Meet the Photographers Behind the 2027 CDT to Parks Calendar

In September, we asked the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) community to share their favorite moments from the national parks and monuments along the Divide. You sent us sunrise geysers, Milky Way nights, morning mist on Piegan Pass, ancient lava flows, and quiet dawns at the Northern Terminus.

Swipe through to see the 10 stunning community photos that made the 2027 Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC) calendar, spanning from Camp Hale in Colorado to Glacier National Park in Montana.

Thank you to everyone who entered and shared a piece of your trail story with us. Congratulations to our featured photographers!

Bunker ruins at Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument. During WWII, thousands of U.S. service members lived and trained here for mountain operations in the European Alps. 

📍 Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument, Colorado. Ancestral lands of the Ute nation.

“I stopped at an overlook along the Narrows Rim Trail, gazing across an infinity of ancient lava stretching toward distant mountains. The sun dipped low on the horizon, bathing the landscape in a brilliant orange glow. Lost in that moment of awe and wonder, I almost forgot everything else until reality brought me back to earth. I was completely out of water and needed to descend quickly. As I turned away from the edge, I noticed a small hole in the rocks, just large enough to have captured the rain that had fallen a few days earlier. There, in the middle of this seemingly endless wilderness, was enough water to slake my thirst. It felt every bit as miraculous as the setting sun illuminating that lone pinyon.”

📍 Narrows Rim Trail, El Malpais National Conservation Area, New Mexico. Ancestral lands of the Acoma, Diné, and Zuni nations.

“Entering El Malpais along the official CDT was a crash course on traveling lava rock, and how beautiful and rugged a generally very flat region can be. Crossing this lava field with distant thunderstorms across the desert in three directions was particularly beautiful.”

📍 Lava fields of El Malpais, New Mexico. Ancestral lands of the Acoma, Diné, and Zuni nations.

“Lone Star Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, near CDT mile 2026.”

📍 Lone Star Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Ancestral lands of the Crow, Eastern Shoshone, and Shoshone-Bannock nations.

“Piegan Pass to Many Glacier, featuring a view of Mount Gould south to Bishops Gap near CDT mile 2997.”

📍 Piegan Pass to Many Glacier, Glacier National Park, Montana. Ancestral lands of the Blackfeet, Kootenai, and Salish nations.

“Total solitude in a stunning section of scenery on a perfect day in Yellowstone National Park during my NOBO CDT thru-hike. Firehole River, Yellowstone National Park, near CDT mile 2025.9.”

📍 Firehole River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Ancestral lands of the Crow, Eastern Shoshone, and Shoshone-Bannock nations.

“Piegan Pass was from my 2018 thru-hike. I was up early to get needed mileage and the sun was just starting to burn off the morning mist, creating a stunning reward to a strenuous pass.”

📍 Piegan Pass, Glacier National Park, Montana. Ancestral lands of the Blackfeet, Kootenai, and Salish nations.

“Taken at Summit Lake Campground, Yellowstone National Park. I got up to go use the facilities at midnight and saw the Milky Way above Summit Lake with my naked eye. I went back to my tent to grab my tripod and camera and took the shot!”

📍 Summit Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Ancestral lands of the Crow, Eastern Shoshone, and Shoshone-Bannock nations.

“Early morning light at the CDT Northern Terminus on Waterton Lake in Glacier National Park’s international border.”

📍 CDT Northern Terminus on Waterton Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana. Ancestral lands of the Blackfeet, Kootenai, and Salish nations.

“I remember the day quite well, it was town day. Grants, New Mexico, was just a few hours’ hike away and I was looking forward to getting into town. The road walk on the Cebolla Alternate was brutal but the beauty and magnificence of the Natural Arch made the walk worthwhile. It was also the site of one of my most memorable trail magic moments. A family stopped and handed me a bag of homemade cookies. La Ventana Natural Arch, Mile 22.8 on the Cebolla Alternate.”

📍 La Ventana Natural Arch, El Malpais National Conservation Area, New Mexico. Ancestral lands of the Acoma, Diné, and Zuni nations.

Our 2027 calendar is coming soon! As a special thank you, it will be our gift to all CDTC supporters who have contributed $100 or more this year.

Join our email list to be the first to know when it drops, and to get the latest trail updates, stories, and volunteer opportunities delivered straight to your inbox. Stay tuned for the launch!