trails/ |access-date=March 12, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 30, 2015 |title=Maligne Pass Trail Update – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/maligne-pass-trail-update/ |access-date=March 12, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=February 18, 2020 |title=Maligne River Swim Adventure – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/maligne-river-swim-adventure/ |access-date=March 12, 2025}}</ref> In 2022, Parks Canada began once more to include the trail on official maps,<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 2022 |title=Maligne Pass Backcountry Guide |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/~/~/-/media/f6ba022afc2a4a3382d68e695f1cb98e.ashx |access-date=March 12, 2025 |website=Parks Canada |format=PDF}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=August 29, 2018 |title=Bulletins |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/bulletins/8b1f191e-c7ba-4632-abc0-ebcd72907923 |access-date=March 12, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref> renovate campgrounds, and allow the Friends of Jasper National Park and the GDTA to clear deadfall and overgrowth on the trail.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 22, 2022 |title=2022 GDTA Trail Building and Maintenance Trips – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/gdta-trail-building-and-maintenance-trips-2022/ |access-date=March 12, 2025}}</ref> This has improved trail conditions, although there are still unbridged water crossings.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 20, 2024 |title=GDT Route Updates for 2024 – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/gdt-route-updates-for-2024/ |access-date=March 12, 2025}}</ref>
At the north end of Maligne Lake, the GDT uses the popular {{Convert|44|km|mi}} Skyline Trail<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=April 14, 2023 |title=Backcountry Guide – Skyline trail |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/skyline |access-date=March 13, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref> and a short stretch of day-use trails or roads to reach the Athabasca River and Jasper.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=282, 283}}<ref name=":7" />
===Section F=== The southern end of this {{Convert|100|km|mi}} section is the townsite of Jasper, but unlike most other sections, the northern end is not near a trailhead but rather at the junction between the North Boundary Trail and Robson Pass Trail to Berg Lake, the original northern terminus of the GDT.<ref name=":8" /> Section F uses trails that weave along the boundary of Jasper National Park and Mount Robson Provincial Park.<ref name=":9" />{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=290–293}}
Northbound, the section starts with approximately {{Convert|20|km|mi}} west along Highway 16 to Yellowhead Pass, returning to the divide for the first time since Howse Pass, some {{Convert|270|km|mi}} to the south.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=293}} After turning northwest up the Miette River, the trail criss-crosses the divide at a series of passes below treeline—Centre ({{Convert|1980|m|ft}}), Grant ({{Convert|2131|m|ft}}), and Colonel ({{Convert|1849|m|ft}})—to get to the Moose River valley. Although Jasper National Park classified this area as a wildland, horse outfitters continue to maintain the trail and campgrounds.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=293, 302–304}}
If hikers are able to make a challenging ford of the Moose River, they can return to Highway 16 using an access trail down the west side. While the GDT initially stays on the east bank, it must still ford the Moose River and some of its major tributaries several times on the way up to Moose Pass. Once over the pass, the trail drops down to the Smoky River, a powerful waterway that also must be forded, whether hikers are continuing on Section G or hiking back to Highway 16 over Robson Pass and the Berg Lake Trail.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=307–310}}{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=302–304}}<ref name=":9" />
===Section G=== The most northern and remote section of the GDT, Section G includes infrequently maintained trails, many challenging river crossings, and navigation without defined trail. It also offers lengthy alpine travel, close-up glacier views, and a deep wilderness experience, leading several hikers to refer to it as the heart, or the epitome, of the GDT. Section G is {{Convert|154|km|mi}} long, but this does not include getting to and from the section, neither end of which is near a vehicle-accessible trailhead.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=315–318}}<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |title=Section G: Mount Robson to Kakwa Lake – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/section-hiking/section-g/ |access-date=March 14, 2025}}</ref>
From the northern end of Section F, the route continues northwest on the North Boundary Trail, classified as low-priority for maintenance by Jasper National Park.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=April 17, 2023 |title=The North Boundary Trail – The North Boundary Trail |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/north-boundary |access-date=March 14, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref> Although horse parties occasionally clear deadfall from the trail, washed-out bridges have not been replaced, necessitating significant fords of Gendarme, Carcajou, and Chown Creeks.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=318, 319, 322, 323}}<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |date=February 17, 2023 |title=Reflections on Sections F and G – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/reflections-on-sections-f-and-g/ |access-date=March 14, 2025}}</ref>
Crossing Bess Pass leaves the Smoky River watershed and Jasper National Park for Jackpine Pass and Blueberry Lake.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=318, 320}} The Blueberry Creek access trail drops steeply down from Blueberry Lake to the Holmes River FSR, where the GDTA and Robson Backcountry Adventures operate a resupply service.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blueberry Creek Trailhead Resupply Lockers – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/blueberry-creek-trailhead-bear-lockers/ |access-date=March 14, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Robson Backcountry Adventures |url=https://jasperhikesandtours.ca/robsonbackcountryadventures#gdt-services |access-date=March 14, 2025 |website=Jasper Hikes & Tours Inc.}}</ref> Hikers not needing to resupply cross into the Willmore Wilderness Park and the Jackpine River valley.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=325–327}}<ref name=":11" />
The main route descends to follow the river downstream, while the Perseverance and Loren Lake High Routes remain largely above treeline and rejoin after approximately {{Convert|44|km|mi}}.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=330–336}} Shortly after this junction, the GDT leaves the Jackpine to ascend Big Shale Hill and follow the divide through passes below Mount Talbot, Mount Forget, Mount Morkill, Mount Fetherstonhaugh, and Casket Mountain.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=340–35}} A junction with the {{Convert|66|km|mi}} Sheep Creek trail to Grande Cache, Alberta provides an alternate route to pavement.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=346, 348, 349}}<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":10" />
Near Surprise Pass, the trail leaves the Willmore and enters Kakwa Park in BC. The main route descends to Cecilia Lake; the Surprise Pass alternate remains in the alpine and rejoins near Providence Pass, where another alternate branches off shortly. Kakwa Pass is the final pass for northbound hikers.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=348–356}}<ref name=":11" /> The trail descends to Kakwa Lake, which has a free, first-come first-served public cabin maintained by volunteer hosts.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=356}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kakwa Park |url=https://bcparks.ca/kakwa-park/ |access-date=March 14, 2025 |website=BC Parks}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Volunteer |url=https://bcparks.ca/get-involved/volunteer/#page-section-639 |access-date=March 14, 2025 |website=BC Parks}}</ref>
From Kakwa Lake, there are two options for exiting the GDT by ground. The most common choice starts with a {{Convert|30|km|mi}} hike to the nearest vehicle-accessible road at Bastille Creek, and another {{Convert|76|km|mi}} on the Walker Forest Service Road to reach pavement at Highway 16.{{Sfn|Lynx|2022|p=356–359}} Alternatively, hikers can take a mix of trails {{Convert|48|km|mi}} east to the Lick Creek trailhead in Alberta.<ref name=":11" />
==Travelling the trail== thumb|Ball Pass Junction Campground in Banff National Park in Section C
The trail may be hiked in many short sections as day hikes or backpacking trips, or thru-hiked in a single season. A typical time to thru-hike the entire trail between the Canada-US border and Kakwa Lake is about seven weeks from early July until late August. Before July, lingering snow and swollen rivers substantially increase hazards, and by September, there is an increasing likelihood of snow and freezing temperatures.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Itineraries – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/trip-planning-resources/itineraries/ |access-date=August 3, 2025}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2021|p=24–26}}
Backcountry camping makes up most nights for thru-hikers of the GDT.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Campgrounds – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/trip-planning-resources/campgrounds/ |access-date=September 8, 2025}}</ref> There are also a handful of backcountry lodges and ACC huts near the trail. For the majority of the trail, hikers must stay in designated campsites, with a valid permit.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=FAQ – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/discover-the-gdt/faq/ |access-date=August 17, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Permits – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/trip-planning-resources/permits/ |access-date=September 8, 2025}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2021|p=35–40}}
===Resupply=== In general, thru-hikers can resupply at the transitions between sections A through G, which range in length from about {{Convert|100|km|mi}} to {{Convert|200|km|mi}}. Some resupply points are towns with full services, while others are just locations near the trail where food can be safely cached ahead of time. Some possible resupply locations, such as Banff and Golden, are further off-route.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Resupplying – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/trip-planning-resources/resupplying/ |access-date=September 8, 2025}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2021|p=40–43}}
===Hazards=== thumb|Bear-safe practices are necessary on the Great Divide Trail, as it is entirely within grizzly habitat.
The vast majority of the trail is outside cell reception, so contacting emergency services requires a satellite communicator. Beyond the common risks of recreating outdoors, the GDT is notable for being entirely in core grizzly bear habitat.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Changing grizzly bear space use and functional connectivity in response to human disturbance in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains |url=https://wildlifescience.ca/resource/changing-grizzly-bear-space-use-and-functional-connectivity-in-response-to-human-disturbance-in-the-southern-canadian-rocky-mountains/ |access-date=September 7, 2025 |website=Wildlife Science Centre}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=September 4, 2025 |title=The Grizzly Bear – Grizzly Bears |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/mtn/ours-bears/generaux-basics/grizzli-grizzly |access-date=September 7, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref> Although bear attacks are very rare, these and animals such as black bears, cougars, moose, and elk can be dangerous.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Levesque |first=Olivia |date=June 26, 2024 |title=Practise bear safety, officials urge public after 'extremely rare' attack in northwestern Ontario |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/bear-safety-northwestern-ontario-1.7245835 |access-date=September 7, 2025 |work=CBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=July 31, 2025 |title=Cougar safety |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/securite-safety/faune-wildlife/couguar-cougar |access-date=September 7, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=May 16, 2023 |title=Elk safety |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/securite-safety/faune-wildlife/wapiti-elk |access-date=September 7, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=April 3, 2024 |title=Bear Safety – Bear safety |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/mtn/ours-bears/securite-safety |access-date=September 7, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref> Hikers can reduce this risk by safely storing their food, carrying bear spray, being alert, and making noise while hiking.{{Sfn|Lynx|2021|p=52–55}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 12, 2025 |title=Alberta BearSmart Program – Overview {{!}} Alberta.ca |url=https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-bearsmart-program-overview |access-date=August 17, 2025 |website=alberta.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=April 9, 2025 |title=Safe travel in bear country |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/mtn/ours-bears/securite-safety/ours-humains-bears-people |access-date=August 17, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref><ref name=":02" /><ref name=":32">{{Cite web |title=Backcountry Safety – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/go-hiking/trip-planning-resources/backcountry-safety/ |access-date=September 8, 2025}}</ref>
The Great Divide Trail has many unbridged river crossings that can be hazardous when water levels are high. This typically occurs after rain events, in early summer from snowmelt above the trail and late on warm days due to high glacial melt. GDT hikers will have to navigate many types of watercourses, such as large braided rivers and fast-flowing cobble streams. Because rivers on the GDT are glacially fed, glacial silt can obscure the stream bed except in still, shallow areas.<ref name=":14">{{cite web |last1=Wiebe |first1=Josh |author1-link= |date=March 17, 2023 |title=Risk Management Webinar 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdvAXBm9OQE |access-date=September 7, 2025 |website=youtube.com |publisher=Great Divide Trail Association |at=8:00 |format=video}}</ref><ref name=":02" />{{Sfn|Lynx|2021|p=50–52}}<ref name=":32" />
Hikers attempting the GDT early in the season may encounter significant lingering snowpack in certain areas such as the leeward and north-facing slopes near high passes. The terrain can cause cornices to form and pose high avalanche hazard. Travel in deep snow without equipment such as snowshoes is also slow and exhausting.<ref name=":22">{{cite web |last1=Hager |first1=Austen |date=March 17, 2023 |title=Risk Management Webinar 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdvAXBm9OQE |access-date=September 7, 2025 |website=youtube.com |publisher=Great Divide Trail Association |at=40:00 |format=video}}</ref><ref name=":32" />
The highly variable mountain weather can be dangerous for unprepared hikers. Snow, especially at higher elevations, is possible even in the summer, and prolonged periods of cool, wet weather increase the chances of hypothermia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berendt |first=Mckenzie |date=May 27, 2025 |title=ACC Safety Bulletin: Hypothermia |url=https://alpineclubofcanada.ca/acc-safety-bulletin-hypothermia/ |access-date=September 21, 2025 |website=Alpine Club of Canada}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hypothermia Myths |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/carson/learning/safety-ethics/?cid=stelprdb5296034 |access-date=September 21, 2025 |website=fs.usda.gov}}</ref> During heat waves, temperatures on the trail have reached at least {{Convert|39|C|F}},<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dozens of record highs set in Alberta Monday amid historic heat wave {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7990076/alberta-june-28-record-highs-alberta-heat-wave/ |access-date=September 21, 2025 |website=Global News}}</ref> which can contribute to heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Given the exposed position of many parts along the GDT, thunderstorms are also a hazard. Hikers should watch for signs of thunderheads before committing to long stretches above the treeline.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=August 21, 2020 |title=Scrambling in Banff National Park – Scrambling |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/activ/escalade-scrambling |access-date=September 21, 2025 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2021|p=55–56}}
===Notable thru-hikes=== In 1988, Chris Townsend hiked the entire length of the Canadian Rockies, including the original GDT route proposed by Jim Thorsell, and visited what would become the northern terminus at Kakwa Lake. He wrote about it in his 1989 book ''High Summer''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Townsend |first=Chris |title=High Summer: Backpacking the Canadian Rockies |publisher=Oxford Illustrated Press |year=1989 |isbn=9780946609635 |edition=1st |location=Sparkford, Nr Yeovil, Somerset England}}</ref>
Dustin Lynx's 1996 hike of the GDT is credited with reviving interest in the trail when, in 2000, he published his research in the guidebook ''Hiking the Great Divide Trail''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lynx |first=Dustin |title=Hiking Canada's Great Divide Trail |date=2000 |publisher=Rocky Mountain Books |isbn=978-0-921102-79-3 |location=Calgary}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2021|p=20}}
Andrew Cotterell set the fastest known time for a supported thru-hike of the GDT at just over 20 days in July 2021.<ref name=":42">{{Cite web |date=July 31, 2021 |title=Great Divide Trail (AB & BC, Canada) {{!}} Fastest Known Time |url=https://fastestknowntime.com/route/great-divide-trail-ab-bc-canada |access-date=August 3, 2025 |website=fastestknowntime.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Small |first=Jordan |date=August 6, 2021 |title=Canmore man smashes Great Divide Trail's fastest known time for charity |url=https://www.rmoutlook.com/local-sports/canmore-man-smashes-great-divide-trails-fastest-known-time-for-charity-4190609 |access-date=August 3, 2025 |website=Rocky Mountain Outlook}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dickinson |first=Marley |date=August 18, 2021 |title=Canmore resident runs Canada's Great Divide Trail in record time for charity |url=https://runningmagazine.ca/trail-running/canmore-resident-runs-canadas-great-divide-trail-in-record-time-for-charity/ |access-date=August 3, 2025 |website=Canadian Running Magazine}}</ref>
Ellaine Bissonho holds the fastest known time for a "yo-yo" (hiking the trail in one direction, then reversing it) of the GDT at 52 days, in 2019.{{Sfn|Lynx|2021|p=35}}<ref name=":42" />
A small number of people have successfully linked the Continental Divide Trail and the Great Divide Trail in one continuous thru hike, including Andrew "Peanut" Glenn in 2019 and Jessica "Stitches" Guo in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gleisner |first=David |date=October 10, 2025 |title=She Became the First Woman to Complete This 3,600-Mile Thru-Hike—and Brought Thousands Along for the Journey |url=https://www.backpacker.com/stories/thru-hikes/thru-hikers/jessica-stitches-guo-spent-five-months-on-one-of-americas-wildest-longest-thru-hikes/ |access-date=October 12, 2025 |website=Backpacker}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 18, 2019 |title=Hiking Thru – Andrew Glenn aka Peanut |url=https://www.hiking-thru.com/episodes/andrew-glenn-aka-peanut |access-date=October 14, 2025 |website=Hiking Thru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Namkung |first=Victoria |date=November 9, 2025 |title=She left her desk job and walked 3,541 miles from Mexico to Canada: 'Give yourself permission' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/nov/09/hike-continental-great-divide-trail |access-date=November 11, 2025 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
===Non-hiking=== [[File:Skiing the Columbia Icefield, Doris.jpg|thumb|Skiers can stay much closer to the continental divide through the Columbia Icefield.]]
Although primarily a hiking route, many portions of the GDT are accessible to equestrians where not precluded by unsuitable terrain or regulations. The Great Divide Trail Association is working on alternate routes for horse travel.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 17, 2023 |title=GDT Horseback Adventure – The Great Divide Trail Association |url=https://greatdividetrail.com/gdt-horseback-adventure/ |access-date=August 17, 2025}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lynx|2021|p=33, 34}}<ref name=":02" /> The Great Divide Traverse is a ski route between Jasper and Lake Louise and has been extended further south.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harrap |first=Liam |date=March 12, 2020 |title=How to walk from Jasper, AB to Mexico: A Short Guide to Long-Distance Hiking |url=https://explore-mag.com/how-to-walk-from-jasper-ab-to-mexico-a-short-guide-to-long-distance-hiking/ |access-date=August 3, 2025 |website=Explore Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harrap |first=David |date=December 31, 2024 |title=Journey's End: A look back at a 5,407 km adventure |url=https://www.jasperlocal.com/2024/12/31/journeys-end-a-look-back-at-a-5407-km-adventure/ |access-date=August 3, 2025 |website=The Jasper Local}}</ref> The ski traverse stays much closer to the divide than the hiking trail, which avoids the technical glacier travel required around the ice fields.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Great Divide Traverse |url=http://www.theskitraverse.com/ |access-date=August 3, 2025 |website=theskitraverse.com}}</ref>
==References== ===Citations=== {{reflist|25em}}
===Bibliography=== {{refbegin}}
{{Cite book |last1=Copeland |first1=Kathy |title=Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies |last2=Copeland |first2=Craig | ref={{SfnRef|Copeland|2009}} | publisher=hikingcamping.com, inc. |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-9783427-5-3 |edition=6th |location=Canmore, Alberta, Canada}}
{{Cite book |last=Gadd |first=Ben |title=Handbook of the Canadian Rockies | ref={{SfnRef|Gadd|2016}} |date=1995 |publisher=Corax Press |isbn=978-0-9692631-1-1 |edition=2nd |location=Jasper, Alta}}
{{Cite book |last1=Kershaw |first1=Linda |title=Plants of the Rocky Mountains | ref={{SfnRef|Kershaw|2016}} |last2=MacKinnon |first2=Andy |last3=Pojar |first3=Jim |publisher=Partners Publishing |year=2016 |isbn=9781772130294 |edition=2nd |location=China}}
{{Cite book |last=Lynx |first=Dustin |title=Hiking Canada's Great Divide Trail |date=2000 |publisher=Rocky Mountain Books |isbn=978-0-921102-79-3 |location=Calgary}}
{{Cite book |last=Lynx |first=Dustin |title=Hiking Canada's Great Divide Trail – 4th Edition | ref={{SfnRef|Lynx|2022}} |date=2022 |publisher=RMB Rocky Mountain Books |isbn=978-1-77160-550-2 |edition=4th |location=Victoria}}
{{refend}}
==External links== * [http://www.greatdividetrail.com GDTA] website
{{Canadian Trails}} {{Authority control}} Category:Banff National Park Category:Canadian Rockies Category:Great Divide of North America Category:Hiking trails in Alberta Category:Hiking trails in British Columbia Category:Jasper National Park Category:Kootenay National Park Category:Waterton Lakes National Park Category:Yoho National Park