Continental Divide
Rocky Mountain ridgeline
The Continental Divide is the principal mountain ridge running through western North America, separating waters flowing to the Pacific from those flowing to the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
It extends from Alaska through Canada and the western United States into Mexico, largely following the Rocky Mountains.
The Continental Divide Trail is a long-distance hiking route that traces this ridge through the U.S.
We spent three months hiking the Continental Divide. (Lowercase continental divide is any such drainage boundary.)
North American mountain chain
- Rocky MountainsWestern North American cordillera
- ridgeNarrow raised strip
- spineColumn of vertebrae
- crestHighest point or tuft
North America · Americas · highpoint · saddle · pass · backbone
Drainage area boundary
- basinConcave water receptacle
- drainageLiquid removal system
- PacificEarth's vastest ocean
- AtlanticOcean bordering Europe
Gulf of Mexico · headwaters · tributary · river system · catchment · runoff · drainage basin
Early 1800s expedition leaders
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
- frontierEdge of settlement
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- pioneersFirst to explore territory
trailblazing · mapping · surveying · discovery · explorers · mountain men · fur trade · westward expansion
Walking an entire trail
- backcountrySparsely populated wilderness areas
- Triple CrownThree-event championship sweep
- mountain passesRoutes traversing elevated ranges
- scenic trailAttractive outdoor pathway
trail markers · trekking · backpacking · trailhead · wilderness · alpine · camping · summit
Rockies
North American mountain chain
- Rocky MountainsWestern North American cordillera
- ridgeNarrow raised strip
- spineColumn of vertebrae
crest · North America · Americas · highpoint · saddle · pass · backbone
watershed
Drainage area boundary
Atlantic · Gulf of Mexico · headwaters · tributary · river system · catchment · runoff · drainage basin
Lewis and Clark
Early 1800s expedition leaders
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
- frontierEdge of settlement
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
pioneers · trailblazing · mapping · surveying · discovery · explorers · mountain men · fur trade · westward expansion · Oregon Trail
thru-hiking
Walking an entire trail
- backcountrySparsely populated wilderness areas
- Triple CrownThree-event championship sweep
- mountain passesRoutes traversing elevated ranges
scenic trail · trail markers · trekking · backpacking · trailhead · wilderness · alpine · camping · summit · elevation
- Colorado Wildernesswilderness areas, Big Blue, Holy Cross, alpine tundra, alpine lakes
- American LandformsGrand Canyon, Rocky Mountains, Rockies, Appalachian Mountains, Appalachians
- Mountain WestColorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho
- RockiesRocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho
- Rocky Mountain WestWyoming, Montana, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, cowboys
- Rocky MountainsRocky Mountain National Park, Rocky Mountains, Rockies, fourteeners, Pikes Peak
Continental Dividedrainage basin
Area feeding one waterway
river mouth · delta · estuary · ocean · river junction
Continental Divideocean trench
trough · depression · Mariana Trench · ocean basin · valley floor
Continental Dividepolitical boundary
Edge of governmental jurisdiction
state line · national border · Mason-Dixon Line · international boundary · 49th parallel
divide, continent, continental, intercontinental, subcontinental