Continental Divide: Stony Pass to Weminuche Pass

Within the more than 600 miles it covers in the state of Colorado, the Continental Divide forms the headwaters of such famous rivers as the Yampa, Platte, Colorado, Arkansas, Rio Grande, and San Juan. Along the way the Divide tracks widely east to west as it snakes from mountain range to mountain range. One of these undulations occurs where the Divide crests along the San Juan Mountains—the largest mountain range in the U.S. Rockies. Within its final 200-mile stretch before reaching the New Mexico border, the Continental Divide nearly doubles back on itself as it traverses the state’s largest wilderness area, the 488,544-acre Weminuche Wilderness. Encompassing more than 80 miles of the Continental Divide from end to end, the Weminuche Wilderness includes the longest undeveloped stretch of the Divide in the state. Thanks to the Continental Divide Trail, hikers can follow the Divide from Stony Pass to Wolf Creek Pass with very few intrusions. This hike description covers the 26-mile segment of the Continental D