I grew up in Missouri, and have always ridden BMX and motocross. I fell in love with mountain biking in 1989. I moved here for a career with Walmart. At that time if you wanted to ride your mountain bike in the Bentonville area, you just had to figure out how to ride on gravel roads and creek beds. In 2006, rumors started surfacing that Bentonville was building a trail. I didn’t think much of it, until one day I drove into town with my then-infant son and saw the trail going up the hillside.
The idea to build a regional trail system came from the Walton family, which has always had a strong connection to the outdoors. Many of them are passionate about mountain biking and have invested a lot of their own time and sweat equity personally working on the trails. Even during those early days, there were conversations on whether developing this trail system could help local businesses in Bentonville – and neighboring cities like Bella Vista, Rogers and Fayetteville – recruit younger talent.
We’ve certainly seen that come to fruition.
Bella Vista, where I now live, used to be a retirement community. It’s got seven lakes and seven golf courses, and at one time if you moved there, it was to sit back, relax and play golf every day. But that’s no longer the case. We hear story after story of golfers, even in their 60’s, becoming mountain bikers, because our trails are designed for riders of all skill levels. I’m in my 50’s – and I’m still enjoying the sport as much as I did when I first rode a bike. Young professionals with growing families are moving here for jobs but also so they can be closer to the trails.
One of the goals for the system was being able to access trails right from the center of town, so you could ride on your lunch break or ride from your house to work. What started as a 5-mile trail near downtown Bentonville has become an extensive network of trails connected to the city’s town square that will continue to grow in 2019. The urban trail system has become an iconic feature of the region. We have trail counters that are mounted along the whole trail system, and we use Strava data to measure the number of riders. It’s pretty clear the impact that trails have had on the region’s quality of life – in my view, you can’t beat an urban trail system for the return on investment, and the enjoyment it provides thousands of people, versus a couple of hundred people with a remote trail system.
The system has its beginner level trails - we rate them green to black just like for ski slopes - right up to advanced trails that a professional MTB’er can come here and enjoy. I’ve had the pleasure of riding with some pro riders and I love seeing their surprise when they realize just what we’ve built. While there are certainly similar trails in other communities around the country, most are legacy trails that might be converted from hiking paths. We’re fortunate in Northwest Arkansas that we’ve started from scratch, recruited some of the world’s best trail builders, and we’ve been able to let those trail artists come in and create their art.