Butte Becomes Fourth Montana City Designated as a Gateway to the Continental Divide Trail
BUTTE, Mont. (August 5, 2021) – Located at the headwaters of the Columbia River Basin, nearly atop the Continental Divide, Butte, Montana, is adopting a new identity. Once known as ‘the richest hill’ – over 1.5 billion tons of gold, silver, and copper ore were mined from surrounding lands since 1860 – the City-County of Butte, Silver Bow, Montana, hopes to highlight a different resource upon its hills with a new designation as a Gateway Community to the Continental Divide Trail.
This Saturday, a group of Butte community leaders, trail maintenance volunteers, community organizations, and federal agencies like the US Forest Service, will join the Continental Divide Trail Coalition in celebrating Butte as the newest Continental Divide Trail Gateway Community.
The Continental Divide Trail (CDT), which spans more than 3,000 miles from the Canadian border to the Mexican border along the spine of the Rocky Mountains, travels to the east of Butte through the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.
In 2004, an effort to move the CDT off roads coalesced the community around the CDT and resulted in the construction of a single-track trail from Homestake Pass to Nez Perce Road. After constructing the trail near Butte, a group of community leaders came together to spearhead the effort to designate Butte as a CDT Gateway Community.
“Since 2004, community volunteers, organizations, and agencies in Butte have dedicated their time, expertise, and support to the completion of the Continental Divide Trail through Silver Bow County,” said City-County of Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher. “The designation of Butte as a CDT Gateway Community is the logical next step in demonstrating Butte’s commitment to the trails and recreation areas in our backyard. This new designation will only elevate the role of the people of Butte as stewards of the world-class Continental Divide Trail.”
CDT Gateway Communities are trailside towns recognized as welcoming destinations for trail visitors and work in partnership with CDTC to maintain, protect, and promote the trail. Once designated this Saturday by a proclamation signed by the Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive, Butte will be the fourth city in Montana to earn the official CDT Gateway Community designation.
“We at CDTC see the Continental Divide Trail as more than just a path — it's a connector of communities and landscapes. We are so proud of our Gateway Communities, which will soon include beautiful Butte, MT, for their diverse cultures, their stewardship of the trail and the ecosystems of the Divide, and their unique histories, all of which help make the CDT a world-class destination for outdoors enthusiasts," said Teresa Martinez, Executive Director of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition.
The committee of community members who spearheaded the designation process also hopes the designation will create new connections between CDT thru-hikers and local residents.
“I wanted Butte to become a CDT Gateway community because I didn’t want the city of Butte to miss out on the amazing people who pass through while they are determining to endeavor a serious beast of a hike or ride, as much as I didn’t want those amazing people to miss out on this amazing town,” said Lucy Ednie, who serves on the Butte designation advisory committee. “There is a symbiosis here, I think, and when two good energies combine, a sort of synergy tends to follow.”
“Outdoor recreation is an incredibly important economic sector for our community, and the BLDC [Butte Local Development Corporation] and Headwaters RC&D are excited about the new designation for Butte as a Continental Divide Gateway Community. As a community, we know the great outdoor assets that we are surrounded by, and we look forward to sharing these great experiences with more visitors from the CDT,” said Joe Willauer, Executive Director of BLDC and Headwaters RC&D.
The Continental Divide Trail Coalition will host a designation celebration at the Butte Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, August 7, at 11 am, in partnership with the Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce, the Butte Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Butte Montana Tourism Business Improvement District, the US Forest Service, and other community organizations. The celebration is free and open to the public at the Butte Chamber of Commerce, 1000 George St., and guests can enter for their chance to win free door prizes from the Continental Divide Trail Coalition and other community partners.
“Being a Gateway Community will help to highlight to locals and visitors the proximity the CDNST has to our community,” said Maria Pochervina of the Tourism Business Improvement District of Butte. “With 13 trailheads within roughly 30 miles from the city center, we will be able to assist those traversing the entire length of the trail or those who just wish to enjoy the CDNST for shorter non-motorized recreation.”
About the Continental Divide Trail
The CDT is one of the world’s premiere long-distance trails, stretching 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada along the Continental Divide. Designated by Congress in 1978, the CDT is the highest, most challenging and most remote of the 11 National Scenic Trails. It provides recreational opportunities ranging from hiking to horseback riding to hunting for thousands of visitors each year. While 95% of the CDT is located on public land, approximately 150 miles are still in need of protection.
About the Continental Divide Trail Coalition
The CDTC was founded in 2012 by volunteers and recreationists hoping to provide a unified voice for the Trail. Working hand-in-hand with the U.S. Forest Service and other federal land management agencies, the CDTC is a non-profit partner supporting stewardship of the CDT. The mission of the CDTC is to complete, promote and protect the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, a world-class national resource. For more information, please visit continentaldividetrail.org.
