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Maps & Information for the
BLM Designated CDT Route
in Southern New Mexico
Additional bootheel information (March 2009) :
We drove through the Hachita/Lordsburg area in mid-March 2008 and found that the BLM-designated CDT route had been relocated. For details go to Crazy Cook Monument to NM SR81 and/or NM SR81 to NM SR9
Good news: the trail has apparently been signed up to the crossing of NM SR 113. See the Coyote Hills section. In May 2008 there were pink ribbons on the west side of SR 113. A later report indicated that the BLM had signed the rest of the trail into Lordsburg.
More good news: As of 28 April 2008 the trail north of Lordsburg into Engineer Canyon was reported to be marked. See this reference.
The maps and information presented in this section are for the BLM Designated route of the CDT (Continental Divide Trail) from the Crazy Cook Monument on the Mexican border to Silver City, NM. This section of the CDT was designated in August 2005, but was not built, marked or advertised at that time. In part, the route coincides with the description in the Westcliff CDT guidebook for New Mexico. But there is some variation in the first 47 miles, after which the route is entirely different up to the Burro Campground on NM SR90.
Statement of the obvious - This information applies only for those who want to hike this particular route. How you get to or from the Crazy Cook Monument is an exercise left to the student (Walk? Have a friend drive you? Parachute in? Teleport?.... whatever). The Monument is about 28 miles off paved NM SR 81 and the road is passable by passenger car. Be aware that there are several small patches of soft sand, but nothing that should deter a driver familiar with driving Western back roads.
Re: the maps on the following pages - there are 6 map pages and a summary page. Each map page contains the pertinent information for that particular map. The summary page has some comments on the route and a table of the water sources that we found along the route.
The yellow route indicated on the maps on the next six pages is approximate. It was the route that we (Jim & Ginny Owen and Mara Factor) walked in 2006. At that time, the trail was marked for roughly the first 40 miles by 8"x8" white metal signs with the CDT logo. After that, there were several miles of pink and orange ribbons, and then older Carsonite posts out to NM SR 9.
We followed the approximate route as drawn on maps by the BLM and CDTA. We used a GPS unit (Garmin Etrex) to record the position of the water sources along the route we followed. Except for that specific purpose, the GPS remained "OFF." Map and compass was entirely sufficient for navigation. We had fun with that.
The pink routes indicated on the maps on the next six pages represent either the designated CDT route in those places where we knowingly diverged from it or the driving route from NM SR81 to the Crazy Cook Monument. Each of those is specifically labeled on the appropriate map.
In 2006 there was no trail blazing/marking north of NM SR 9 until the trail north out of the Burro Campground. We were told that the BLM intended to mark more of the route during the summer of 2006. So if you find the marking to be different than what we experienced, please let us know so we can so inform those hikers who follow you.
Personal opinion - The Crazy Cook terminus is a good place to begin a thruhike of the CDT. Either the terminus at Columbus/Palomas or the terminus at Antelope Wells would a better place to end a thruhike. Nothing to do with the trail, simply the ease of getting a ride out. YMMV
The basic information that we used for this part of our 2006 thruhike and to generate the maps and information presented here was courtesy of Bryan Martin at CDTA and the BLM office in NM, and Jim Wolf at CDTS. We just did the fieldwork (the fun part).
Created: Thurs, 1 Nov 2007
Revised: 15 Nov 2009Copyright © 2007-2009 Spirit Eagle
