Rawlins is the only location where the Union Pacific Railroad’s Historic Transcontinental Rail Corridor, the Lincoln Highway, the First Transcontinental Air Mail Route, the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, and the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail intersect.

The City of Rawlins City Council voted this month to approve a resolution expressing support for continued planning and partnership efforts for a one-of-a-kind historic destination district centered on Rawlins’ nationally significant convergence of historic routes and recreational trails.

This resolution demonstrates the City’s support as partners pursue grant funding and private partnerships to design a district that highlights this nationally significant crossroads. Planning will continue in coordination with the Continental Divide Trail Community Committee, Discover Carbon County, Downtown Development Authority, and other partners. Community engagement opportunities will be shared as the design process advances.

Mayor Jacquelin Wells said “Our community exists because of role it played in exploration and transportation across the country. The destination district celebrates that legacy of connection, exploration, and love of the outdoors. We are proud to take the next step in designing a stop that honors this one-of-a-kind feature of our community and to explore how it can strengthen our local businesses and economy.”

By enhancing this feature found nowhere else, the community aims to extend visitor stays, strengthen our economy, and position Rawlins as an unmissable stop along Interstate 80. The proposed destination district would bring these efforts together through landscaping, interpretive features, public art, and the creation of a recognizable outdoor landmark space that invites visitors to enjoy this one-of-a-kind crossroads.

That convergence is rooted in geography. Rawlins sits at a significant dip in elevation along the Continental Divide as it stretches from New Mexico to Montana, creating a practical crossing point as new routes stretched westward in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The historic transcontinental line of the Union Pacific Railroad and the Lincoln Highway pass directly through downtown Rawlins, and the First Transcontinental Air Mail Route included a stop here. Today, recreation routes continue that legacy: the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail and the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route follow the Divide north to south, while the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail crosses east to west through Rawlins.

Since Rawlins’ designation as a Continental Divide Trail Coalition Gateway Community in 2016, the Continental Divide Trail Community Committee, City of Rawlins, Rawlins Downtown Development Authority, tourism partners, and local volunteers have worked to invest in Rawlins as a welcoming trail town, including trail marking, public art, bicycle infrastructure, and local events. Rawlins also marks the halfway point of the Continental Divide Trail. This will be celebrated through a downtown festival “Half-Way Days” on July 10^th-12^th in Downtown Rawlins, sponsored by Great Divide Outdoors and the Rawlins Downtown Development Authority.

Continental Divide Trail Hikers enjoying Depot Park in Downtown Rawlins, Wyoming

The Historic Depot now includes a downtown park and hosts community events throughout the year

The Union Pacific through Rawlins as seen from 6th Street Bridge

Historic photo of Lincoln Way passing through the Downtown (taken looking east) Business District in Rawlins, Wyoming

View from the Uplift Looking East as the Railroad and Highway Come Into Town, courtesy of Discover Carbon County

View of the Wyoming Frontier Prison where the Historic Lincoln Highway Turns North