Great Divide Trail

Length Stated 1,095 km, the stated length (Great Divide Trail Association) Map line 1,099.3 km, OpenStreetMap along the official track Used for The charts on this page, and comparing trails in the search: 1,095km
Ascent · descent This trail 74,273 m up, 74,105 m down Source The sum of the 7 main stages (Great Divide Trail Association): 74,273m ↑74,105m ↓
Difficulty
What
How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
Scale
Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
Keep in mind
It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
Terrain: HardPath grade: ≈ T4
Climate: Demanding in Jul–AugCold: 2 °C at night (August)
Effort: HardLongest day: ≈ 112 h 45 (stage C)
All measures: Terrain: Hard; Climate: Demanding in Jul–Aug; Effort: Hard
Suggested: 36–68days
Per stage How The 7 main stages' totals over their number Source Great Divide Trail Association, so the averages come from one source: 157km· 10,610 m ↑
Season: When are you going?
The page rates its climate for them.
Landscape Source ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route Forest: 71% Grassland and shrubs: 16% Moss and lichen: 7% Bare rock and sand: 3% Farmland and villages: 2% Water, snow and ice: 1% Landscape along the route: Mostly Forest

Photos from Wikimedia Commons by Evrooyen55, dave_7, Lakes003, BenHWilson, Ovedc, Martin Kraft, Fresh.waffles and Benfwilliamson; each photo's licence in the gallery

Location

Country: Canada
Regions: Alberta, British Columbia
Start: International boundary at Boundary Bay (Waterton Lakes National Park)
Finish: Northern terminus at Kakwa Lake (Kakwa Provincial Park)
Route type: Point to point
Permit: Required
Travel hubs: Calgary International Airport (YYC)278.6 km by road · 219 min
Protected areas: Waterton Lakes National Park; Banff National Park; Kootenay National Park; Yoho National Park; Jasper National Park; Akamina-Kishinena Provincial Park; Castle Provincial Park; Castle Wildland Provincial Park; High Rock Wildland Provincial Park; Elk Lakes Provincial Park; Peter Lougheed Provincial Park; Height of the Rockies Provincial Park; Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park; Don Getty Wildland Provincial Park; White Goat Wilderness Area; Mount Robson Provincial Park; Willmore Wilderness Park; Kakwa Provincial Park
Managed by: Great Divide Trail AssociationOfficial website
Waymarking: Officially signed in portions of Sections A, B, D and G; elsewhere not signed as the GDT. Much of the trail in the national and provincial parks is well marked but not identified as the GDT, and the route varies from a well-developed, signed trail to an unmarked, cross-country wilderness route where navigation skills are required.
GPX: GPX trackOur tracing from OpenStreetMap

Trail
Start
Stage start
Finish
Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

Rates

How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?

How

Rated over the whole main route.

Level

The hardest measure sets it

Path grade

the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated

EasyT1
ModerateT2
DemandingT3
HardT4 to T6

Climbing

ascent of the main stages over their length

Easyunder 15 m per km
Moderate15–30 m
Demanding30–50 m
Hard50 m or more

Steep stretches

share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)

Easyunder 5 %
Moderate5–15 %
Demanding15–30 %
Hard30 % or more

Natural ground

share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own

Easyunder a third
Moderatea third to two thirds
Demandingtwo thirds or more

Hard

SAC hiking scale
This trail
T4 (our estimate)
Basis
The association calls the GDT the most spectacular and challenging long-distance trail in North America: steep climbs, brushy and muddy trail, navigation that can be difficult where the trail is overgrown or non-existent, deep and fast glacial stream crossings and summer snowstorms. It varies from a well-developed trail to an unmarked, cross-country wilderness route; on Section G the high routes involve route finding without trails and some easy to moderate scrambling. Alpine hiking with route finding off trail (T4).
Scale
The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
Why
Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
Keep in mind
An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
T1 · Hiking
Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
T2 · Mountain hiking
A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
T4 · Alpine hiking
Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.
The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club
estimated T4
Climbing68 m per km
Steep stretches8 % of the way
Natural ground85 %

Climate

Rates

How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?

How

From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.

Level

The hardest measure sets it

Heat

mean daily high at the lowest point

Easyunder 22 °C
Moderate22–27 °C
Demanding27–32 °C
Hard32 °C or more

Cold

mean nightly low at the highest point

Easy8 °C or more
Moderate3–8 °C
Demanding−2 to 3 °C
Hardbelow −2 °C

Wet days

days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points

Easyunder 10
Moderate10–14
Demanding14–18
Hard18 or more

Snow

days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point

Easyunder 1 day
Moderate1–3 days
Demanding3–6 days
Hard6 days or more

Wind

mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's

Easyunder 15 km/h
Moderate15–20 km/h
Demanding20–25 km/h
Hard25 km/h or more

Demanding in Jul–Aug

Heat · July21 °C by day
Cold · August2 °C at night
Wet days · July16 days
Snow · August3 days
Wind · July10 km/h

Effort

Rates

How long are the days?

How

Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end.

Level

The hardest measure sets it

Longest day

walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466

Easyup to 4 h
Moderate4–6 h
Demanding6–8 h
Hardmore than 8 h

Hard

Longest day · stage Cestimated 112 h 45

Climate

Days in season · lowest point: 15–21°C
Nights in season · highest point: −3 to 2°C
Wet days a month: 12–16
Daylight: 12.6–16.3h

Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
Month	Lowest point, day high / night low (°C)	Highest point, day high / night low (°C)	Wet days	Snow days	Frost nights at the highest point	Daylight (h)
January	-6.4 / -12.6	-15.8 / -21.1	10.2	8.2	31	8.2
February	-3.3 / -11.3	-14 / -20.3	8.2	6.8	28.3	9.8
March	1.5 / -7.1	-9.3 / -16.3	11.4	9.3	31	11.7
April	6.5 / -1.7	-4.4 / -11.3	11.1	9	30	13.9
May	11.7 / 2.7	1.2 / -5.9	12.2	8.9	29.8	15.7
June	16.9 / 6.5	6.4 / -1.8	17.5	6.5	22.3	16.8
July	21.4 / 10.7	11.6 / 2.3	15.9	2	8.1	16.3
August	20.9 / 10.2	11.2 / 1.9	14.1	2.5	9.3	14.7
September	15.4 / 5.3	5.5 / -2.9	12.2	7	22	12.6
October	6.6 / -2.8	-3.5 / -11	11.9	9.7	30.3	10.5
November	-2.5 / -9.5	-12.2 / -17.7	12.3	10.7	30	8.6
December	-8 / -13.6	-17.3 / -22.5	10.2	8.3	31	7.7

Climate by month

Source: ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
Places: The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
Bars: From the mean night low to the mean day high
Wet days: At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
Daylight: Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
Shading: The trail's season

Stages

Stage	Route	Distance	Ascent	Descent	Elevation	Time
A	International boundary (Boundary Bay) Coleman (Crowsnest Pass)	145.0 km	11,943 m ↑	11,919 m ↓	estimated 1,280 → 1,350 m	estimated 81 h 45
B	Coleman (Crowsnest Pass) Elk Pass Trailhead (Kananaskis)	195.0 km	13,597 m ↑	13,214 m ↓	estimated 1,370 → 1,740 m	estimated 96 h 15
C	Elk Pass Trailhead (Kananaskis) Field	207.0 km	16,092 m ↑	16,564 m ↓	estimated 1,710 → 1,250 m	estimated 112 h 45
D	Field North Saskatchewan River Crossing	106.0 km	5,498 m ↑	5,341 m ↓	estimated 1,240 → 1,510 m	estimated 42 h 15
E	North Saskatchewan River Crossing Jasper	190.0 km	12,375 m ↑	12,720 m ↓	estimated 1,420 → 1,060 m	estimated 90 h 30
F	Jasper Berg Lake Trail junction (Mount Robson Provincial Park)	102.0 km	6,072 m ↑	5,531 m ↓	estimated 1,060 → 1,590 m	estimated 44 h 00
G	Berg Lake Trail junction (Mount Robson Provincial Park) Kakwa Lake	154.0 km	8,696 m ↑	8,816 m ↓	estimated 1,600 → 1,480 m	estimated 65 h 45

Totals and averages count the main stages only. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: heights from the terrain model (Copernicus DEM, 30 m grid, sampled every 500 m), to the nearest 10 m; walking times from each stage's distance, ascent and descent by the German hiking standard DIN 33466 (4 km/h, 300 m/h up, 500 m/h down), without breaks.

Terrain

Highest · lowest point: 2,585m high1,033m low
Gradient Steepest climb 37 % (20°), 187 m up over 500 m, stage A Steepest descent −41 % (22°), 204 m down over 500 m, stage C Gradient Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90° Keep in mind Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper Gradient Angle Feels like 10 % 6° Noticeable on a road 20 % 11° A steep path, slow going 30 % 17° Very steep, often steps 100 % 45° Scrambling: 37% ↑−41% ↓
Steep stretches This trail 49.5 km up, 41.5 km down: the darkest parts of the profile Steep 15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 500 m stretches Why it matters Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill: 91km
Surfaces
Natural ground: 85%, 921.7 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
Gravel: 12%, 126.6 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
Paved: 1%, 15.5 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.
Unknown: 1%, 15.2 km. Stretches whose surface OpenStreetMap doesn't record.: 85% natural12% gravel1% paved

Gradient	Angle	Feels like
10 %	6°	Noticeable on a road
20 %	11°	A steep path, slow going
30 %	17°	Very steep, often steps
100 %	45°	Scrambling

Terrain along the route

Heights: Copernicus terrain model, 30 m grid, every 500 m along the main route; in forests it reads the treetops
Colours: Each 500 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
Ground: The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 59% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)
Tree line: About 2,000 m (Parks Canada): above it, open ground without trees. Pasture and clearing can keep the forest lower

Landscape

Landscape along the route

Source: ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
Points: Every 500 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
Groups: Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
Keep in mind: What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there

Sleeping

Wild camping
What
Pitching a tent outside campsites. Whether it is allowed, restricted or prohibited depends on the land and the country; the rule for this trail is below the cards.
Restricted
Camping
What
Official campsites along the trail. Bring your own tent.
Available
Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
Campsites · 84 in OpenStreetMap
Huts
What
Mountain huts (often staffed, with meals) and unstaffed bivouac shelters, usually on the trail itself.
Available
Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
9 in OpenStreetMap
Hostels
What
Dormitory beds for walkers: hostels, hiker lodges and pilgrim hostels.
Available
Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
4 in OpenStreetMap
Rooms
What
Private rooms, usually in villages near the trail: B&Bs, guesthouses, hotels, farm stays and monastery guesthouses.
Available
Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
B&Bs and guesthouses, Hotels · 6 in OpenStreetMap

Wild camping is restricted. Hikers must stay in designated campgrounds on most of the GDT in national and provincial parks; random camping is authorized in some areas of the national parks (the Amiskwi valley in Yoho, the Howse floodplain in Banff) with a permit, and is an acceptable alternative almost anywhere outside the parks, on Alberta's public lands with a Public Lands Camping Pass.

Places to sleep along the route

Ticks: One per place to sleep: 84 campsites, 9 huts, 4 hostels, 6 guest houses
Counted: Within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail); no hotels or day shelters
Shaded: The longest stretch without any, km 139.8–297.2
Source: OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally

Water & Supply

Clean water This trail 157.4 km without clean water, km 139.8–297.2, stages A–B Rating Frequentup to 10 km Regularup to 20 km Scarcebeyond Counted Within 500 m: 6 taps, fountains and drinking springs, 90 refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites Refills Guests come first and many close out of season: ask, and carry a little extra. Places marked without drinking water are left out Source OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route: 157.4kmScarce
Any water This trail 157.4 km without any water, km 139.8–297.2 Rating Frequentup to 10 km Regularup to 20 km Scarcebeyond Counted Clean water, plus the 3 springs within 500 m Keep in mind Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer: 157.4kmScarce
Shops This trail 290.6 km without a shop, km 532.9–823.5 Counted 10 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end Keep in mind Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one: 290.6km

Water and shops along the route

Ticks: One per place along the main route
Counted: Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of a stage's end
Shaded: Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
Source: OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally

Wildlife

Shows: Animals that can be dangerous to hikers on this trail: large animals, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders, ticks, and plants that harm on touch
Level: Ours, read from the official source
High: A bite of a species it calls common can be life-threatening within hours
Moderate: It warns of attacks or serious harm, or places the trail in a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis
Low: The harm is mostly minor or treatable, or avoidable by how you behave
What to do: From the official source: Parks Canada
Pictures: Silhouettes from PhyloPic, not to scale, each maker named with its advice; the landscape is the trail's own, drawn by us

Great Divide Trail

Key figures

Photos

Location

Difficulty

Climate

Stages

Terrain

Landscape

Sleeping

Water & Supply

Wildlife