The most familiar continental divide in North America separates the watersheds of the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay, Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The so-called Great Divide roughly follows the crest of the Rocky Mountains.

Where is the Great Divide located?

North America's Continental Divides – The Great Divide

The most famous Continental Divide of the Americas is also called the Great Divide. It separates the watersheds of the Pacific Ocean from those of the Atlantic Ocean. It runs from Alaska, through western Canada along the crest of the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico.

Where is the Eastern Continental Divide located?

The divide nearly spans the United States from south of Lake Ontario through the Florida peninsula, and consists of raised terrain including the Appalachian Mountains to the north, the southern Piedmont Plateau and lowland ridges in the Atlantic Coastal Plain to the south.