Kokopelli Trail/ Moad Utah Logistics
 

Hey all,

My friend and I are two weeks away from our departure from NY to Colorado to ride the Kokopelli trail. We'll be doing it self supported and project it to take us 4 to 5 days as we aren't in any particular rush. However we have two weeks off for adventure. We'll be riding the Amtrak from NY which goes right into Fruita. From there we'll be stocking up on small last minute items before riding to the trail head. In terms of the route, we are using the one created via Bikepacking.com See the track here... Kokopelli Trail Bikepacking Route - BIKEPACKING.com

One of the issues we are having is coming home. We have an Amtrak reserved from Green River, UT. However, I just got noticed they won't let us board with our bikes so now we need to either need to get to Salt Lake City, UT or get back to Fruita, CO station so they can check the bikes. I'm trying to figure out the best way to do this without having to rent a car just to get to the train we need. I guessing we can just hitch a ride from someone or possibly ride from Moab, UT which is where the route ends.

If anyone can share some advice on options here that would be very appreciated.

Thanks

Stock up in Moab and do it in reverse ?. Maybe explore the linked site for some route variations.

The views will be completely different and you will solve the Amtrak problem.

UT 128 from Moab looks cool. According to Google Maps, there are some campgrounds along the way. Don't know about water, though.

Since you have some extra time, you might consider renting a car in Moab and doing a few days sightseeing after your ride. Capitol Reef, Escalante, even Bryce Canyon are within a days drive. The country out there is amazingly different from anywhere else.

I do not know where Fruita is. Amtrak station in Grand Junction CO is a luggage stop. If you can get back to Grand Junction, at the end of the trip, that pretty much solves it. Not sure what train you are taking, but if Grand Junction is on your route, that may solve some of your problems.
https://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Conte..._Page&code=GJT
https://www.amtrak.com/california-zephyr-train

Fruita is 10 miles or so west of GJ, maybe 15 by bike

No real value to add, just wanted to say, this looks like a fantastic trip and good on you for dealing with the train. I looked at Amtrak's website and it's hilariously confusing, the trips are expensive, and the timing/connections are atrocious. Having experienced the wonders of high-speed rail travel in Europe, I wish we had the same opportunities here (can't even go to Montreal from Boston without taking a train to NYC first)

Yep, lots of other stuff to see and do as well. I did some day hiking when I was there last. I enjoyed a day with a bunch of short little hikes in Arches NP a lot.

If you are departing for home from a station with no baggage service, consider having a bike shop pack and ship the bike home for you. I have typically paid about $100 for that and it was always nice to not have to deal with the bike at the end of the trip.

Thanks everyone for chiming in. We ended up booking a train back at Grand Junction to head back to NY stopping in Chicago first. The tickets can be expensive but they were slightly a few dollars more than air tickets and I prefer to stay on the ground to be honest. I enjoy the train for trips like these. It's nice to stop in small towns and cities throughout the U.S. Personally I find flying boring and wouldn't do it unless I absolutely needed to. I also don't own a car so these are my only optimal means of traveling.