Kokopelli - Owl Draw Section

Rating: 
One-way Distance: 10.5 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
MTB Skill level:
Elevation: 4092 - 4850 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 3 hrs.
Trailhead: Highway 128/Owl Draw Road
Fee: none
Attractions: Multi-use trail

The Owl Draw Section of the Kokopelli Trail begins where the trail crosses Highway 128 at the end of the Cisco Section of the trail. From Highway 128 the trail makes a climb that takes it over a ridge and into an area that is known as Squaw Park near Cowboy Cave and Caves Spring. From there the trail travels down Squaw Park passing Squaw Window Arch and Porthole Arch before coming out again on Highway 128 near Dewey Bridge.

To get to where the Cisco Section of the Kokopelli Trail ends and the Owl Draw Section begins take Exit 204 on Interstate 70 and follow Highway 128 south for 10 miles. There is a large parking area on the right hand side of the road near some corrals just past a bridge that spans Owl Draw.

The trail follows the Owl Draw Road as it leaves the highway.

At the half mile point from the highway the Kokopelli Trail leaves the Owl Draw Road and branches off on its own to the left.

The trail continues heading mostly southward climbing at a moderate pace for the next several miles.

A mostly hard packed surface with a few minor rocky ledges makes the uphill climb easier to manage.

Near the 2.5 mile point the trail drops into a high valley and passes through a gate.

The elevation profile for the Owl Draw Section shows how the hills are laid out. The total elevation gain for this section is 1,507 feet.

From the high point there are some nice views of the La Sal Mountains as well as Squaw Park in the valley below.

As the trail descends from the high point it crosses a large area of slickrock and passes through another gate around the 5.5 mile point. A short distance past that there is a fork where the Kokopelli Trail continues to the left. The right fork leads further into Squaw Park where it passes by Cave Springs and Cowboy Cave. The trail through this area is very sandy but not too bad in the downhill direction.

Near the 6.25 mile point the trail meets another road that it follows to the left heading mostly towards the east.

The trail passes by 2 different natural arches between here and the highway. Squaw Window is the only one that can be seen easily from the trail. The other is Porthole Arch and you pretty much have to know where it is to be able to see it.

Don't be surprised if like us you have to get off to the side of the trail while a jeep safari passes by. There were 15 jeeps in this particular caravan.

After wrapping around the scenic entrada cliffs the trail reaches a gate on a slickrock ledge that overlooks the Colorado River.

From the gate the trail drops down the hill and continues on out to Highway 128. At the highway the trail goes to the right and crosses the Colorado River where the Kokopelli Trail continues on the east side of the road. Many people choose to take advantage of the Dewey Bridge Campground as a resting place before tackling the next leg of the Kokopelli Trail. At present the camping fee is $15/night. (There isn't any cellphone signal at Dewey Bridge but if you get to higher ground on the Kokopelli Trail or go north a bit on the highway you can pick one up.) The way that we broke up the Kokopelli Trail into sections so that we could better describe it the Owl Draw Section came out to be the shortest segment. Many riders might choose to tack it onto the Cisco Section. If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is grab your bike or 'Take a hike'.