Historical Marker
Continental Divide
Continental Divide, McKinley County · New Mexico
This is the low pass the railroad chose. Wagons and emigrants had come this way as Campbell Pass, and the Atlantic & Pacific laid its line over it in 1880; the stops along the grade were called Gonzales and Summit before a post office settled on Continental Divide. Route 66 followed in 1926, and the roadside still carries its leftovers and a trading post or two. The panel's 7,295 feet sits above both the interstate's own signs, 7,275, and the figure usually given for Route 66's highest point anywhere, 7,263.
What the plaque says
Official Scenic Historic Marker Continental Divide Elevation-7,295 feet Rainfall divides at this point. To the west it drains into the Pacific Ocean, to the east, into the Atlantic.
Where it stands
35.42400, -108.31154 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Fort Wingate — 13 mi
- Chaco Cliffs — 18 mi
- Gallup — 22 mi
- Bluewater Village — 22 mi