route-highlight
route-highlight
route-highlight
route-highlight
route-highlight
route-highlight
+ 101

Colorado Trail: Searle Pass and Kokomo Pass (Searle Pass Copper Triangle Kokomo Pass COT)

Mountain Biking Trail

Hard
17.39 mi
3,054 ft
One of the best sections of high alpine singletrack in the state of Colorado!

The Colorado Trail (COT) is widely regarded as one of the very best long distance mountain bike trails in the world. Running for 535 miles between Denver and Durango, the trail crosses high alpine mountain passes and drops into beautiful valleys as it traverses the most beautiful portions of the state of Colorado. The COT forms one third of the Triple Crown of Bikepacking, along with the Arizona Trail and the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.

The Searle and Kokomo Pass section of the COT is arguably one of the most scenic and enjoyable sections. Of course, like the rest of the Colorado Trail, in no way is it easy: a long climb from either direction greets the rider, almost guaranteeing a hike-a-bike. That hike-a-bike pays off with a ripping descent, whether you’re descending to Camp Hale or to Copper. Rock gardens litter both descents, but no massive obstacles will require advanced-level skills to negotiate.

What makes this segment so spectacular is the high alpine stretch of trail between Searle Pass and Kokomo Pass. Both passes lie above treeline, with several miles of high alpine singletrack separating them. Including the climb up to the top, the section between the passes, and the descent to treeline, riders can expect to spend several hours riding stunningly-beautiful above-treeline singletrack.

In a state like Colorado that boasts so much alpine terrain above treeline, it’s still relatively rare for a mountain bike ride to break out of the trees and then stay there for a decent length of time. Rather, if the singletrack does climb above treeline, it usually crosses a pass and descends back into the trees quickly. The Searle Pass/Kokomo Pass section of trail, in comparison, spends a very long time above the trees—an absolute treat!

Of course, this means that caution must be given to the weather. Start your climb early, and plan to be back below treeline before noon. Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes

Route and Elevation

Segments

NameDistanceElev. Diff.Avg. Grade
Seg 8 Copper to Searle7.62 mi2,290 ft5.7%
Colorado Trail-Copper Mtn to Waterfall3.55 mi801 ft4.2%
Copper to Jacque Creek Climb2.62 mi564 ft3.7%
Copper to Searle6.89 mi2,008 ft5.5%
Searle Pass trail Copper Mountain6.27 mi1,932 ft5.8%
Ski Area Access Climb0.84 mi322 ft7.1%
Lumberjack to Searle5.79 mi1,667 ft5.4%
Interstate 70 Climb1.04 mi325 ft5.9%
Jacque Creek to Searle4.42 mi1,512 ft6.5%
Continental Divide Trail Climb1.02 mi351 ft6.5%
Continental Divide Trail Climb1.43 mi492 ft6.5%
Climax Mine Prrd Climb1.16 mi361 ft5.8%
Searle Pass to Kokomo Pass3.12 mi364 ft0.1%
Searle to Kokomo Lookout2.60 mi335 ft1.8%
Climax Mine Prrd Climb0.71 mi318 ft8.4%
Kokomo to the creek Descent3.93 mi-2,165 ft-10.3%
Tundra DH to the trees1.36 mi-636 ft-8.9%
Descent down to Kokomo Pass0.42 mi-230 ft-10.2%
Kokomo Pass DH4.07 mi-2,205 ft-10.2%
Sheep to Creek3.34 mi-1,847 ft-10.4%
Tech Descent CT-CTD DH only0.24 mi-194 ft-15.3%
Tech descent CT-CDT0.22 mi-174 ft-13.6%
Cataract Creek to Trailhead1.49 mi-318 ft-4.0%