One-way Distance: 24 miles
Difficulty: Moderate +
MTB Skill level:
Elevation: 4112 - 4629 feet
Cellphone: 0-2 bars
Time: 3 hrs. 30 mins.
Trailhead: Westwater
Fee: none
Attractions: Multi use trail
The Cisco Section of the Kokopelli Trail begins near Westwater where the road passes beneath the railroad tracks. From there the trail follows a variety of old jeep trails and county roads until it reaches Highway 128 at Owl Draw. The mountain bike route has a section of singletrack that runs along the edge of the Colorado River for about 1 mile. Jeeps and other four wheel vehicles can follow an optional route to get around the singletrack. Enroute to Highway 128 the Kokopelli Trail passes by the Cisco Landing and a road that leads to Fish Ford.
From Interstate 70 take Exit 227 and follow the paved Westwater road, BLM 192, for 7 miles. There is room to park at a pullout on the right hand side of the road after passing under the railroad tracks.
The trail begins climbing a small hill along a graveled road as it leaves the pavement. It continues along a dirt double track that for the most part parallels the railroad tracks. Stay to the right at a fork that comes up near the half mile point and to the left where the road forks near the 1.4 mile point.
A little before the 1.6 mile point the Kokopelli Trail is joined by Mel's Loop. Most of Mel's Loop is open to dirt bikes, mountain bikes, horses and hikers. The section of Mel's Loop that shares its route with the Kokopelli Trail is also open to everything else. Mel's Loop makes several more connections with the Kokopelli Trail over the next mile or so.
The Cisco Section of the Kokopelli Trail goes by pretty fast for the first 16 miles or so. It is all well marked until some side roads come up near the 7.5 mile point where another road branches off on the left. Go straight at that intersection to stay on the correct route. This part of the trail might be crossing private land and that might be why there aren't any Kokopelli Trail markers. The main route will pass through a gate near the 8.4 mile point where you will want to stay to the right once again. Another gate comes up some distance later and at the 9.2 mile point the Kokopelli Trail markers once again begin appearing.
The elevation profile for the Cisco Section seems to make it look much more radical than it really is. The last couple of hills can be pretty brutal for tired legs though.
Near the 13 mile point the trail meets up with the paved road that leads to the Cisco Landing Boat Launch which is about a quarter mile to the left.
Near the 15 mile point of the Cisco Section the Kokopelli Trail turns left off of the Cisco Landing Road and begins following the road to Fish Ford.
The Kokopelli Trail leaves the road near the 16.4 mile point and takes off on its own once again.
Near the 17 mile point there is an important fork that comes up. At the time we were riding the trail the marker was laying on the ground. Any jeeps or support vehicles will want to go straight at this point to avoid a washed out section of single track that is coming up in another 2 or 3 miles.
The trail begins getting a bit rougher over the next couple of miles and travel slows down. Near the 20.5 mile point the double track pretty much comes to an end near the Colorado River.
The single track has a few rocky stretches and at one point where it is almost down to the same level as the river it passes through a tamarisk jungle that could possibly be under water during heavy runoff.
At the 21.85 mile point the trail finishes a steep climb and passes through another gate. From that point on out to Highway 128 the trail gets easy again other than one more climb near the end. That part of the trail is back on a graveled road and the climb kinda stairsteps its way up the hill making it a little easier.
The Cisco Section of the Kokopelli Trail reaches Highway 128 near the 24 mile point. Our distances for this section of the trail include going out of the way to the Cisco Landing that may have added about a half mile to the grand total. Other than the part of the trail next to the Colorado River the Cisco Section is a walk in the park compared to the previous 40 miles of the trail. If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is grab your bike or 'Take a hike'.