The Kokopelli Trail is a good first test. Start at our worldwide routes map to dig into our detailed guides with GPS maps and inspiring photography. , for the rest of us, we can expect to be out from 2-6 days depending on how many miles you want to cover each day. Like any adventure, the Kokopelli Trail is not a trail to trifle which. Go out with a spirit of excitement and return with a sense of accomplishment. Transportation Services. Where do you start? Bike Inn; Needles 2 Moab Canyonlands; Bears Ears Mnt. It's my one and only and it's so fun everywhere I take it. I create technical resources, reviews, inspirational videos, how-to guides and more. One consideration is to bring a portable water filter and tank up from the Colorado River whenever possible. I think the Gaia GPS app is the most useful for backcountry navigation. Bikepacking: Off-Pavement Bicycling and camping where you would if you were to go backpacking. Nowhere else can you find scenery quite like this! In depth look at what I would bring for gear and why, if I rode the Tour Divide, CTR, and AZTR again. The Local Overnighters Project is a unified effort to document and map one-night bikepacking routes all over the worldby locals, in their own backyards. This route follows singletrack trails, Jeep roads, and dirt roads, mainly on BLM land. The riding is primarily non-technical dirt roads and Jeep double track, but it is about 15% singletrack. With our tough and long-lasting Kokopelli bikepacking packrafts, you can explore gravel roads and winding rivers on your next bikepacking expedition in the wilderness. #fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_layout_15.fca_eoi_layout_widget { . } Follow Leave No Trace Ethics, including camping and pooping far from water. Starting with the Ruby Canyon Section, youll continue on through Rabbit Valley, Westwater, Fish Ford, and Yellow Jacket Canyon sections. Returning on 3-inch tires, I had a much more difficult time on those sandy sections. I would have gladly traded out for either of those bikes when it the trail started getting a little chunkier. Although this trail has been completed in less than 11 hours and 14 minutes by pro cyclist Lachlan Morton, for the rest of us, we can expect to be out for 2-6 days depending on how many miles you want to cover each day. All rights reserved. You can find the Kokopelli Trail on Ride With GPS. There is great camping in this area, too. Sawyer Squeeze, which is the overall winner in our Best Water Filters and Purifiers guide. Doesnt this sound like a better way to end a trip as a descent? Starts at the Westwater Airstrip. Its a good idea to do some research (I read current trip reports) or make a few calls to check the flow of streams and rivers to be sure you know how much water to carry at each point you fill up. Westwater Ranger Station is a short detour away at the T-junction after the short pavement section through Coal Draw. Kristina Ritchie (@get_terrestrial) Instagram photos and videos, .fca_eoi_form{ margin: auto; } .fca_eoi_form p { width: auto; } #fca_eoi_form_1856 input{ max-width: 9999px; }#fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_layout_name_field_wrapper {display: none !important;}#fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_layout_description_copy_wrapper {display: none !important;}.tooltipster-sidetip.tooltipster-borderless.tooltipster-optin-cat .tooltipster-box .tooltipster-content { color: #fff }.tooltipster-optin-cat.tooltipster-sidetip.tooltipster-top .tooltipster-arrow-border { border-top-color: #d63031 !important }.tooltipster-optin-cat.tooltipster-sidetip.tooltipster-bottom .tooltipster-arrow-border { border-bottom-color: #d63031 !important }.tooltipster-sidetip.tooltipster-borderless.tooltipster-optin-cat .tooltipster-box { background-color: #d63031 !important }.fca_eoi_layout_inputs_wrapper { background-color: unset !important }#fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_form_input_element::-webkit-input-placeholder {opacity:0.6;color:#595252;}#fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_form_input_element::-moz-placeholder {opacity:0.6;color:#595252;}#fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_form_input_element:-ms-input-placeholder {opacity:0.6;color:#595252;}#fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_form_input_element:-moz-placeholder {opacity:0.6;color:#595252;}#fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_layout_15.fca_eoi_layout_widget div.fca_eoi_layout_submit_button_wrapper:hover, #fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_layout_15.fca_eoi_layout_widget div.fca_eoi_layout_submit_button_wrapper input:hover {background-color:#b96701 !important;} Lastly, you could use two cars but this option means a lot of driving and extra time. seeing another biker's footprint along the route where I had to hike-a-bike, going solo this felt like a small bit of camaraderie on the trail and always made me smile! Toward the end of the day I would start feeling like my bones were being rattled, but it was definitely doable. You need to be logged in to use these features. As the snow melted, those clay-heavy dirt roads became unrideable. This route follows singletrack trails, Jeep roads, and dirt roads, mainly on BLM land. The Local Overnighters Project is a unified effort to document and map one-night bikepacking routes all over the worldby locals, in their own backyards. The Kokopelli Trail spreads from Loma, Colorado, to Moab, Utah, over 142 exciting miles! Every time I reach this point of the trail, I wonder if Ive taken a wrong turn, but then I check a map, realize Im on the route and laugh at myself for choosing to do this. Most bikers ride the Kokopelli Trail soutbound. For more recommendations, see our Best Mountain Bike Gloves guide. We were granted access by the weather up and over the La Sals unlike our previous attempt. In Moab, a great place to drop a vehicle is the Information Center; make sure to leave your name and contact info at the desk. We look forward to sharing the natural splendor of Crosswinds through our interpretive programming, activities and future exhibits. A true western adventure with tough climbs and rewarding descents. The Ogre is one of our favorite bikepacking bikes in our Best Bikepacking Bikes guide, MYOG clone of the Swift Industries Zeitgeist, Our tent set up for bike camping on the Kokopelli Trail, MSR Pocket Rocket 2 stove, which is the overall winner in our Best Backpacking Stoves guide, Toaks 750 mL pot, which is the overall winner in our Best Backpacking Cookpot guide. There will be small sections of optional singletrack along the way, but the jeep roads youll be riding through here are loose and sandy enough that you probably wont want more of a challenge. Our Best Mountain Bike Lights guide also covers other mountain bike-specific lights. In total you will ride for 142 miles and there are a few bailout options along the way should you need to. #fca_eoi_form_1856 .fca_eoi_layout_15.fca_eoi_layout_widget div.fca_eoi_layout_email_field_wrapper { You decide. Kokepellis Trail is part of the Grand Loop, a much larger bikepacking routethat utilizes Kokopellis Trail system, The Paradox Trail, and Tabegauche Trail. In 2017 that changed. You should be in excellent physical shape and have previous bikepacking experience to attempt a self-supported bikepacking trip on this route. If youre flying from out of town, I recommend you rent a car and spend a day caching water (or pay a guiding company to cache water for you, though I dont know of any that specifically offer that service). Moab Motorsports does ask that you let them know youre leaving your car with them ahead of time. Location: The Kokopelli Trail starts near Loma, Colorado which is about 15 miles from Grand Junction. width:100%; Over 143 miles, you climb about 14,000 feet/4,144 meters and descend about the same. The Bike Fiend or Chili Pepper Bike Shop are options for getting your bike repaired in Moab. The true scale of this landscape is only appreciated after much concentrated, technical riding on so called dirt roads, long descents and climbs out of the smallest of canyons, and by peering off the edge of the rim into an endless void of night. Skyler Des Roches (OffRoute.ca). More technical singletrack sections are on the descent into Moab and scattered throughout the route. Press J to jump to the feed. There was some water new Onion Creek Hideout CG during my attempt the end of April 2016. Expect the route to take the average person 3-5 days, with many strenuous sections. We test. Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed. I have attempted the Kokpelli 3 times and completed it twice. UPDATE (November, 2017): Apparently work is still going on and way behind as of 11/18/2017. I found a trickle of cool, clear water at hideout spring (find the cottonwoods!!) Route notes: the giant tarmac descent from fischer overlook and giant tarmac climb up to the porcupine rim trail suuuucked. Nowhere else can you find scenery quite like this! The experience was humbling and quite challenging. Thank you for supporting us! Kokopelli's Trail | Bureau of Land Management Bikepack it, chase the FKT, ride it with vehicle support - experience it however you like. You can camp almost everywhere along the route, too. I recommend using an Ursack as well, just in case. I love having a one-bike-fits-all quiver. Bikepacking is exciting and rewarding form of off-pavement, adventure bike touring. To learn more Click Here. Aid stations rough every 8 miles. I went out to Fruita a few weeks ago with my mtb and car camped in Rabbit Valley and was really wishing i had brought my gravel bike to cruise around there (other than the deep sand pockets lol). Another option is to check Craigslists ride share page for various cities where you think someone might be travel to or from Moab. The Kokopelli Trail is a 138-mile, multi-use trail that starts in Loma, CO (just a few miles northwest of Fruita) and ends on Sand Flats Road in Moab, UT, where it passes by Porcupine Rim . These are primitive campsites so dont expect much as far as amenities go.Salt Creek OverlookCastle RockCold SpringPorcupine RimKnowles CanyonBitter CreekMesa CreekCowskin Campground near Cotton CanyonHideout CanyonRock CastleBull DrawNorth Beaver Mesa CampgroundDewey BridgeRabbit Valley. It would also add another 1000 jolts to your wrists and spine, as this trail is very bumpy. These are primitive campsites so dont expect much as far as amenities go. More. This trailhead is where the Kokopelli Trail starts and is even a location on Google maps now. Best Trails & Maps near Romulus | TrailLink width:100%; Parts of the trail are used by jeeps, ATVs, and motorcycles. Copyright 2023 Treeline Review LLC. This variation would add approximately 14 miles to your trip. After a day of waiting for the roads to dry, we bailed to the interstate, which was luckily still nearby. In terms of ride-a-bility the Kokopelli offers plenty of it and very little HAB. There are several hike-a-bike sections of this trail. Although the route can be ridden in either direction, but most prefer a southwest flow from Fruita to Moab which enables a legendary finale down Porcupine Rim. *This video is for the AZTR but the information is universal. This bucket-list bikepacking trip is an adventure of the soul and a test of your commitment. Find details on the three most recent issues below, join the Bikepacking Collective to get it in the mail (anywhere in the World), or click here to find a collection of selected stories in digital format. Youll need to cache water on the Kokopelli. width:100%; Also only split up in 2-4 segments. The 142-mile multi-use trail stretches from, Although this trail has been completed in less than 11 hours and 14 minutes by pro cyclist. This Kokopelli Trail Guidebook from Bikerpelli is also helpful for planning your trip. This is certainly not a trip for bringing your dog or someone just starting out with biking. Moab has a small regional airport you can fly to from either Salt Lake City or Denver. Full Circle on the Grand Loop: Part II - The First Modern Bikepacking There are unmarked turns, and its not always easy to see the brown carsonite trail markers at junctions. IMPORTANT NOTICE: The La Sal Loop Road is currently undergoing construction this spring/summer/fall, 2017 and portions of it is closed, including a section of it that is used by the Kokopelli Trail. The trail starts in Loma, CO within the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, at the Marys Loop Trails. This incredibly scenic trail takes you along the Colorado Plateau and through colorful stretches of Utah as well as in and out of valleys. @media screen and ( max-width: 100% ) { The Kokopelli Trail is a classic bikepacking route that spans 140 miles of rugged jeep roads and singletrack through some of the most captivating terrain in the area. The Kokopelli Trail is a 142-mile desert bikepacking route linking the mountain biking epicenters of Fruita, Colorado, and Moab, Utah. No stove helped with space and water. A big storm can leave you stranded on unrideable dirt roads of sticky, peanut butter mud that will stop your wheels from turning. Youll know youve completed the Kokopelli Trail when you hit the pavement; then, its time to celebrate. Checkout the Colorado Trail Transportation Guide for train options if you want to fly into Denver and take the train to Grand Junction. Guided Mountain Biking on Kokopelli Trail | 57hours The Kokopelli is world-class bikepacking. rocky sections making it particularly challenging. The following year I returned to the Kokopelli Trail more prepared. Find an extra-long weekend and do this ride. Joe Cruz (Pedaling in Place), Kokopelli taught me the length of a desert mile. Passing the torch: A Kokopelli Trail do-over - Rodeo Adventure Labs, LLC Two long climbs topping out at 8400 will test your fitness and the final descent along Porcupine Rim will blow your mind. Planned for 3 nights but the first half went quicker than I expected! width:100%; If youre not from the area and want to see the Rocky Mountains you can fly into Denver International Airport (DIA), and rent a car. The Kokopelli Trail is one of the most coveted bikepacking routes out there, and for good reason. As the leading creator and publisher of bikepacking routes, BIKEPACKING.com endeavors to maintain, improve, and advocate for our growing network of bikepacking routes all over the world. We met at the Loma Trailhead and split the caching duties between cars. Find out what makes bikepacking the Lower Deschutes River Trail unique and why its Oregons best trail for your first overnight mountain biking trip. If you're interested in a dedicated sleeping bag instead of a quilt, see our Best Backpacking Sleeping Bags guide. What puffy jacket do you use? Ive made it on the dirt road to Fisher Valley in a Subaru, but a sedan wouldn't make it there. It combines a variety of primitive roads with surprisingly technical single track that kept us guessing around each bend.
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