The Continental Divide Trail passes through Pie Town, and the community has become an informal waystation for long-distance hikers making their way north or south along the divide. The trail here traverses open high desert and ponderosa pine forest, with wide views in all directions and a sense of space that even experienced hikers find striking.
Day hikers can access the trail easily from the crossroads and walk sections north or south through the landscape. The terrain is relatively flat by mountain standards — this section of the divide is on the high plateau of western New Mexico rather than the dramatic peaks of Colorado — but the views and the emptiness are the attraction.