The Ozark Mountains provide the backdrop for one of the best mountain bike trail systems in the country. Bentonville is every bit the charming town it was when Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, opened the original Walton five-and-dime back in 1950. From the quaint town square, the town’s footprint ripples outward offering world-class culinary options, microbreweries, colorful boutiques, a state-of-the-art museum, and miles upon miles of singletrack. Escape Adventures is thrilled to offer a NEW 5-day mountain biking tour exploring the region. The tour starts at $2,999 per person double.
“From tough climbs and thrilling descents to jumps and tricks on breakaway singletrack, the trails of Northwest Arkansas offer exciting and challenging rides,” said Jared Fisher, Director of Escape Adventures. “This part of Arkansas has an awesome art and culinary scene to boot.”
DAY 1 | Slaughter Pen
Visitors to Slaughter Pen trails in Bentonville enjoy a truly unique urban mountain biking experience. The 40-plus miles of singletrack flow alongside the paved Razorback Regional Greenway and by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where the path is dotted with public art.
DAY 2 | Little Sugar Trail
Today’s ride takes guests to the hollers and ravines of the new Little Sugar Trail System. The trail includes bluffs along Sugar Creek and a waterfall on Tanyard Creek as it wraps its way around Windsor and Avalon Lakes. Expect plenty of switchbacks and berms, as well as more advanced features like drops and jumps that have been generously sprinkled in throughout the system. Next, head to downtown Bentonville to tour the first Walton 5&10. The museum is in the original 5&10 that Sam Walton opened in 1950 on Bentonville’s town square.
DAY 3 | The Back 40
The Back 40 trail system weaves its way up and down the ridges and valleys that undulate across the east side of Bella Vista, including grinding climbs that alternate with fast, swooping descents. The 21-mile Back 40 Loop encircles the whole network with additional miles of trails crisscrossing the interior. Memorable sections will include “The Ledges”, a trail that gets its name from the karst ledges riders have to traverse along the route. Portions of Rago have also been rebuilt to include rock features and jumps. Despite being close to Bentonville, these miles will make you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere
DAY 4 | Hobbs State Park and Crystal Bridges
Hobbs State Park, Arkansas’s largest state park, spans a 12,054-acre tract of Ozark landscape along the southern shore of Beaver Lake. This area of the Ozarks consists of plateaus, ridges, valleys, and streams featuring a forest of pine, oak and hickory. There are also disappearing streams, springs and seeps that have carved the many hollows in this fragile limestone landscape. Trail-wise, there will be great diversity this morning, like most of Bentonville’s riding. Flowing ridge rides, short climbs, and rolling descents – this will be an awesome morning of riding with a delicious break for a picnic lunch. Later, visit the Crystal Bridges Art Museum, a world-class collection of American art, stunning architecture, and 120 acres of Ozark forest (including five miles of trails).
DAY 5 | Coler Preserve
Although it might feel like you are in the backcountry of the Ozarks while riding Coler, the trails are located about two miles west of downtown Bentonville. The trails feature multiple flowy jump lines, challenging technical rocky sections and several huge gap jumps. Riders will visit the “Hub” near the top of the mountain, a 20-foot-tall, steel-and-wood structure that guides riders to the start of three downhill runs. From there, choose which trail to take and the level of difficulty. Coler is now the state’s most challenging enduro-style jump trail system.
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