Blowing Springs & Alice in Wonderland: Underrated Trail Gems in Bentonville!
If you asked me to name my favorite place to ride in Bentonville, I’d have to go with Blowing Springs and the Alice in Wonderland trails. Tucked between the Back 40 in Bella Vista and Slaughter Pen near downtown, this network offers a little bit of everything: fast flow, big jumps and drops, and some solid rocky tech, all without the crowds you’ll find on the more popular trails.
It’s the kind of place where you can push your limits or just cruise and enjoy the ride. And when you’re done? The Gear Garden at Blowing Springs Park is the perfect spot to unwind, with food trucks, cold beer, shade trees, and even a shallow creek to cool off in.
Sound good to you? In this post, I’ll share everything you need to know to plan your ride—or rides—at this mountain bike trail gem in Bentonville.
Quick Tips
For mountain biking Blowing Springs and Alice in Wonderland
TWW Take
Please note that these are my personal opinions – you may argue otherwise! And if so, state your case (politely) in the comments 🙂
Fun-ness Factor
Trail Variety
Average Difficulty
The Good & Not So Good of Mountain Biking at Blowing Springs & Alice in Wonderland
What I like
What I don’t
5-Day Bentonville Mountain Biking Itinerary
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Planning your Blowing Springs/Alice in Wonderland Rides
Best trails to hit
All of them! You can’t really go wrong here.
- Rabbit Hole Loop (beginner)
- Ace of Spades (beginner+)
- Blowing Spring Loop (intermediate)
- Mighty Pine (intermediate)
- Sally Trail (mid) (intermediate)
- Boom Diggity (advanced)
- Area 51 (advanced)
Tip: Stop at the Gear Garden (located in Blowing Springs Park) post-ride for a cold beverage and snack!
Route recommendation
- Alice in Wonderland Blowing Springs Ride (intermediate) – My go-to loop. You can lap the flow trails more if you want more miles. Skip Boom Diggity if you don’t like heights/you’re a newer rider.
Blowing Springs Trail Map
FAQs & Planning Tips
🅿️ Parking: The main parking for Blowing Springs is here. This is usually where I park, because I like to hang out at the Gear Garden after my ride. If you just want to do the Alice in Wonderland trails, this is a good place to park.
🗺️ Navigating the trails: The trails are easy to navigate. There are trail signs and maps at major intersections. Have TrailForks downloaded to your phone, though.
🚻 Bathrooms: There are bathrooms at Blowing Springs Park and at the second parking area I linked to above.
💧 Water: There is water available at the campground just up the road from the main parking area. There’s also water at this parking area, which is in the middle between Blowing Springs and the Alice in Wonderland Trails.
📅 How many days: I’d definitely recommend budgeting at least one day to ride my route recommendation above. You might like it so much that you decide to come back!
☀️ When to go: Bentonville can be ridden year-round depending on the weather.
🚲 What type of bike to bring: A short or mid-travel full-suspension mountain bike.
⚡️ E-bikes: Class 1 pedal assist e-bikes are allowed at Blowing Springs/Alice in Wonderland (and pretty much everywhere in Arkansas).
⛺️ Camping: There’s a campground at Blowing Springs, but not very nice. The RV/van spaces are packed together like sardines, so you really don’t have any privacy. And it’s full during the summer months. You can tent camp, which is a little nicer (the spots are on the lawn) and there are some cabins to rent, but overall I don’t think the campground is done very well.
Need gear recs?
Head over to my gear closet! I’m always testing out new pieces of bike gear and if I really like them, they earn a place on this page.
Whether you’re looking for a fun after-work loop or a quieter alternative to the more crowded Bentonville trails, Blowing Springs and the Alice in Wonderland network are definitely worth a spin. With a mix of flow, tech, jumps, and mellow connectors, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure kind of zone that suits a range of riding styles.
Plus, wrapping up the ride at the Gear Garden with a cold drink and some trail talk makes it all the better. So if you’re in town and want something a little off the main drag, don’t skip this one!
Have you ridden the Blowing Springs Trails or Alice in Wonderland? What are your thoughts? Best in Bentonville? Leave a comment and let me know!
Read next
Want even more planning tips for NWA? Download my Bentonville Mountain Biking Itinerary
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