Oct 10-Oct 15: Bentonville, AR
After a fun and relaxing stop in Saint Louis, we resumed our drive towards Bentonville.
All we knew about Bentonville was that it is the home of the Walton family (the founders of Walmart), who had recently been dumping money into many miles of new mountain bike trails to attract tourists to the area. Our first impression of Bentonville was surprisingly positive. The drive into town was quite scenic, with rolling wooded hills leading to a quaint downtown area littered with pedestrians and cyclists bustling to and fro, despite the overcast October weekday. We stopped in at the local bike shop, Phat Tire, and were offered a cookie by one of the mechanics working there! (Everyone loves free cookies!) We chatted with the guys in the shop for a bit, got some tips on the local trails in the area, and verified that we probably won't get hassled for parking overnight in the big open public lot behind the shop. Next, we found the nearby Sugar Creek Laundromat to wash a quick load of stinky bike clothes. When we walk inside and hesitate, trying to determine which machines to use, a friendly guy named Ben strikes up a conversation and points out the double loaders, triple loaders, dryers, etc. After a few minutes, we learn he is actually the new owner of the laundromat, and a retired fireman, as he excitedly tells us about the updates and renovations he has planned over the next few months. When we mention that we are traveling in a van, he immediately insists that we park there overnight, where we will be safe, out of the way, and have 24/7 access to a bathroom if we need it. This town is already awesome, and we haven't even hit the trails yet! Feeling excited and thankful, we sleep well at the laundromat and are ready for a fun day of riding tomorrow.
The next day again had a chilly start, so we took advantage of a slow morning to make a giant breakfast. As the sun came out and things warmed up, we hopped on the trails at Slaughter Pen, hoping for a long day on the bikes. A few man-made wooden rollers and a little drop to practice on right at the beginning of the singletrack made us eager to explore the rest of the trail system. Unfortunately, not five minutes into our ride, Mike punctured his tire and the old sticky tire sealant would not plug up the hole. We were forced to head back to the van to fix the tire, and our spirits sunk.
Luckily, this delay led to an incredible experience! Back at the van, a pickup stuffed to the gills with camping equipment, coolers, and bike gear pulled up next to us. A younger couple, Jeff and Summer, eagerly jumped out and struck up a conversation with us. We found out this was also their first time in Bentonville, so we hit the trails together and quickly discovered that they were awesome trail buddies to ride with! They kept about the same pace we did, were playful on the bikes and were eager to stop and session on any challenging sections we came across. We spent the entire afternoon playing on the Slaughter Pen trails, practicing man-made drops and fun ladder bridges and supporting each other with videos, feedback, and high-fives.
Back at the van as we were packing up, the local trail building crew rolled up for a quick afternoon ride before sunset. We spoke with them for a while and learned that they often do trail work and ride on the Walton estate, where Tom Walton has over 40 miles of personal trail, on top of the couple hundred miles of trails he's help fund in the Bentonville area! As we chatted with the trail crew, it occurred to me that these were the first locals we had met after spending nearly all day out on the trails - every other mountain biker we met was just visiting. Seems like Bentonville is succeeding in becoming a mountain bike destination!
The next day we planned to meet Jeff and Summer at the Blowing Springs trailhead to ride some of the Back 40 trails. While prepping to ride, we met a couple of Industrial Designers from Garmin and THE Chamois Butter guy! They were all visiting from Kansas City, where they assured us we would actually find some pretty great mountain biking. The Chamois Butter guy loaded us up with a ton of little Chamois Butter and Kit Wash packets, but unfortunately we did not get any free samples from the Garmin guys.
We hit the trails, and the first section along the east side of Blowing Springs was fun and unique, with some technical areas created by lots of rock piles, wet roots, and punchy climbs. Once we made it to the Back 40 trails, we were all a little disappointed in the ride. These trails are still a pretty fun cross country system for cranking out miles on the bike, smooth and groomed without so much as a root to slow you down, but it's not the kind of trail we travel for. The one redeeming section in this system was the aptly named Ledges trail, which navigates up and down a collection of rock ledges traversing an incredibly scenic ravine.
Against the advice of some locals, we decided to shortcut back toward the trailhead along the inside of the Back 40 loop. What a mistake! The terrain was much more dramatic inside the loop - while it made for some fun and fast downhills, the climbs were insanely steep and long, sapping all of our remaining energy. After several grueling miles and more than a few snack breaks, we succeeded in making it back to the Blowing Springs system. This time we rode along the west side of the park along Bomb Diggity, which was the highlight of the whole ride! This trail was quite engaging with lots of rocks and roots and step-ups, and also had a few hidden B-lines on the side of the trail to practice big rock rolls and drops off boulders. An excellent end to the day. We said farewell to Jeff and Summer as they continued on with their travels and spent the night at the Bentonville Visitor Center.
In the morning, we learned a lesson: head to the Visitor Center as your first stop in town! They have free coffee, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and every mountain bike map you could want for exploring the area. (Plus you're allowed to sleep there for one night.)
Later we met up with Johnny, an acquaintance from Chicago, to ride the Mount Kessler trail system near Fayetteville. As soon as we got onto the trail, we immediately regretted not coming here first! Our legs burned from the three previous days on bikes, and the trails were not marked very well, but we absolutely loved the chunky, technical, challenging terrain. After getting lost one too many times, luck was finally on our side as a local rode by and offered to show us around his favorite loop. We gladly accepted, and spent the next hour grinning madly up and down the unique terrain.
On our way back toward Bentonville, we took a brief detour to check out the Railyard bike park. This was an incredible example of what a bike park could be! They had small rollers and low consequence skinnies for beginners to play on, medium sized tabletop jumps, and some bigger step-ups and not-quite-doubles. Everything was fairly low consequence if you messed up and fell, but still offered good progression for riders of all skills and abilities. Super bonus - they also had lights so the park didn't have to close at sunset!
Our last day in Bentonville we rested. We walked around the downtown area and explored the little Wal-Mart museum at the original Five-and-Dime store downtown, then grabbed some ice cream from the Walmart soda shop next door (only $2.80 for two giant waffle cones!). Then we headed across town to check out the Cyrstal Bridges Museum - just as Tom Walton has been pouring money into the mountain biking community, Alice Walton has been spending money on the arts. The museum is a celebration of American artists, with both modern collections and older pieces that Alice has traveled the world buying back from foreign owners. There are no guardrails or plastic sheets separating you from the art - you can get as close as you like (without touching) to examine each piece. The building itself is also spectacular with scenic walking paths and bike paths wandering through the grounds, and it is absolutely free to visit the general museum. The most expensive rotating exhibit was a whopping $15. I was amazed at how accessible and affordable it was.
Overall, Bentonville was a great experience and an awesome little town. The people were friendly, there are trails for people of all skill levels, and interesting places to explore. We'll definitely be back!
All we knew about Bentonville was that it is the home of the Walton family (the founders of Walmart), who had recently been dumping money into many miles of new mountain bike trails to attract tourists to the area. Our first impression of Bentonville was surprisingly positive. The drive into town was quite scenic, with rolling wooded hills leading to a quaint downtown area littered with pedestrians and cyclists bustling to and fro, despite the overcast October weekday. We stopped in at the local bike shop, Phat Tire, and were offered a cookie by one of the mechanics working there! (Everyone loves free cookies!) We chatted with the guys in the shop for a bit, got some tips on the local trails in the area, and verified that we probably won't get hassled for parking overnight in the big open public lot behind the shop. Next, we found the nearby Sugar Creek Laundromat to wash a quick load of stinky bike clothes. When we walk inside and hesitate, trying to determine which machines to use, a friendly guy named Ben strikes up a conversation and points out the double loaders, triple loaders, dryers, etc. After a few minutes, we learn he is actually the new owner of the laundromat, and a retired fireman, as he excitedly tells us about the updates and renovations he has planned over the next few months. When we mention that we are traveling in a van, he immediately insists that we park there overnight, where we will be safe, out of the way, and have 24/7 access to a bathroom if we need it. This town is already awesome, and we haven't even hit the trails yet! Feeling excited and thankful, we sleep well at the laundromat and are ready for a fun day of riding tomorrow.
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| We found this image scattered around town at trailheads, parks, sidewalks, and parking lots. |
We wake up early to vacate our spot at the laundromat and head over to the Coler trailhead. A friendly local, Juan, who had just finished up a ride tells us a bit about what to expect on the trails. Coler is designed as a small downhill park around one big hill - it is a long slow steep grind around the outside of the hill to get to the top. Once there, you can choose your route back down based on your skills and sense of adventure. We managed to get in a few loops and hit almost all of the fun downhill trails before our legs started to scream on the climbs. For the afternoon, we moved over to the Slaughter Pen trailhead just a few minutes away where there are restrooms and plenty of picnic tables to make dinner and enjoy some sunshine.
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| Prepping for pork tacos! One of our favorite parts of vanlife has been the extra time to cook and make fresh meals every day. |
The next day again had a chilly start, so we took advantage of a slow morning to make a giant breakfast. As the sun came out and things warmed up, we hopped on the trails at Slaughter Pen, hoping for a long day on the bikes. A few man-made wooden rollers and a little drop to practice on right at the beginning of the singletrack made us eager to explore the rest of the trail system. Unfortunately, not five minutes into our ride, Mike punctured his tire and the old sticky tire sealant would not plug up the hole. We were forced to head back to the van to fix the tire, and our spirits sunk.
 |
| Did I mention we like to cook...? |
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| Kati lobbing off a ladder drop like it ain't no thang. |
Back at the van as we were packing up, the local trail building crew rolled up for a quick afternoon ride before sunset. We spoke with them for a while and learned that they often do trail work and ride on the Walton estate, where Tom Walton has over 40 miles of personal trail, on top of the couple hundred miles of trails he's help fund in the Bentonville area! As we chatted with the trail crew, it occurred to me that these were the first locals we had met after spending nearly all day out on the trails - every other mountain biker we met was just visiting. Seems like Bentonville is succeeding in becoming a mountain bike destination!
The next day we planned to meet Jeff and Summer at the Blowing Springs trailhead to ride some of the Back 40 trails. While prepping to ride, we met a couple of Industrial Designers from Garmin and THE Chamois Butter guy! They were all visiting from Kansas City, where they assured us we would actually find some pretty great mountain biking. The Chamois Butter guy loaded us up with a ton of little Chamois Butter and Kit Wash packets, but unfortunately we did not get any free samples from the Garmin guys.
We hit the trails, and the first section along the east side of Blowing Springs was fun and unique, with some technical areas created by lots of rock piles, wet roots, and punchy climbs. Once we made it to the Back 40 trails, we were all a little disappointed in the ride. These trails are still a pretty fun cross country system for cranking out miles on the bike, smooth and groomed without so much as a root to slow you down, but it's not the kind of trail we travel for. The one redeeming section in this system was the aptly named Ledges trail, which navigates up and down a collection of rock ledges traversing an incredibly scenic ravine.
Against the advice of some locals, we decided to shortcut back toward the trailhead along the inside of the Back 40 loop. What a mistake! The terrain was much more dramatic inside the loop - while it made for some fun and fast downhills, the climbs were insanely steep and long, sapping all of our remaining energy. After several grueling miles and more than a few snack breaks, we succeeded in making it back to the Blowing Springs system. This time we rode along the west side of the park along Bomb Diggity, which was the highlight of the whole ride! This trail was quite engaging with lots of rocks and roots and step-ups, and also had a few hidden B-lines on the side of the trail to practice big rock rolls and drops off boulders. An excellent end to the day. We said farewell to Jeff and Summer as they continued on with their travels and spent the night at the Bentonville Visitor Center.
 |
| Bomb Diggity was full of fun technical sections and scenic rocks. |
In the morning, we learned a lesson: head to the Visitor Center as your first stop in town! They have free coffee, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and every mountain bike map you could want for exploring the area. (Plus you're allowed to sleep there for one night.)
Later we met up with Johnny, an acquaintance from Chicago, to ride the Mount Kessler trail system near Fayetteville. As soon as we got onto the trail, we immediately regretted not coming here first! Our legs burned from the three previous days on bikes, and the trails were not marked very well, but we absolutely loved the chunky, technical, challenging terrain. After getting lost one too many times, luck was finally on our side as a local rode by and offered to show us around his favorite loop. We gladly accepted, and spent the next hour grinning madly up and down the unique terrain.
On our way back toward Bentonville, we took a brief detour to check out the Railyard bike park. This was an incredible example of what a bike park could be! They had small rollers and low consequence skinnies for beginners to play on, medium sized tabletop jumps, and some bigger step-ups and not-quite-doubles. Everything was fairly low consequence if you messed up and fell, but still offered good progression for riders of all skills and abilities. Super bonus - they also had lights so the park didn't have to close at sunset!
 |
| The Railyard had something for everyone - beginners, intermediate, or advanced riders. |
Our last day in Bentonville we rested. We walked around the downtown area and explored the little Wal-Mart museum at the original Five-and-Dime store downtown, then grabbed some ice cream from the Walmart soda shop next door (only $2.80 for two giant waffle cones!). Then we headed across town to check out the Cyrstal Bridges Museum - just as Tom Walton has been pouring money into the mountain biking community, Alice Walton has been spending money on the arts. The museum is a celebration of American artists, with both modern collections and older pieces that Alice has traveled the world buying back from foreign owners. There are no guardrails or plastic sheets separating you from the art - you can get as close as you like (without touching) to examine each piece. The building itself is also spectacular with scenic walking paths and bike paths wandering through the grounds, and it is absolutely free to visit the general museum. The most expensive rotating exhibit was a whopping $15. I was amazed at how accessible and affordable it was.
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