The Kokopelli is world-class bikepacking. Water at BLM ranger station at mile 48 is not fit to drink, filter from river. Ride, Eat, Sleep, Repeat Arizona Trail Race. After a climb to the infamous Castle Valley Road to the summit, youll be graced with an amazing descent with stunning views of Castle Valley as you make your way into Moab. Its reliable, keeps me warm, and Thermarests lifetime warranty is no joke. As mentioned above it does allow one to sight see along the way. At times the Kokopelli Trail can serve up demanding single track and steep climbs, makingit a trail not to be underestimated. @media screen and ( max-width: 300px ) { 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. width:100%; Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Each issue features a collection of inspiring writing and beautiful photography. 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;} Start at our worldwide routes map to dig into our detailed guides with GPS maps and inspiring photography. Ive used the National Geographic Maps Moab North and Colorado National Monument for paper maps. Kokopelli 140 MTB Two-day Stage Event (Individual), https://oneofsevenproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/rsz_ce61a8f9-0b12-4e41-b403-e902df8f4593.jpg, http://oneofsevenproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1of7-logo-lockup-grey-1132x212-300x56.png, https://oneofsevenproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/rsz_untitled_design_87.jpg, https://oneofsevenproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/AXOK3707.jpg, Gear Review - If I Rode the Kokopelli Trail Again, https://oneofsevenproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/rsz_untitled_design_81.jpg, https://oneofsevenproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Untitled-design-19.jpg, Gear Review - If I Rode the Arizona Trail Race Again, https://oneofsevenproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Untitled-design-9.jpg, Gear Review - If I Rode The Tour Divide Again. We believe travel by bicycle has the power to encourage conservation, inclusivity, and respect for all people and cultures. If you finished on a weekend you could try and hitch but finding a ride with an open rack and empty seat could prove difficult. All rights reserved. Follow Leave No Trace Ethics, including camping and pooping far from water. Website. Cant say much for Kokopelli but I just did the White Rim trail (which is quite close by) on my gravel bike. The trail is posted with the flat brown flexible fiberglass posts and marked with blue and white Kokopelli stickers. Youll have to carry everything you need for the entirety of the trail. Thanks for your support! Although they all had different intentions for their rides, both Kaitlyn and Kurt rode hard and fast to set two new fastest known times on the route. With more than 10,000 feet of total climbing, the highest point on the trail tops out at over 8,000 ft above sea level. This trailhead is where the Kokopelli Trail starts and is even a location on Google maps now. What puffy jacket do you use? @media screen and ( max-width: 100% ) { Looking up from Fischer Valley to the top of the climb next to the la sals, giving myself a goal of making it there in 5 hours, and getting up in 5 hours to look back down at the valley. Claim this business (734) 326-9801. This section is beautiful though; theres nothing like moving in and out of desert and mountain terrain and skirting along the Estrada Bluffs. The allure of the bigger Grand Loop caught Dye's intrigue. Also only split up in 2-4 segments. The old railroad follows beautiful waterways, weaving around Allegheny mountains and hills. This is the way to enter Moab! Joel Caldwell (joelcaldwell.com) It follows the Colorado River, and youll regularly get views of the river as it winds through the landscape below. There are not too many reliable water sources on this trail so its important to plan accordingly. } From the Loma exit (exit 15) you travel west on the gravel road to the trailhead on the left. Nowhere else can you find scenery quite like this! With 150 miles of gravel hike-and-bike trail, the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP Trail) is one of the Easts best pathways, perfect for leisurely bike rides. By entering your email address, you agree to receive our weekly newsletter in accordance with our Privacy Policy. What works for me is my Outdoor Research ultralight hoody (don't think they make it anymore, it's half-zip pullover), and a patagonia houdini windbreaker with full zip. The Kokopelli Trail is one of the most coveted bikepacking routes out there, and for good reason. 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. Moab Express provides shuttle service from Moab to the start of the Kokopelli Trail at Loma Trailhead. The Kokopelli Trail is divided into nine sections, each with its own unique terrain and scenery. The experience was humbling and quite challenging. No suspension, just a set of 50c tires squeezed on there, and man it was awesome but truth be told I think it would have been even more enjoyable on a hardtail with a front shock at the very least. The route is an epic medley of singletrack, doubletrack, sand and tarmac technical climbs, rugged descents, and graded terrain. After a hot, exposed climb to Top of the World road, youll descend Rose Garden Hill and wonder how anyone could drive a Jeep over that. Nowhere else can you find scenery quite like this! This bucket-list bikepacking trip is an adventure of the soul and a test of your commitment. Once you arrive in Moab, there are countless mountain bike trails to explore. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. This ride is definitely not for the novice rider, the climbs and technical sections alone make it more for those with experience. That first ride took him 23 hours, and soon after, he rode the trail in the opposite direction in just 17 hours. RECOMMENDED ROUTE Difficult. It's a marin pine mountain 2 but I don't think they make the purple anymore sadly. The race includes the following categories: Kokopelli 100 Ultra Marathon Individual 104 miles with 11k of climbing, Kokopelli 100 Ultra Marathon Relay same course as the individual but with 2 to 4 people. Dirt roads, paved roads, and singletrack with some technical areas. The weather can be unpredictable, regularly swinging from blazingly hot to frost-and-ice-all-over-your-tent cold. Bikepacking: Off-Pavement Bicycling and camping where you would if you were to go backpacking. The summer months can be extremely hot so plan to tackle it during the shoulder months for a more enjoyable trip. You can access the Colorado River from here, though. Knowing what to expect as far as water sources, weather forecast, trail condition, and detours, are going to be key to having the best possible outcome. Use the Brave browser for an entirely ad free web experience. If you enter this way, and depending on the time of day you may have to pay a $2 entrance fee, or 5$ vehicle fee. The Kokopelli has very few water sources along the route. The Kokopelli Trail is a special route, and whether youre looking to tackle it in a single day or spread it out over a long weekend, its definitely one worth adding to the bucket list. There are plenty of primitive and a few developed options for camping or one can usually sleep along the trail side but please use LNT practices when doing so. If you were to start in Moab and ride north, you would begin with a nearly 20-mile, 4,000-foot climb. , 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. Many of the BLM campgrounds lining the trail do not have water, or if they do its not potable. } The last time I was there, I was told that the pipes were contaminated with E. Coli. Highlights Marys Loop Trail System, Rabbit Valley, Yellow Jacket area (Dome Plateau) Roberts Bottom and Rose Garden Hill in Cottonwood Canyon, Blue Chief Mesa, views of the Fisher and Castle Valleys, and Manti-La Sal NF. Stretching along public lands, Kokopelli's Trail is an epic journey on the Colorado Plateau. On my most recent Kokopelli bikepacking trip, my group drove from Denver in two vehicles. The Kokopelli symbol guides travelers along a trail of ~ 140 miles between Fruita (Loma actually) and Moab. During my thru-bike I left my car at the Loma trailhead parking lot for Marys Loop Trails. Starting with the Ruby Canyon Section, youll continue on through Rabbit Valley, Westwater, Fish Ford, and Yellow Jacket Canyon sections. Starting with the Ruby Canyon Section, youll continue on through Rabbit Valley, Westwater, Fish Ford, and Yellow Jacket Canyon sections. Order Online. The other person in our group did not bring a storm-worthy shelter. 7 Things to Do in Californias Alabama Hills: Movie Road, Hiking, Stargazing & More! If it werent for that snowstorm after the first day, we would have found ourselves far out there, fruitlessly attempting to filter water from the silty Colorado River, slowed down immensely by the gravel bike that wasnt enough bike for the terrain. Kokopelli's Trail Phone: (435) 259-2100 Email: utmbmail@blm.gov Address: Moab Field Office 82 Dogwood Ave. Moab, UT 84532 Latitude/Longitude: 39.177737, -108.827444 Directions: From Grand Junction, travel west on Interstate 70 about 15 miles. Hi, Im Phil. Each issue features a collection of inspiring writing and beautiful photography. However, Kokopelli's Native American origin has other meanings such as a fertility deity, and among Hopi, a humped-up . Colorado River is too silty to filter, and some of the only other water sources along the route arent safe to drink due to the waters arsenic levels. There are unmarked turns, and its not always easy to see the brown carsonite trail markers at junctions. The Bikepacking Journal is our biannual printed publication. Our Best Mountain Bike Lights guide also covers other mountain bike-specific lights. You can find the Kokopelli Trail on Ride With GPS. It connects some of the best singletrack around in Fruita and Moab with 100 miles of ATV roads. Experience a multitude of terrains and landscapes on a trail that links two of the most coveted mountain biking areas in the country. The Kokopelli Trail begins with ~15 miles of singletrack above the Colorado River before a few dozen miles of 44 tracks, gravel roads, and two-tracks through badlands and over ledgey mesas before crossing the Colorado River at Dewey Bridge. This Kokopelli Trail Guidebook from Bikerpelli is also helpful for planning your trip. We create reader-supported, objective, independently-selected gear reviews. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Kokopelli Trail (Bikepacking Route + Porcupine Rim) location Utah, USA We recognize Indigenous Peoples as the traditional stewards of this land. The Kokopelli Trail spreads from Loma, Colorado, to Moab, Utah, over 142 exciting miles! Topeak multitool with tubeless repair kit, Kokopelli Trail info from the Bureau of Land Management. The Kokopelli Trail is relatively well marked, but you still need strong navigation abilities. That was my fools attitude in spite of pedaling and adventuring in that corner of Utah for decades. Bikepacking has taken the mountain bike world by storm, with the upper echelon of bikepackers continuing to shatter time barriers and pioneer incredible . width:100%; Learn more. Our inflatable packrafts are lightweight, durable, and very easy to transport. Enlightened Equipment Torrid puffy jacket. The 142-mile multi-use trail stretches from Loma, Colorado all the way to Moab, UT. From there, the trail traverses through the Cottonwood Canyon, Beaver Mesa, and all La Sal Loop sections leading up to your final stretch. This epic bikepacking adventure promises an incredible final descent as you wearily make your way into Moab. After at least 6 failed attempts in the mid-1990s, Gary became the first to ride the 140-mile-long Kokopelli Trail self-supported in one day. Water can be found at miles 48, 70, 83, and 126. Over the next 50 miles, youll do a lot of climbing, but the next ten miles will be the steepest. I am a bikepacking addict who also happens to be an above knee amputee. The BLMs webpage for the Westwater Station says explicitly, do not depend upon this water source for your trip's water needs as the system is not always operational.. The Kokopelli Trail is a good first test. Or toss some spare change inthe PayPal tip jar.