Inside the Work to Complete and Protect the CDT
Stretching 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada, the Continental Divide Trail connects communities, ecosystems, and cultures across the American West. The Continental Divide Trail Coalition works year-round to maintain, protect, and complete the CDT for future generations — and that work doesn’t happen on its own. We are excited to share a new film, released by our partners at onX and
“Labor of Love” captures a volunteer stewardship weekend near Silver City, New Mexico — one of four trail improvement projects funded this year by the onX Adventure Forever Grant in partnership with Toyota. The film follows CDTC crews as they build switchbacks into rocky ridgelines, clear blowdown with crosscut saws, and convert dangerous highway roadwalks into protected singletrack.
Trail stewardship is physical, skilled, essential work. On these projects, crews improved 2.5 miles of Continental Divide Trail across four sites stretching from North Fork, Idaho to Silver City, New Mexico. The work included building sustainable singletrack, removing deteriorated water bars, installing wayfinding signage, and clearing downed timber — the unglamorous, critical maintenance that keeps the CDT open and safe for the thousands of hikers, equestrians, and community members who use it each year.
What They're Saying
“Stewardship is strongest when it’s shared—when volunteers come together with a deep love of the land and a commitment to leave it better than they found it. I am always amazed by how that spirit comes alive through every mile cared for and every hand that helps."
"Rarely are the efforts of building trails so closely captured as in this piece. It's a ton of work and I'm just really psyched to see this film bring to life a tiny drop in the bucket of what it is that land managers, the agency, partners, volunteers, stewards of all kinds make happen everyday."
Meet the Cast
Teresa Martinez
Executive Director, CDTC
Michael McDaniel
Technical Field Specialist, CDTC
Kinsey Warnock
Field Coordinator, CDTC
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