Congressman Neguse meets with stakeholders and administrators to discuss a prominent gap in the CDT
Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse met with staff from the Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC), the US Forest Service, and community partners in August alongside Highway 40 this week to discuss completion of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT). The meeting took place at the Muddy Pass Gap—a 12-mile stretch of the CDT where the official trail routes hikers onto the shoulder of a busy highway.
Congressman Neguse is an outspoken advocate for the Continental Divide Trail and co-sponsors the Continental Divide Trail Completion Act alongside Representative Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico. Despite being designated as a National Scenic Trail almost 50 years ago in 1978, nearly 160 miles of the CDT are still routed on busy roadways and highways. These “gap areas” are incompatible with the purposes for which the trail was designated and make for an unsafe journey for long-distance trail visitors seeking a continuous path between Mexico and Canada.
The CDT Completion Act directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to prioritize completion of the CDT within ten years of enactment. The CDT Completion Act has also been introduced in the Senate, where it has bipartisan co-sponsorship by Senators Steve Daines of Montana and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.
Major gap areas remain in all five states through which the CDT passes, with significant gaps in northern New Mexico, northern Colorado, southern Wyoming, and along the Idaho-Montana border. In addition to creating a continuous footpath along the Continental Divide, completion of the CDT will improve local community access to the CDT and support economic development through outdoor recreation.
“Completing the CDT is not just about closing the gaps—it’s about all the benefits that result from ensuring connections to one of the country’s most important landscapes exist for future generations,” said Teresa Martinez, Executive Director of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition.
As public lands and land management agencies face unprecedented threats, Representative Neguse continues to be a vocal champion for the outdoor places that are integral to the economies, cultures, and ways of life of communities across Colorado. In addition to sponsoring the Continental Divide Trail Completion Act, Representative Neguse recently worked with other Democrats on the House Committee on Natural Resources to introduce a bill that would place a moratorium on the “reductions in force” that have led to large-scale staffing shortages at land management agencies.
During the meeting, Representative Neguse discussed the interconnectedness of public lands issues, stating that initiatives such as the completion of the CDT cannot be achieved without adequate funding for federal agencies.
“Representative Neguse’s desire to spend boots-on-the-ground time in places at the heart of national public lands challenges like the Muddy Pass Gap shows a desire not only to advocate for these places, but also to truly understand the challenges that they’re facing,” said Jordan Williams, Colorado Regional Representative for the Continental Divide Trail Coalition.
Photo: Visitors to discuss the Muddy Pass CDT Gap, left to right: Shane Baca (USFS), Claire Cutler (CDTC), Jordan Williams (CDTC), Congressman Joe Neguse, Rob Peterson (Big Agnes), Aaron Voos (USFS)