A system for routing packets comprising: a router management component, executed on a computing device, for associating destination address information to a router hierarchy comprising a plurality of levels (106, 108), wherein the router management component is configured to, for individual levels of the router hierarchy, allocate responsibility for portions of destination addresses of incoming packets to one or more router components of the individual level of the router hierarchy; one or more router components corresponding to a first level of the router hierarchy, the first level of the router hierarchy for receiving the incoming packets for routing and transmitting the incoming packets to a router component of a second level of the router hierarchy; and one or more router components corresponding to the second level of the router hierarchy, the second level of the router hierarchy for routing the incoming packets received from the first level of a router hierarchy; wherein the one or more router components corresponding to the first level of the router hierarchy identifies one or more router components from the second level of the router hierarchy based on a first subset of each destination address associated with each packet, wherein the first subset is designated by the router management component; wherein at least one router component of the one or more router components corresponding to the second level of the router hierarchy is allocated responsibility for a portion of the first subset of destination addresses of each packet based at least in part on a traffic level associated with the portion of the first subset of destination addresses; and wherein the one or more router components corresponding to the second level of a router hierarchy identifies an outgoing transit path to which to route each packet of the incoming packets based on a second subset of destination addresses associated with each packet, wherein the second subset is designated by the router management component, wherein the second subset is greater than the first subset, wherein the destination addresses correspond to IP addresses, wherein the first subset of each IP address corresponds to a prefix of each IP address of a first length, and wherein the second subset of each IP address corresponds to a prefix of each IP address of a second length that is greater than the first length, and wherein at least one outgoing transit path is allocated responsibility for a portion of the second subset by the router management component. a router management component, executed on a computing device, for associating destination address information to a router hierarchy comprising a plurality of levels (106, 108), wherein the router management component is configured to, for individual levels of the router hierarchy, allocate responsibility for portions of destination addresses of incoming packets to one or more router components of the individual level of the router hierarchy; one or more router components corresponding to a first level of the router hierarchy, the first level of the router hierarchy for receiving the incoming packets for routing and transmitting the incoming packets to a router component of a second level of the router hierarchy; and one or more router components corresponding to the second level of the router hierarchy, the second level of the router hierarchy for routing the incoming packets received from the first level of a router hierarchy; wherein the one or more router components corresponding to the first level of the router hierarchy identifies one or more router components from the second level of the router hierarchy based on a first subset of each destination address associated with each packet, wherein the first subset is designated by the router management component; wherein at least one router component of the one or more router components corresponding to the second level of the router hierarchy is allocated responsibility for a portion of the first subset of destination addresses of each packet based at least in part on a traffic level associated with the portion of the first subset of destination addresses; and wherein the one or more router components corresponding to the second level of a router hierarchy identifies an outgoing transit path to which to route each packet of the incoming packets based on a second subset of destination addresses associated with each packet, wherein the second subset is designated by the router management component, wherein the second subset is greater than the first subset, wherein the destination addresses correspond to IP addresses, wherein the first subset of each IP address corresponds to a prefix of each IP address of a first length, and wherein the second subset of each IP address corresponds to a prefix of each IP address of a second length that is greater than the first length, and wherein at least one outgoing transit path is allocated responsibility for a portion of the second subset by the router management component.