What I Thought About The BOC Ponca Downhill Trails

I’ve been struggling to figure out what to say about the BOC Ponca downhill trails… On one hand, I want to talk them up because the Buffalo River area is beautiful and definitely worth checking out, but on the other hand, I didn’t think the downhill trails were really that amazing. Honestly, I probably won’t ride them again.

After exploring so many of the mountain bike trail networks around Arkansas, I’ve come to have pretty high expectations for the singletrack here. But the Ponca downhill trails fell pretty short in my book, which was disappointing – I’d had high hopes!

I don’t want to discourage you from checking them out, but in this post, I give my honest review of my day riding the shuttle and exploring each of the trails. If you do want to visit the Buffalo River area (which I absolutely recommend doing), I also give a few other ways you can experience this part of Arkansas off the bike.

Trail Map

Quick stats

What I liked about the Ponca Downhill Trails

If you read the intro, you know that I wasn’t really a fan of these trails… But they do have a few things going for them, so here are a couple of reasons you might want to go check them out:

• The Buffalo Outdoor Center: This is the outfitter that owns the downhill trails and operates the shuttle. The shop is really cool and it’s one of the reasons I feel bad about not giving these trails a better review. That being said, you can support them by floating the river (see more about this below), booking a cabin, or grabbing lunch from their deli.
• It’s beautiful: The downhill trails snake their way through beautiful Ozark forest lined with oaks and Arkansas’s iconic rock ledges. It’s not the most beautiful place I’ve ridden in Arkansas (Devil’s Den wins that award), but it is quite pretty.
• There are some cool trail features: I dive into each trail below, but there are some cool natural and man-made features sprinkled throughout the Ponca downhill trails. White Lightening is the most unique.

What I didn’t

So why didn’t I love this place? Here’s how I think the Ponca downhill trails fall short:

• The trails are not well-maintained: At least when I visited, the trails were in pretty rough shape. I doubt BOC has a regular trail crew that gives them the love they need, and it shows.
• It’s very loose and gravelly: There are stretches of real dirt here, but for the most part, the trails are very loose and rocky. I found it hard to brake without skidding and hold my line around corners.
• The trail features are big: There are no beginner or really any intermediate features here. The drops are huge and most of the jumps are gaps. There are go-arounds, of course, but it would be nice to have some progressive options instead of only pro-only features.
• There’s pedaling required: Even though the BOC trails are shuttle-accessed, you’ll still be pedaling probably more than you expected. The last stretch of trail back to the shuttle pick-up is uphill, but there are also stretches throughout the network that are quite pedaly. Don’t bring your DH bike, that’s for sure.

How I rate It

I really wanted to love the BOC Ponca downhill trails, but truthfully, I didn’t. I do think part of this was riding by myself – having a larger group would have made the trails more fun. But the fact that they are quite rough and loose and cater more toward expert riders willing to huck off 6-foot drops made them not as appealing to me. I also wasn’t expecting to pedal as much as I did!

There are about 7 different trails, but not a ton of variety from top to bottom. Some trails definitely have more tech than others, but for the most part, they all felt pretty similar.

The BOC Ponca Downhill trails are not beginner-friendly. The shuttle driver was telling me a story about a mom and daughter who rented bikes and took the shuttle up (and were warned about the trails). It took them 4 hours to descend the 5 miles back down.

These trails are rocky, technical, steep, and loose with big rock drops and jumps sprinkled throughout.

The Ponca Downhill Trails

There are 7 downhill trails at Ponca. Depending on what route you take down, it’s about 5 miles from the shuttle drop-off at the top back to the Buffalo Outdoor Center.

If you want to ride all the trails at least once, here are the three runs I did:

1. Buffalo River Run all the way down
2. Upper Miner’s Run > Lower Miner’s Run > Mule Kicker
3. White Lightening > Skull Crusher

Watch BKXC ride the BOC Ponca Downhill Trails

Apparently, he liked them more than I did 😅 The trails also look in better shape.

Facts & FAQs

Camping & Where to Stay

Despite its whopping population of 9, there are actually a number of great places to stay in Ponca. Here are your options:

• Steele Creek Campground: This small, no-frills campground is on the banks of the Buffalo River. A few things to note about it, though: there is no cell service, the road down is very steep and switchbacked so no RVs or tow-behinds, and the tent camping is more like a group campsite than individual sites.
• BOC RV Park: This is located up on the ridge near the start of the downhill trails. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to stay there because there is no shade or privacy. Tents are also not allowed.
• BOC Cabins: If you want to splurge a bit, I recommend booking one of the BOC cabins. They’re super cute and private – some even have hot tubs!
• Vacation rentals: You can also check on Booking.com or Expedia for some cool rental options around Ponca.

Other things to do in the Buffalo River area

Even if you don’t ride the BOC Ponca downhill mtb trails, I still highly recommend heading out to the Buffalo River area for some exploration. It’s beautiful and there are lots of ways to get out and enjoy nature.

• Hike Lost Valley: The Lost Valley Trail is one of the more popular trails in the area, but for good reason. There are waterfalls and caves and beautiful Ozark scenery.
• Hike out to Whitaker Point: This is where Hawksbill Crag is, an iconic overlook in Arkansas.
• Float the Buffalo River: My dad and I rented a canoe from BOC and floated from Steele Creek to Kyle’s landing it was a blast and so beautiful. You can also hike up to the Big Bluff Lookout from the river and hike out to Hemmed-In Hollow Falls.

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Now that you’ve read my honest thoughts, are the BOC Ponca downhill mtb trails something you want to check out? Have you already been there? What was your experience like? Leave a comment below!