The Continental Divide Trail - by Barney Scout Mann (Hardcover)

About the Book

The Continental Divide Trail explores this iconic crown jewel of America's trails with more than 250 spectacular contemporary images, historical photos and documents from the Continental Divide Trail Coalition archives, and detailed maps. Readers can experience the trail as if their boots were on the 3,100-mile path. This beautifully produced volume makes accessible the highest and most remote of the three crown jewel trails--following the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico along the Continental Divide, the backbone of America.

Book Synopsis

The Continental Divide Trail explores this iconic crown jewel of America's trails with more than 250 spectacular contemporary images, historical photos and documents from the Continental Divide Trail Coalition archives, and detailed maps. Readers can experience the trail as if their boots were on the 3,100-mile path. This beautifully produced volume makes accessible the highest and most remote of the three crown jewel trails--following the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico along the Continental Divide, the backbone of America.

The Continental Divide Trail presents the full glory of this challenging trail in breathtaking images, ephemera, and maps. While untold thousands of day hikers take advantage of the CDT each year, thru-hiking the entire trail is not for the faint-hearted. In 2017, only 250 people will attempt to hike it end to end. The Continental Divide Trail is perfect for anyone interested in conservation, outdoor recreation, or American history, or for those who dream of one day becoming thru-hikers themselves.This is the first large-format book published in conjunction with the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, and the breathtaking photographs make you feel as if you were on the trail. The book includes maps and rarely seen archival images, as well as a written backstory of this great trail. This photo- and information-packed book is a must-have for anyone who has ever caught the magic of the nation's rooftop, the Great Divide. It's an inspirational bucket list for everyone who wants to get outdoors--day hiker, backpacker, fisherman, hunter, and those rare souls--thru-hikers--who dare to attempt hiking it all in one go.With text by Barney Mann, who has thru-hiked all three Triple Crown trails, and a foreword by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, this book makes the trail come alive for both veteran hikers and armchair travelers alike.

Review Quotes

"Go-to book perfect for holiday gift..."
-- Colorado Public Radio

"In The Continental Divide Trail, Barney Scout Mann traces 3,100 miles of history, ecology, caretakers, and backpackers, from New Mexico's bootheel to north of Glacier National Park. Mann through-hiked the CDT in 2015 and shares tons of important info, but let's face it: You came for the 250 photos, and you'll probably start on page 148, with the 'New Mexico Divide' chapter. That's cool. Whichever part of the CDT gets you jazzed, you'll find it here--and likely discover a few new loves as well. Maybe enough to support one of the many trail stewards highlighted within the book."
-- New Mexico Magazine

"If the hiker on your list hasn't tackled a thru hike yet, the stunning photos in this book might make him or her start planning right away. It also provides a dose of history about one of America's greatest treks, and all proceeds from the book benefit the Continental Divide Trail Coalition." --Backpacker Magazine

"The book chronicles the first steps of the trailblazers (literally) who envisioned the CDT's creation and describes the various organizations that have since kept it accessible to the heartiest of hiking enthusiasts. These pages are an ode to the trai's beauty and travails, its glorious vistas and its history." --High Country News

About the Author

Barney Scout Mann is author of Rizzoli's The Pacific Crest Trail, which Backpacker magazine named Coffee Table Book of the Year. Mann's articles have appeared in Backpacker, The Oregonian, and the New York Times online. The New York Times calls him "the unofficial historian of the trail." He thru-hiked the Continental Divide Trail in 2015. He was the chair of the Pacific Crest Trail Association's board of directors from 2012 to 2015 and now serves on the board of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition.
Nicholas D. Kristof, a columnist for The New York Times since 2001, is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner who writes op-ed columns that appear twice a week. He is an avid backpacker who is section hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with his family.
The Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC) is the national nonprofit working to protect, promote, and preserve the Continental Divide Trail. The CDTC's mission is to complete, promote, and protect the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. The CDTC does this by building a strong and diverse trail community, providing up-to-date information to the public, and encouraging conservation and stewardship of the Trail, its corridor, and surrounding landscapes.