#mountainbike
Exploring Bluffton Preserve – A Natural Gem in the Southern Ozarks
Tucked away in a beautiful valley just six miles north of Clinton in the southern Ozarks lies the Bluffton Preserve Nature Area. This is another natural area managed by the Nature Conservancy. Through the help of generous donors, the Nature Conservancy is the same group responsible for bringing us other wonderful recreational areas like Rattlesnake Ridge and Blue Mountain. While exploring Bluffton Preserve, I immediately realized this place is an outdoors treasure chest. There are professionally built trails for mountain biking, hiking, and backpack camping. Four miles of the Archey Fork Little Red River flows right through the area, with an access point for launching canoes and kayaks. This picturesque stream provides swimming holes, fishing, and a beautiful backdrop for hiking and observ...
Hiking and Mountain Biking at Blue Mountain Natural Area
To the west of Little Rock lies the Maumelle Pinnacles chain of mountain peaks. These peaks somewhat mark the eastern gateway to the Ouachita Mountains. The Maumelle Pinnacles consist of three peaks: Pinnacle Mountain, Rattlesnake Ridge, and Blue Mountain. Pinnacle Mountain has been one of Arkansas’ most visited state parks for decades. And since opening in 2018, Rattlesnake Ridge has become a popular outdoors spot for folks seeking to avoid the Pinnacle crowds. Both of those locations offer excellent hiking and mountain bike trails. And in June of 2023, the third and final peak in the chain was opened to the public. Thanks to the Nature Conservancy and Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, we now have hiking and mountain biking at Blue Mountain Natural Area. Directions On Hwy 10 wes...
Mountain Biking at Hobbs State Park
Here in Arkansas, we are fortunate to have some truly awesome State Parks. Most of them are located near lakes, rivers, or mountains offering a wide variety of outdoor recreation. Most of the State Parks have at least a few hiking trails, and some of them also have mountain bike trails. If you’re a mountain biker, there are four State Parks that should be on your favorites lists. They are the ones that have been blessed with Monument Trails. Those are Pinnacle Mountain, Mt. Nebo , Devil’s Den, and Hobbs State Park. I’ve been on a mission to ride them all. And this year, I finally got to do some mountain biking at Hobbs State Park, where the Monument Trails were born. You may be wondering, “what are Monument Trails?” The best description is straight from the Ar...
MTB Trails at River Mountain Park
Central Arkansas may not ever compete with Northwest Arkansas for the title of Mountain Biking Capitol of the World. But great strides are being made in Central Arkansas with trail systems like Pinnacle Mountain and Rattlesnake Ridge. And now we have MTB trails at River Mountain Park in West Little Rock. Although these are not part of the Monument Trails system at Pinnacle, they are professionally-built trails, well-designed, and a lot of fun. Directions Directions to this location are hard to describe in writing, so I’ll make it simple. Just go to Two Rivers Park in Little Rock. This is right off Cantrell Rd, next to I-430. It’s difficult to describe because at the time of this writing, there is major road construction along Cantrell Rd. So the turn-by-turn directions change o...
Big Rock Quarry Bike Park Pump Track
It’s no secret that Arkansas, specifically Northwest Arkansas, is becoming a cycling hotspot. The cycling enthusiasm – and more importantly, the investment – is really picking up steam in Central Arkansas as well. We all know about the great things happening with the Arkansas River Trail and Pinnacle Mountain State Park bike trails. And I’ll be writing soon about the new mountain bike trails at River Mountain Park. The latest bike project to hit Central Arkansas is the Big Rock Quarry Bike Park pump track. You may be asking “what is a pump track?” I had the same question, and I’ll get to that. The first thing to know is that it is the first phase of the Big Rock Quarry Bike Park in North Little Rock. The city of North Little Rock has made a signifi...
Hiking or Biking at Rattlesnake Ridge
Living in Central Arkansas, I’ve watched the sun go down many times from the top of Pinnacle Mountain. From my spot on the north peak, I’ve looked to the west and wondered “what is that other mountain over there?” And “it sure would be cool if we could hike to the top of it and look back this way.” Well, that mountain “over there” overlooking Lake Maumelle is Rattlesnake Ridge. And in 2018 it was opened to the public for hiking by the Nature Conservancy and Arkansas Dept of Natural Heritage. Finally, a much-needed new place to hike close to home! I love Pinnacle, but after you’ve been to the top 150 times (not kidding), it kinda loses its luster. In 2019, mountain bike trails were added so we can now go hiking OR biking at Rattlesnake R...
Mountain Biking at Pinnacle Mountain State Park
Since I was a kid, Pinnacle Mountain has always been the most popular place in Central Arkansas for hiking. The last few years it’s become so popular it gets overcrowded on most weekends. But fortunately there is much more to this State Park then just the hiking trails. There are picnic areas and group pavilions, a playground and open play fields. It has access to the Maumelle and Little Maumelle Rivers available for paddling and fishing. They also have an Arboretum, a visitor center with meeting facilities, and educational programs conducted by the park staff. And now mountain biking at Pinnacle Mountain is the latest attraction – and it’s almost as popular as the hiking. Mountain bike trails are actually not a new thing at Pinnacle. There have been two MTB trails in the...
Mountain Bike Trails at Mt. Nebo State Park
There has been a surge of new mountain bike trails constructed all over the state in the past few years. New trails are being finished faster than I can keep up with them. Not only is the quantity of trails in Arkansas increasing, but so is the quality. For years, I was used to riding on trails that basically amounted to hiking trails you could ride bikes on. But these new trails are professionally constructed specifically for mountain biking. The mountain bike trails at Mt. Nebo State Park are a great example. They are part of the Arkansas State Parks Monument trails collection, which you can read more about here. Much like the new trails around Bentonville, Hot Springs, and Pinnacle Mountain, these new trails make mountain biking more fun. That’s because they are designed for bikin...
Mountain Biking at Iron Mountain on Lake Degray
Arkansas has been known for years as a great destination for mountain biking. This is mostly due to the 5 IMBA (International Mountain Bicycling Association) “EPIC” rides in the state. But Arkansas has lots of great MTB trails that don’t meet all the “EPIC” qualifications and are just as fun. Iron Mountain on Lake Degray is one of those. It’s been there a long time and is a popular trail system that’s helped make Arkansas a mountain biking hot spot. For anyone new to mountain biking, it can be overwhelming trying to decide which of the many options to start with. Mountain biking at Iron Mountain should be near the top of your list if you live in central or southwest Arkansas. There has been a recent explosion of new trail construction happening all...
Trail Riding at Mack’s Pines
Today I’m going to break away from my usual topics and write about something a little different. Today’s story is about one of the funnest days I’ve ever had out in the woods. (is “funnest” a word?…is it “most fun”?) That would be the day I went ATV trail riding at Mack’s Pines in the Ozarks. Now, I don’t often write stories involving commercial businesses (free plugs). I should also note this is not a paid or sponsored post. But hey, it’s my blog so I’m allowed to break the rules. Call it Mack’s lucky day. I don’t have my own ATV and had never done this before. I was with a group of buddies on our annual Big Piney – Longpool Camping weekend. A few of the guys brought side-by-sides and 4-wheelers and ...
Riding the Syllamo MTB Trails White River Bluff Loop
It’s about that time of year where I trade the road bike for the mountain bike a little more often. So my first mountain bike post will be about riding the Syllamo MTB Trails White River Bluff Loop. Before I post about mountain biking, let me preface by saying that I am NOT a mountain biking badass. Far from it. I end up pushing my bike up hills a lot when there are lots of rocks and roots. Not being in great shape sometimes doesn’t help either. But I still enjoy it and try to ride through the woods when I can. The Syllamo Mountain bike trail is actually a series of different interconnected trails. All of the trails are loops and added together, they total around 50 miles of trails. It is one of Arkansas’ 5 IMBA “Epic” trails. (More on that here). The day I ro...
