42 Days Hiking 1,200km - Great Divide Trail - Thru Hike 2023

The Great Divide Trail is one of the most premier long distance hikes in the entire world. At 1,200km (or 750 miles) it's not as long as a trail like the Continental Divide, but it's certainly no slouch either. Passing through some of Canadas most popular and beautiful National Parks such as Banff and Jasper, the entire hike from start to finish is mind blowingly stunning.
My guide on how to hike the GDT (picturies, stats, gear, and info!)
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My top gear picks for the GDT:
- Patagonia Rain Jacket - bit.ly/3ua4k7H
- Ursack Major XL Food Bag - amzn.to/47nbfIM
- Mosquito Head Net - amzn.to/46bpiAv
- Satellite Communicator - amzn.to/3SFnxbt
Our Full Gear Lists for the GDT: www.jupiterhike...
Become a member of the GDTA to help grow this amazing trail!
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Hikers typically take 30 to 60 days to complete this trek on average, though an extremely fast hiker could conceivably do it quicker, and you could also certainly take longer. We took 42 days and felt that was a rather quick pace, for instance.
The entire trail is though prime grizzly bear country and moose are also commonly seen. A lot of caution must be taken because of this! Though in the end we only saw one grizzly and two moose, every single day of our hike we saw recent signs of both having been where we were just a day or hours prior. It was a mildly stressful thing given how large and dangerous those animals can be.
The permit system for this trail is the hardest part when it comes to planning and logistics. You have to purchase permits in (and earlier than) March, for a hike you won't even be beginning until July! They are costly (about 200 dollars) and confusing. But it is a necessary thing, especially so for places like Banff, and the Skyline Trail in Jasper. The GDTA have lots of great resources to help with this, and I would at the very least buy permits based on their example itineraries.
The trail itself is very difficult, much much more so than something like the Pacific Crest Trail. The trail is often not marked, often doesn't exist at all, and is often very overgrown when it does exist. The climbs can be extremely steep. The weather can be terribly unpredictable. You will almost never have cell service, and are rarely anywhere near roads, towns, or services and help of any kind. This is very much so a trail to plan for and prepare for because of these things!
That said, it is so ridiculously beautiful I think that anyone who is even sort of interested should go for it. You will never find another hike that is like this one. Challenging and magnificent. Glaciers, and massive braided rivers. Not seeing other people for days on end. Going 200km (120mi) between towns. Crazy amounts of wildlife and birds. It really is a special hike.
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