Bentonville AR Ride Recommendations

[Tom K.]

Mrs. K and I are escaping the last clutches of Montana winter in Bentonville/Bella Vista.

If anybody has any recommendations for riding and/or eating they would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[wooglin]

Can’t help with the eating, but the riding shouldn’t be too hard. I wouldn’t sweat that part.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I can't remember the names of the restaurants, but we had a couple of great meals in the town square area.

I honestly felt like the riding was pretty average, but I only rode one zone. I just don't think they were really blessed with good dirt.

 

[Jwrags]

I cannot help with your questions but will pose one of my own. How did you decide on Arkansas as an escape? Hawaii, understandable, but the Ozarks Btw, I have been to Bella Vista probably 50 years ago when they were first developing it.

 

[Drahtguy Kevin]

Bentonville Brewing Company is exceptional if beer is your thing.

@Mattadvproject is there now. If there’s a good kabob around, he’ll find it.

 

[Mattadvproject]

Mrs. K and I are escaping the last clutches of Montana winter in Bentonville/Bella Vista.

If anybody has any recommendations for riding and/or eating they would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

My wife and I are here in Bentonville currently. We arrived on Saturday evening and are staying until the 13th May. So, we are just getting started. We have to work during the day mid-week and then we have been hitting the trails for a couple of hours in the evenings. Weekends we can ride all day. So far we have just done 2 rides in the Slaughter Pen area. It's huge, with 3 zones (Phase 3, 2 and 1) and multiple trails in each zone.

On Sunday we explored the Phase 3 area and last night we hit 2 and 1 and figured out how to use the Razorback Greenway to link it all together. Tonight we'll do one more ride in the area and hit terrain in all 3 zones. It's due to rain tomorrow and into Friday, so not sure how much riding we'll it then, but this weekend we want to hit Coler and then Belle Vista when it dries out. That should keep us occupied for most of next week. Not sure what we'll do after that.

As for food, we've only eaten out in a couple of places, close to where we are. That was a Mediterranean place that wasn't great and then the Peddler's Pub which also wasn't great. All good though, I'm sure we'll find some good places. Happy to keep sharing here.

- Matt`

 

[Mattadvproject]

Bentonville Brewing Company is exceptional if beer is your thing.

@Mattadvproject is there now. If there’s a good kabob around, he’ll find it.

No kabobs yet...

 

[Tom K.]

I cannot help with your questions but will pose one of my own. How did you decide on Arkansas as an escape? Hawaii, understandable, but the Ozarks Btw, I have been to Bella Vista probably 50 years ago when they were first developing it.

We love to mtb. Have been since 1988, and have seen a lot of places, so thought we would try somewhere new.

And it's warm-ish here, but not hot. I hate hot.

So far we have just done 2 rides in the Slaughter Pen area. It's huge, with 3 zones (Phase 3, 2 and 1) and multiple trails in each zone.

We hit up Slaughter Pen today. Parked near the start of Tristan's because that let us run the dog -- mildly illegally, but nobody seems to care -- in some grass, since her paws were a bit worn from the last two days.

Rode easy stuff and had a blast. Tristan's, Barn Burner, Ozone, Black Apple Creek, and All American from one end to the other. Hidden Gem: Leopard Loop, complete with paved flow downhill in the middle of the woods?!

We've also ridden Hobbs State Park (fantastic) and Coler (so-so for our preferences. Tomorrow if the rain holds off, I'm going to ride a loop of Tunnel Vision from the house we're renting in Bella Vista. If you guys ride Bella Vista, you're welcome to stage out of our house/garage. PM for details.

Next new spot is a bit of a drive, but everybody raves about Mt. Nebo State Park.

As for food, we've only eaten out in a couple of places, close to where we are.

We've hit two good Mexican places. It turns out they are both named El Pueblito, and part of a 3-restaurant chain. The Arroz Con Pollo and Chile Colorado were great.

South of Coler we had lunch at Thai Basil. A hole in the strip mall (ha) place with exceptional Thai Basil (I would hope so) and Yellow Curry.

 

[Tom K.]

A few pics:

With due respect to Right Said Fred, I'm on the catwalk here!

Mrs. K on the paved flow section of Leopard Loop:

And posing under some urban art:

 

[chris_the_wrench]

@Tom K.

Soggy out at beaver lakes this morning, the trails weren't as bad as I expected after yesterdays snow/rain. If we get 4-5 days of dry(which I don't see happening till next week) they should be rideable. I stay away from mud trails, so i did a easy spin on the gravel roads. Just under 30 degrees, and a bit of a breeze… not my favorite riding weather.

Ya made a good call heading to warmer weather vs cold mud season here!

 

[k2rider]

Wright's BBQ in Bentonville and Fat Daddy's BBQ in Russellville (after riding Mt Nebo) were both excellent. We couldn't find good Mexican to save our life, I don't care what the reviews say. Since you're over in Bella Vista, Gusano's pizza is pretty solid.

If you go over to Eureka Springs, the quirky town is worth visiting and the Passion Play trails were all green & blue which you said your wife preferred. We ate at Sparky's Roadhouse and everything was really good. Not healthy but gooooood!!!

 

[Tom K.]

Wright's BBQ in Bentonville and Fat Daddy's BBQ in Russellville (after riding Mt Nebo) were both excellent. We couldn't find good Mexican to save our life, I don't care what the reviews say. Since you're over in Bella Vista, Gusano's pizza is pretty solid.

We almost ate at Wrights yesterday, but it was mid-ride, and didn't seem like that great of an idea. Ended up at El Pueblito in Bella Vista and the food was great (as it was in their sister shop in Rogers a few days earlier).

We'll have to give Wrights a try today -- it is "drizzly walking around shops and museums downtown day" ugh but happy wife.

Pizza tomorrow and Fat Daddy's Sat or Sun when we hit Nebo. Thanks for the recommendations!

 

[Tom K.]

Challenging/fun day yesterday. Started to do the entire Tunnel Vision Loop and sliced a sidewall very badly a bit less than halfway through. Could have booted it and tubed it, but went with the "wife rescue" since she was 10 minutes away in the van.

Did a bunch of art walk/lunch/museum stuff, took a nap, then decided to go for the loop in the evening. What a hoot! If you like fast-ish but interesting (and occasionally switchbacky) xc riding, these Bella Vista trails are the absolute bomb. @chris_the_wrench I suspect you'd love them.

And with some surprise scenery after the mid-day rains:

 

[chris_the_wrench]

Did a bunch of art walk/lunch/museum stuff, took a nap, then decided to go for the loop in the evening.

More rain and snow here today. Keep having fun down there!

Is there a Rapha presence down there? Did the Wally World folk setup a Rapha boutique?

 

[Tom K.]

More rain and snow here today. Keep having fun down there!

Is there a Rapha presence down there? Did the Wally World folk setup a Rapha boutique?

I have not noticed anything like that. Cool thing is that there is a significant xc-type presence down here wearing lycra, so that is completely acceptable. No need to wear humid diapers (baggies) to blend in!

 

[Erik Timmerman]

You guys still down there?

 

[cantunamunch]

You guys still down there?

It's getting pretty sketch - he even went to the Rapha shop

2023 Mountain Biking

You are the local legend… Rasta is a gulch drop that is whip fast as you dare in the fall line. The winter gate locks out for Sage Grouse sexy time, it’s dried out just enough to ride up to the gate. I was only 2 seconds off my PR time on this segment. Which means two things: 1) I’ve made...

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[Tom K.]

You guys still down there?

Sorry, missed this one. Our last ride day was Saturday at Hobbs State Park, and we had a blast again. I rode myself into the dirt, then we drove home 1700+ miles in two days, with the first day including battering headwinds for about 90% of the drive. Tired.

 

[RachelV]

We're considering taking a day to ride in Bentonville on our way from Colorado to North Carolina late next week. Does anyone know if there are tail systems where we could ride with our dog off-leash?

 

[Tom K.]

We're considering taking a day to ride in Bentonville on our way from Colorado to North Carolina late next week. Does anyone know if there are tail systems where we could ride with our dog off-leash?

I would recommend Hobbs State Park. Though there is technically a leash law, we saw plenty of unleashed dogs running with their riding owners.

The key is to go a few miles past the visitor center, take a left, and drive down to the intersection of the Karst Trail and the Wolf Den Loop, and park there.

Depending on where you're coming from (or to) Mt. Nebo State Park is even better. When we were there on a midweek day, there were about 7 other people. It is, however, a couple hours or so south of B-Ville, west of Russelville.