By Steve Wilcox Special to Ozark Living

Residents of Bella Vista know it as a quiet place of scenic beauty , a region of wide , treeframed Ozark vistas and placid lakes teeming with freshwater fish . But to the outside world , Bella Vista is very much-known as a mountain bike hub – a destination of choice for both hardtail and full-suspension enthusiasts . But if you ’ re going to haul your bike from point A to point B , there better be a legit trail at the end of trail , so to speak . That ’ s where the City of Bella Vista comes in .

According to Justin Culpepper , trails and active transportation coordinator for the City

Photo by Alan Cruz

Justin Culpepper enjoys a Bella Vista trail .

of Bella Vista , the city and the property owners association split the cost of maintaining the soft surface , multi-use trails . Their efforts are aided by a large volunteer base that helps out . Dirt trails , often with the misnomer of “ mountain bike trails ,” are there to serve a variety of users – from hikers to trail runners , from birders to anyone who represents foot traffic or humanpowered transportation . That said , there are still a number of trails that are strictly for mountain bikers .

Most trails are dirt – native material that was there when the trail was built . But there are examples of flow trails as well .

“ The only exception is the flow trails , which are downhill mountain bike-only trails ,” said

Photo courtesy NWADG / BEN GOFF

Bikers ride on a section of the new Back 40 mountain bike trail system near Lake Ann in Bella Vista .

Culpepper . “ There we create a nice blend of native soil and other material that becomes smoother dirt . Obviously , most of our soil here ( in Northwest Arkansas ) is rock , but we want a smooth dirt blend that retains native properties so it still drains well and withstands heavy use .” A flow trail is designed to provide an efficient riding experience with fewer obstacles . It ’ s about maintaining speed .

An example of this type of trail in Bella Vista is the Huntley Gravity Zone , a small area on the Little Sugar Trail system . Mountain bikers will find five downhill trails ( Tango Whiskey , Air-Raid , Invasion , Rendezvous , Shock-N-Awe ) with green , blue and black designations offering select features that include berms and jumps . Pedestrians are not allowed on these trails .

The flow trails are currently being reworked by Trailblazers , a nonprofit formed in 2021 that merged NWA Trailblazers , an organization that developed more than 300 miles of multi-use trails , and BikeNWA , a bicycle advocacy and education organization that advocates for active transportation efforts . Flow trails require more maintenance than most trails in the system . Trailblazers acts as a project manager working with the City of Bella Vista and the POA to maintain and develop trails .

“ They ’ re our main point of contact when new trails are being developed ,” said Culpepper .

Trail construction funding comes from Trailblazers along with some provision for maintenance . The Back 40 Trail , the Little Sugar trails and the hard-surface greenway trails were all developed with funding from Trailblazers . It ’ s not uncommon to have Trailblazer employees or contractors working on the trail system many times a week . City / POA maintenance efforts extent to removing downed trees on the trails and ensuring trail cleanliness and accessibility .

Making Trails for Everyone “ It all starts with trail design ,” said Culpepper . “ You ’ re going to go farther on a bicycle than you would on foot , so one thing we ’ re trying to do in making our trails more-

10 • OCTOBER 2024 • OZARK LIVING