DENVER (KDVR) — Scientists in Utah are sharing the incredible journey of one cougar who traveled more than 1,000 miles through three states in five months.

Morgan Hinton is a southern region wildlife biologist with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Recently, she made a blog post detailing the amazing journey tracking a Utah cougar to her final destination in Colorado.

Since 2018, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources teamed up with researchers at Brigham Young University and Utah State University to collar over 60 adult cougars.

One of those cougars was a 2-year-old female designated as F66.

F66 was first captured and collared in the Wasatch Range in Utah in February 2022. According to Hinton, she remained in the area until May 30 when her amazing trek began.

F66 traveled over 1,000 miles through Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. She crossed busy highways like Interstate 80, I-25, I-70 and U.S. 40.

According to researchers, F66 was constantly on the move. She would only stop every so often to eat.

Around 220 miles into her journey, on July 4, 2022, F66 sat on the banks of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Wyoming. At that point, F66 could either turn around and return north, or plunge into the cold water and move forward.

Hinton said F66 made the shocking decision to swim at least a quarter of a mile to reach the other side of the reservoir. From there, she continued her journey south.

F66 completed her 1,000-mile trek in less than 165 days, where she averaged six miles a day — with some days exceeding more than 20 miles.

According to Hinton, F66 crossed 75% of Colorado heading east before her death on Nov. 13, 2022. It was determined she had been killed by another cougar.

F66’s journey is the longest ever recorded for a GPS-tracked cougar, according to Hinton.

“This information is crucial to understanding population dynamics and improving management strategies for cougars within Utah and surrounding states,” said Hinton.

While researchers may not know why F66 traveled to Colorado, her journey will continue to help scientists learn more about the cougar species.