CDT: New Mexico Section 22

The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail spans some 3,100 miles across 5 states from Mexico to Canada. The trail travels through the Rocky Mountains, exploring a vast array of different environments and landscapes along the way. The New Mexico portion of the trail features 820 miles of diverse hiking from the desolate Chihuahuan Desert in the south, to the unique Canyons of the Gila River, to the Rocky Mountains in the north. Exploring the Continental Divide Trail can be done as a single thru hike that will take 4-6 months, or by section hiking smaller segments. In this guide we'll look at New Mexico Section 22.New Mexico Section 22 is another relatively unexciting segment that thru-hikers will have to push through. You'll follow Forest Road 239 for the entire length of Section 22.The hiking is easy, with minimal elevation change and follows the forest road through open pasture land. Water is a challenge during this stretch, with only a nasty cow pond or two to drink from.As you near the very end of Section 22 the forest road turns into 239A and is much fainter. You'll soon come to a fenceline and a side trail down into a canyon and to Los Indios Spring. This is the first good water of the section, and is also a beautiful singletrack trail to boot.This is also the end of Section 22 and the start of Section 23.