While portions of the GDT are recognized and supported by the province of Alberta, the GDTA continues to work towards a formal designation, including by Parks Canada, for the long-term protection of the trail. According to the GDTA: The GDT is officially signed in portions of Sections A, B, D, and G, but elsewhere the GDT is not officially signed. Much of the trail within national and provincial parks is well marked but not identified as the GDT. The route is actually made up of several separate trail systems joined together by ATV tracks, roads, and wilderness routes. The GDT varies from being a well-developed, signed trail to an unmarked, cross-country wilderness route where navigation skills are required. Since the trail follows the Canadian Rocky Mountains, it runs generally northwest–southeast, with the northern terminus being further north—equivalent to 5° of latitude—and west of the southern terminus. The GDT passes through five national parks, nine provincial parks, four wilderness areas, and four forest districts. The trail is commonly broken up into seven sections, A–G, based on access and resupply.
Section A Section A runs approximately from the GDT's southern terminus at the Canada–United States border (which is also the northern terminus of the
Continental Divide Trail) to the hamlet of
Coleman, near
Crowsnest Pass. The southern travel through Waterton Lakes National Park, where much of the area below the treeline burned in the 2017 Kenow Wildfire. This part of the trail visits several notable places, including the
Waterton Townsite, Carthew Summit, and the second highest point on the GDT: Lineham Ridge, at .
Section B This section connects Crowsnest Pass in the south to
Kananaskis in the north. Nearly all of it is in public lands, with no designated campgrounds and no specific permits required. The trail was built to keep the route just east of the divide, avoiding private land, including the Line Creek Mine, on the British Columbia side. It passes features such as Window Mountain Lake and Domke Ridge. The High Rock Trail reconnects with the original GDT, built in the 1970s and 1980s,
Section C In contrast to section B, the section C is entirely within provincial and national parks, requiring permits nearly the entire way. Because the GDT in this section uses some of the most popular hiking trails in Canada, it can be competitive to obtain certain campsites. In the south, the section starts at Kananaskis Lakes, before climbing over the divide into
Height of the Rockies Provincial Park. This, the only area that does not require permits, ends in less than at the Banff National Park boundary at Palliser Pass. Passing Marvel Lake, the route enters Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park at Wonder Pass, visiting Mount Assiniboine and Lake Magog before returning to Banff at
Sunshine Meadows. and South Kananaskis Pass routes.
Section D This is the southernmost section of the GDT with substantial stretches of unmaintained trail. The GDTA describes Section D, at , as the shortest section. Although Section F is about , the northern end is from a trailhead, so completing it requires a greater hiking distance. From Field, the main route takes an overgrown road up the
Amiskwi River to Amiskwi Pass and requires the first significant unbridged river crossings that a northbound hiker is likely to encounter. From Amiskwi Pass, the main route leaves Yoho National Park and follows a gravel road down to the
Blaeberry River. North of the pass, hikers use the David Thompson Heritage Trail to reach
Howse Pass, where they re-enter Banff National Park. The northern follow the
Howse River out to the
Icefield Parkway and
Saskatchewan River Crossing. Northbound hikers leave
Highway 11 at the Owen Creek trailhead and, once over Owen Pass, exit Banff National Park for the third and final time. For the next , the route uses unsigned but maintained trail in the Job/Cline Public Land Use Zone, and unmaintained trail in the
White Goat Wilderness Area. Permits for specific campsites are not required. Highlights in this area include Michelle Lakes, the highpoint of the GDT at an unnamed pass, and Pinto Lake. In 2022, Parks Canada began once more to include the trail on official maps, renovate campgrounds, and allow the Friends of Jasper National Park and the GDTA to clear deadfall and overgrowth on the trail. This has improved trail conditions, although there are still unbridged water crossings. At the north end of Maligne Lake, the GDT uses the popular
Skyline Trail and a short stretch of day-use trails or roads to reach the
Athabasca River and Jasper. From the northern end of Section F, the route continues northwest on the North Boundary Trail, classified as low-priority for maintenance by Jasper National Park. Although horse parties occasionally clear deadfall from the trail, washed-out bridges have not been replaced, necessitating significant fords of Gendarme, Carcajou, and Chown Creeks. Crossing Bess Pass leaves the Smoky River watershed and Jasper National Park for Jackpine Pass and Blueberry Lake. The Blueberry Creek access trail drops steeply down from Blueberry Lake to the Holmes River FSR, where the GDTA and Robson Backcountry Adventures operate a resupply service. Hikers not needing to resupply cross into the
Willmore Wilderness Park and the
Jackpine River valley. From Kakwa Lake, there are two options for exiting the GDT by ground. The most common choice starts with a hike to the nearest vehicle-accessible road at Bastille Creek, and another on the Walker Forest Service Road to reach pavement at Highway 16. Alternatively, hikers can take a mix of trails east to the Lick Creek trailhead in Alberta. ==Travelling the trail==