Continental Divide Trail Resupply Guide (2022 Survey)

Sometimes your options are limited to a gas station or a very expensive general store (which is where some hikers may prefer to send themselves packages). Other times, you’ll find yourself in a large town with a supermarket (this is a good place to get a resupply to send ahead somewhere).

Before delving into the “best” strategy for CDT resupply, I must warn you (again) to not fall into the trap of attempting to plan your entire hike ahead of time. It (probably) is not going to work (although I’ve been proven wrong in the past).

Plans change, post offices aren’t always open, boxes get lost, and hikes end early – a lot can happen between your start date and the resupply box you hop(ed) to retrieve weeks or months later.

On top of all that, unless you’ve done a long-distance hike before, it can be hard to imagine what you, in a month (or two…or three…), are going to want to eat all day after having hiked hundreds of miles.

But since practically all hikers send at least some boxes, let’s examine how many boxes were sent, how many were prepped ahead of time, how frequently they were sent, and what was done before starting vs. on the trail.

Boxes Mailed from the Trail

As many CDT hikers learn (and what I’m here to tell you now) is that you can mail yourself resupply boxes from the trail. This strategy is a smart one because you will not only have a better idea of your daily mileage and your food preferences after you begin hiking, but you’ll be able to make sure you don’t waste time and money ahead of time prepping resupply boxes you may end up hating or never even using (if you have to get off the trail for some reason or skip a section due to fire, snow, or trail closures).

This year’s average number of boxes sent was 7, the median was 5, people who sent 7 wanted to send more, and people who sent over 9 wanted to send fewer. Sounds like the average of 8 is just what this year’s class wanted.

Remember, there is no “correct number of CDT resupply boxes”, but there are most-definitely places where a prepackaged and curated selection of your preferences will be preferable to the local selection.

Many hikers fail to realize that you can easily send yourself boxes from towns on the trail (instead of having to prepare your boxes ahead of time). You are not committed to the plan you have on the first day you set foot on the trail.

The CDT is long. But it simply connects a series of smaller trails between resupply stops. Nothing is stopping you from going to a supermarket, buying yourself delicious hiker food, and mailing it to yourself further up the trail (unless it’s Sunday because the post office is closed on Sunday – which may sound unimportant now, but will be an important thing to remember whilst on the trail).

For the sake of simplicity, suppose you’re strictly following the averages of this year’s CDT class. The number of resupply boxes that you will send to each section of the CDT is:

• New Mexico: 3
  • Doc Campbell’s, Pie Town, Ghost Ranch
• Colorado: 0
• Wyoming: 2
  • Encampment/Battle Pass, South Pass City
• Idaho/Montana: 3
  • Lima, Leadore/Bannock Pass, East Glacier Village

Maybe you’re going to prefer carrying more food and resupplying less often. Maybe you’re going to prefer a lighter load with more frequent stops in town. Maybe you’re going to be injured or quit in the first week (or die) and none of this will even matter.

So what’s the right balance between resupply and hiking? It’s different for everyone. This is a response that many of you may not want to hear, but also the most accurate response I can offer. That said, here’s a look at what this year’s hikes looked like in terms of resupply.

Between many resupply stops, you may pass a location where you can get a meal (Cuba in New Mexico, for example) or a place where you can buy some snacks (Monarch Pass in Colorado, for example). Remember that this post is meant as a tool to gently guide you towards a more successful resupply plan (whatever that means – since, as I’ve already told you, planning resupplies is not a great investment of your time).

Hitchhiking to Town

What about hitchhiking to resupply stops?

You may not realize it, but hitchhiking often plays a big role on the Continental Divide Trail. It’s not unusual (and is actually quite common) for hikers to hitchhike to town to buy or pick up resupplies.

As part of the CDT Survey, I ask hikers what resupply stops (if any) they had difficulty hitchhiking to from the trail. The top responses were (from south to north).

Remember, hitchhiking can be a very subjective/random experience. It may be you get a ride with the first car past at a place where others stand waiting for hours. Don’t start crying if nobody picks you up after an hour and don’t hate on people who call a Lyft/Uber/taxi (definitely an option at some trailheads).

Dietary Restrictions

For the final piece of the resupply puzzle, we take a look at hiker dietary restrictions, and how easy they found resupplying with these restrictions.

Resupply Advice

We’ve covered a lot thus far, but enough with the numbers, colored labels, and bulleted lists of places you may or may not have ever heard of. What did thru-hikers have to say about Continental Divide Trail resupply?

• Boxes aren’t necessary if you aren’t picky. The only box I sent was to Pie Town (New Mexico) and even then I got a ride into Quemado so it wasn’t necessary. If you want to eat healthy, boxes aren’t a bad idea.
• Don’t worry about sending too many boxes ahead of time. Research as you go and send boxes while on the trail when you need to. Send to businesses instead of the post office when you can. Post offices in a lot of small towns have horrible hours and it can be difficult to get your boxes when you want them.
• It seemed like most people agreed that five days was the sweet spot for resupply frequency; resupplying less often than that means carrying too much weight. However, resupplying too often (especially when you have to hitchhike into towns) isn’t a lot of fun, and means a lot of time not hiking, which can be hard, especially on the CDT.
• Potato chips are the best thing money can buy. Eating vegan on the trail is surprisingly easy, even in some smaller towns. The only place I sent a resupply box was Pie Town (New Mexico). Sometimes all I got from towns were basic snacks but they were enough to get me to the next town. Remember to get fresh fruits and veggies while in town. FarOut comments usually have info on vegan options in town.
• The hybrid approach of sending/preparing boxes ahead of time can work well but having the freedom to resupply on trail towns can have its rewards. Plan and determine where it is best to send boxes and anticipate at least a week for the box to arrive.
• Lima (Montana) and Leadore (Idaho) are not discussed enough. You are really gonna want to send boxes to these two places. Terrible gas station resupply.
• If you can buy peanut butter somewhere it probably isn’t worth sending a package there.
• Get used to doing five or six-day normal food carry and it saves you from having to go into some of the more time-intensive stops.

But most of all – have fun out there! And don’t die.

If there is anything you can think of that would make this information more useful (or any more resupply-related cross-referencing you would like to see), then please leave a comment and let me know.

For more on CDT Resupply, check out these articles.

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