New restrictions within the New Mexico Nationwide Protection Space require hikers to get a allow to entry the southern terminus of the Continental Divide Path—and appears to ban most non-U.S. residents from it solely. This is what we all know.
Printed October 10, 2025 02:11PM
When the U.S. authorities introduced it might set up a 100,000-acre Nationwide Protection Space within the southern reaches of New Mexico earlier this yr, hikers had questions on how it might have an effect on entry to the southern terminus of the Continental Divide Path, which fell inside it. Late final month, we lastly bought a solution when the Continental Divide Path Coalition (CDTC), introduced that new restrictions would require hikers to use for a allow and cross a background to go to the terminus and the southernmost 1.1 miles of the path, and that hikers who weren’t U.S. residents wouldn’t be capable to safe one.
The state of affairs continues to evolve—since we shot this video, for instance, the CDTC has introduced that some non-citizen hikers might be able to go to the terminus with a authorities sponsor and an escort. Right here’s what we all know concerning the state of affairs on the finish of one in all America’s most well-known trails.
Transcript
Over the previous two weeks, the state of affairs on the southern terminus of the Continental Divide Path has modified in some essential methods. Should you’re planning on heading there both as a part of a thru-hike or a piece hike, there are some things you should know.
Earlier this yr, the US authorities established what it referred to as a Nationwide Protection Space alongside a piece of the US-Mexico border in New Mexico. This included about 100,000 acres of land, the management of which it transferred to the US Military for 3 years. Importantly, the southern terminus of the CDT is inside that space.
On the time, there was some hypothesis that this new designation may have an effect on how hikers accessed the southern terminus of the CDT. Nonetheless, we didn’t get affirmation of that till not too long ago. On September thirtieth, the Continental Divide Path Coalition introduced that new restrictions would require hikers headed to the terminus to use for and obtain a brand new allow from the US Military.
Making use of for this allow is comparatively straightforward from what we perceive. The method takes about 10 minutes. Hikers want a passport-style photograph and a Actual ID, corresponding to a state driver’s license or a passport. Typically talking, hikers have heard again in only a few days concerning the allow, although technically it might take as much as three weeks. And from what we perceive, the present authorities shutdown isn’t alleged to have an effect on processing.
Nonetheless, there are just a few essential caveats. To begin with, the permits are solely obtainable to US residents. That implies that hikers touring from exterior the US or individuals right here on visas are successfully barred from the southern terminus in the interim. It’s additionally not clear how individuals with felonies or different points that may pop up on a background verify are going to be affected by this. We don’t know in the event that they’ll be capable to get the permits or not. And it’s value mentioning that whereas we don’t know for positive how fastidiously authorities shall be checking for permits, anybody caught within the space with out vital permissions might face something from fines to jail time. [Editor’s Note: Since we recorded this video, the CDTC has updated its guidance to specify that non-U.S. citizens may be able to access the NDA with a government sponsor and escort, though the process to secure that permission is still unclear. The U.S. Army’s application page also now lists factors that could result in a failed background check, including a felony conviction within the past 10 years or presence on a government terrorism watchlist.]
For hikers who should not eligible for a allow or who don’t need to apply for one, there are different choices for doing a border-to-border CDT thru-hike. The CDTC has not launched an official detour across the space. Nonetheless, there are methods to entry the border legally via adjoining state belief lands. All it takes is a reasonably simply obtainable allow from New Mexico.
Within the meantime, we’ll proceed monitoring this story for Backpacker. Test again for updates. You may as well search for the most recent on these restrictions on the CDTC’s web site.
