The Full Suspension Continental Divide Trail Route

The Continental Divide Trail (CDT) traces the peaks and ridges of the aptly named Crown of the Continent. The trail is almost entirely open to bicycles, except where the trail passes through wilderness areas and national parks. This route provides a bike-legal alternative to the standard CDT route. Many of the bike-legal substitutes incorporated into this route rival the grandeur of the avoided wilderness sections. This route and the information presented is based on my 2025 ride of the Continental Divide Trail, and draws heavily on information provided by Scott Morris and Kurt Refsnider after their own pioneering rides.

The Route

The “Full Suspension Continental Divide Trail” (FS/CDT) is designed to maximize time on the CDT proper with high-quality single-track alternatives around the wilderness and national park sections.

The full route map is available on CalTopo here: https://caltopo.com/m/UU6AE1G

You can view greater details by state:

The route is broken up into sections of 50 – 200 miles each between logical resupply points.

Route Alternatives

In portions of the route I have indicated several alternatives:

  • Red line alternatives are the hardest and purest to the idea of riding the entirety of the CDT and maximizing time in the alpine
  • Blue line alternatives strike a favorable balance between fun, efficiency, and a full experience of the route. These largely correspond to my own ride.
  • Green line alternatives avoid some of the most challenging or arduous sections and are great for those with less time or inclination

Logistics and Planning

Interested in your own FS/CDT ride? Here are some resources to help you plan your trip.

Daily Route Reports

Daily entries from my ride are linked below.

Complete list of daily rides: