About the GDTA

Dedicated to building, maintaining, and protecting the Great Divide Trail

The Great Divide Trail Association is a Canadian not‐for‐profit corporation and registered charitable organization headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, responsible for maintaining, promoting and protecting the Great Divide Trail. The Great Divide Trail Association works with regional partners to coordinate trail improvements, maintenance and protection. We are supported by members, volunteers and hikers who make the Great Divide Trail experience possible.

About the GDTA

Our Vision:

• The Great Divide Trail provides a wild and inspiring experience along the spine of the Great Divide. It is formally recognized and protected for future generations as a treasured Canadian hiking route.

Our Mission:

• Our mission is to collaborate with partners and communities to build, maintain, and protect the Great Divide Trail for the public’s benefit. We educate, promote, and encourage use of the Great Divide Trail in a manner consistent with the conservation and preservation of its scenic and wilderness value.

Our Activities

Our Values

The Great Divide Trail Association strives to maintain the following values in all its endeavours and interactions:

• Collaborative: We value the dedication and hard work of our volunteers and embrace the diverse perspectives and contributions of our supporters. Working together, we can increase our effectiveness, achieve our common objectives, and fulfill our mission. We celebrate our successes and build and nurture long-standing relationships.
• Respectful: We demonstrate integrity and respect for each other, as well as for the trail users, volunteers, stakeholders, supporters, wildlife, and wilderness environment on the Great Divide.
• Stewards: We are dedicated to our ongoing responsibility to steward the resources of the GDT and the Association for the benefit of all, including future generations.

Our Guiding Principles

We hold the following as foundational to our Association and look to these to guide our every action:

• Reconciliation: The Great Divide Trail Association acknowledges and honours the lands of the Great Divide Trail as the traditional territory of Indigenous peoples. We recognize the Blackfoot Confederacy, Tsuut’ina, Stoney (Ĩyãħé) Nakoda, Cree, Lheidli T’enneh, Ktunaxa, Secwépemc, and Métis who have called the Rocky Mountains home since time immemorial. We are grateful for the opportunity to live, work, and play here and thank all those who have served and continue to serve as stewards of the lands and waters of the Great Divide. As we continue our journey, we pledge to actively engage in reconciliation efforts. We will strive to learn, listen, and collaborate with Indigenous communities. By taking respectful action and fostering understanding, we aim to contribute to positive change.
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: The Great Divide Trail Association is committed to protecting the Great Divide Trail for everyone. To make that a reality, we must do all that we can to help make the Great Divide Trail and our organization a welcoming and inclusive space. We value and welcome diversity and aim to be an accessible and inclusive community that honours, respects, and reflects the various ways people connect with the Great Divide Trail and the Association.
• Legacy: We honour the past visionaries and builders of the Great Divide Trail and continue to embrace and share their dream. With passion and purpose, we persevere to have the Great Divide Trail completed and the route protected.
• Connectivity: The Great Divide Trail embodies a connection to each other and to nature through the passion of hikers, equestrians, volunteers, supporters, and government organizations. Common purpose unites us and creates a community of individuals and organizations, all pursuing the vision of the GDTA. On the Great Divide, we are all connected by the Trail.

Want more information? Read the GDTA Strategic Plan or Contact us.

Administration