Kokopelli is the trail that earns the most unprompted descriptions from people who’ve ridden it. The reason is the views. At certain points on the trail you’re looking out over the Colorado River cutting through canyon country below you: deep red walls, the river glinting in the sun, and nothing between you and the horizon for miles. It’s the kind of view that makes you stop pedaling and just look for a minute, even if you’ve been out there a dozen times.
The riding itself rewards a wide range of abilities. Kokopelli mixes technical sections with genuine flow, which is part of why it works for riders who’ve graduated past 18 Road but aren’t ready to commit fully to Lunch Loops’ chunkiness. It has personality: it asks something of you but it gives a lot back.
The full Kokopelli Trail is a legendary multi-day route connecting Fruita to Moab, roughly 140 miles through some of the most remote canyon country in the West. Most local riders use it differently: as a day ride system accessible from Fruita or the surrounding trailheads, usually in combination with sections from other nearby trails. The Pollock Bench trailhead nearby gives access to Rattlesnake Arches, one of the better hikes in the region if you have the legs for a long day.
If you live in the Grand Valley and you’re building your trail rotation, Kokopelli belongs on it alongside 18 Road and Lunch Loops. The three together cover almost every mood and ability level you’ll find yourself in: flow, technical, views, challenge. That combination within 20 minutes of a mid-sized city is genuinely unusual and worth appreciating.