Trail Advisory: The Kokopelli Trail

The Native American’s of southwestern U.S. have Kokopelli—their deity of fertility and agriculture. He is also a trickster, the spirit of music and the one who brings spring by chasing winter away with his flute-playing. Kokopelli has been a revered and prominent god among the culture of the Southwest from the first known images of him in the mid 700s, all the way through current. His image is a popular art centerpiece, and has even earned himself one of the greatest off-road trails in the American west: The Kokopelli Trail.

The Kokopelli Trail is a 142-mile trail that spans the gap between states of Colorado and Utah. While it shares no significance to the Native American population in the area, as it was created by the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association, it still remains incredibly popular and is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

The trail consists of single track, 4×4 and paved country roads to experience elevation changes from 4,000 feet, at its lowest point, to over 8,500 feet in the La Sal Mountains. The trail starts near Loma, Colorado, and follows the Colorado River at a distance from high cliffs as the trail winds into the mountains. Eventually on the opposite side of the La Sals, the trail drops into Moab, Utah, by way of the Porcupine Rim Trail, which passes the trailhead to SlickRock trail, one of the best-known trails of Moab. It is important to note that there are no sources of water on this trail, and adventurers would be wise to carry ample supplies for the trek.

From OutsideTV: