Centennial Park: The Best Mountain Biking in Fayetteville, Arkansas?

Quick Tips for Riding at Centennial Park Fayetteville

Look before you send – there are some big jumps and drops
A run down the World Cup track is a must
Occasional races are held at Centennial Park including the US Pro Cup
The north side of the park is mostly ‘new school’ and the south side is a mix of new school and chunky tech

Two Wheeled Wanderer Take

Overall Fun-ness

Average Difficulty

Trail & Feature Variety

It seems like every time I sit down to write about a mountain bike trail or destination in Arkansas I rave about how good it is. Honestly, I haven’t ridden anything here that I don’t consider worth it! Centennial Park at Millsap Mountain in Fayetteville is yet another destination that mountain bikers should check out.

This trail network is home to a World Cup circuit that draws professional mountain bike racers several times a year. But you don’t have to be a pro to enjoy them – I’m definitely not and the trails at Centennial Park are some of my favorites! There’s everything from fast and flowy cross-country loops to approachable jumps and drops to chunky rock garden descents. Every time I ride here I’m always impressed with the variety and quality of the trails.

If you’re planning a mountain bike trip to Northwest Arkansas and you want to explore farther afield from Bentonville, put Centennial Park on your list. This post covers everything you need to know about your first visit.

Centennial Park Trail Map

What Makes it Unique

The mountain bike trails at Centennial Park are a bit of a hidden secret- at least for visitors or non-locals. There’s a lot to love about them! Here are the highlights:

The World Cup Race Track (it’s a blast!)
Get a little bit of everything in one ride
Tons of drops, jumps, and features – all professionally built
Impressive stone and rock work
Full-time trail crew makes sure everything is maintained
Connect to the Kessler trails for even more fun

Mountain bike flow trail at Centennial Park in Fayetteville, Arkansas — I mean, how can you not want to ride those berms Captain Fantastic?!

My Favorite Trails

Honestly, most of the trails at Centennial Park are fun and worth checking out if you have the time. Here are my highlights, though:

Beginner

Learner’s Permit: An awesome flow trail that rides well in both directions, although most people ride it clockwise.
Chasing Gold: Fast and flowy – this is part of the XC race course

Intermediate

Junk Drawer: One of the best trails at Centennial Park. It’s mainly ridden from north to south. Half of it is downhill, the other half is a climb.
Captain Fantastic: Super fun flow trail with some optional features like rock rollers, drops, and jumps. Another must-ride at Centennial Park.

Advanced

World Cup: An awesome trail that blends a little bit of everything from rock gardens, jumps, manmade features, big berms, and more. It’s rated black, but there are go-arounds to all the bigger features. It’s a must-have for anyone visiting Centennial Park! Start with #1 and ride through #5.
Hail Mary: A chunky, rocky DH trail. This is my favorite of the downhill lines.
Chunky: Rock chunk and rock drops! In between there’s flow and berms.
Red Rum: The biggest jump/drop line at Centennial Park. Scope the features and ride within your skill level.

Mountain bike leaning against rock pile at starting 'hub' at Centennial Park in Fayetteville, Arkansas — There is a large built-up “Hub” that is that leads into a section of the World Cup track and Chasing Gold XC track

My Route Recommendations

The In and Out Loop: This is a great short or beginner-friendly loop at Centennial Park. (Note: The route below starts in a weird place. Just start at the main parking area and start with Fayetteville Traverse counterclockwise.)
Make it longer: Add another lap on Captain Fantastic, do the full Learner’s Permit loop, or do the Chasing Gold Loop
Centennial Park Greatest Hits: If you’re looking for one ride to hit it all at Centennial Park, this is it. It’s my go-to route whenever I’m back here. It covers the World Cup tracks as well as the two best downhill lines on the south side: Captain Fantastic and Hail Mary.
Make it longer: Add more laps on the south side DH lines. You could attempt Red Rum or Chunky.
Make it shorter & easier: The ending is an out-and-back lollipop on Fayetteville Traverse to Learner’s Permit. You could end it early by cutting out at the top of Learner’s Permit, but the descent back down is really fun and there are some cool jumps on Fayetteville Traverse going the other way.

Photo out over front of mountain bike handlebars onto rock slab roller — A fun rock slab roller on Captain Fantastic

Rock bridge and drop on mountain bike trail at Centennial Park in Fayetteville, Arkansas — There are a number of drops and gap jumps throughout Centennial Park – be sure to scope before you send!

Planning Your Centennial Park Rides

🚗 Getting there: Centennial Park is located on Millsap Mountain outside of Fayetteville, Arkansas. It’s about a 30-minute drive south of Bentonville. It’s also near Mt. Kessler if you want to explore those trails as well.

🅿️ Parking: There’s a large parking area at the top of Millsap Mountain, which is where I usually park. Here are the Google directions.

🗺️ Navigating the trails: The trails are well-signed, but there are no trail maps. I recommend having TrailForks downloaded to your phone.

🚻 Bathrooms: There are bathrooms at the main parking area on Millsap Mountain.

💧 Water: There are water fountains at the main parking area.

📅 How many days needed: You can cover most of the trails in one ride, but you may want to spend two because they’re so much fun! You can also explore Mt. Kessler next door.

☀️ When to go: The trails are open year-round, but please don’t ride them when they’re wet. I prefer to ride in Arkansas in the spring and fall for the best weather.

🚲 What type of bike to bring: A short or mid-travel full-suspenion bike would be best. You could also get away with a hardtail.

⚡️ E-bikes: Yes!

Centennial Park: The Best Mountain Biking in Fayetteville, Arkansas?

Quick Tips for Riding at Centennial Park Fayetteville

Two Wheeled Wanderer Take

Centennial Park Trail Map

What Makes it Unique