# Continental Divide Trail Completion Act

This bill is about finishing a long-distance hiking trail that runs through the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico. The Continental Divide Trail stretches over 3,100 miles across some of America's most remote and scenic wilderness areas, passing through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Right now, parts of the trail are incomplete or don't have official protection, which means hikers sometimes have to walk on roads or private land instead of a continuous wilderness path. This bill would authorize the federal government to complete the missing sections and officially designate the entire route as a protected national scenic trail.

The practical effect is that the government would work to acquire or secure access rights for the remaining gaps in the trail, making it possible for people to hike the entire Continental Divide on a continuous, protected route. This involves coordinating with private landowners, state agencies, and the National Forest Service to either purchase land or arrange easements that allow public access. The bill also provides funding and a legal framework for maintaining and managing the trail over time. For outdoor enthusiasts, this means a more complete and reliable hiking experience. For local communities along the trail, it could bring tourism benefits as more people visit the region to hike.

The bill doesn't require anyone to do anything or change their daily lives—it's focused on government action to complete a recreational infrastructure project. It's similar to how the government has completed other long-distance trails like the Appalachian Trail, creating a continuous pathway through otherwise fragmented public and private lands.

Continental Divide Trail Completion Act

Heinrich, Martin

Continental Divide Trail Completion Act This bill directs the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to complete the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail as a contiguous route by November 10, 2028. The Forest Service and Interior must also establish a joint Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management trail completion team to work in coordination with the administrator of the trail to facilitate its completion and optimization. In addition, the Forest Service must submit to specified congressional committees a comprehensive development plan for the trail.