Wanderlust World Wanderlust World A continental divide is a geographic boundary that separates two adjacent drainage basins, causing precipitation and runoff on one side to flow into a distinct body of water, while the other side drains to a different body of water.
Continental Divide in the US:
In the United States, the Continental Divide forms the boundary between the watersheds of the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. It traverses the western United States, stretching approximately 3,100 miles (4,990 km) from the border of Canada to the border of Mexico.
The Continental Divide in the US begins in Washington State, where it follows the crest of the Cascade Range. It then continues south into Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, generally aligning with the Rocky Mountains. From there, it turns southeast through Wyoming and Colorado before heading south through New Mexico and Arizona. Finally, it ends in southwestern New Mexico, where it meets the Sierra Madre Occidental, a mountain range that forms the continental divide in Mexico.
Along its course, the Continental Divide marks the separation between the rivers and streams that flow to the Atlantic Ocean (via the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea) and those that flow to the Pacific Ocean. Notable examples include the Colorado River, which flows to the Gulf of California, and the Rio Grande, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico.