If you asked me where the best mountain biking is in Bentonville, I’d have to say Coler Mountain Bike Preserve. This relatively small parcel of land is packed with awesome trails for all levels and styles of riders. From machine-built flow and jump trails (Fireline!) to one of the rockiest and techiest trails I’ve ever ridden (Here’s Johnny), Coler is a one-stop shop for mountain bikers.
It’s also just a cool place to hang out. There is a 2-mile paved greenway that spans the length of the park, a bike/hike-in-only coffee shop, a peaceful river, a campground, and some cool art sprinkled throughout.
Whenever I’m mountain biking in Bentonville, I make sure to spend at least a few days at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve – one day I’ll hit Drop The Hammer! If you’re planning a trip to Bentonville, I share everything you need to know about making the most of your time at Coler.
Coler Mountain Bike Preserve Map
The Coler Mountain Bike Preserve is part of the Peel Compton Foundation, whose mission is to “connect the community through nature, education, recreation, and preservation”. They also own and manage the Peel Museum & Botanical Gardens, Compton Gardens & Arboretum, Osage Park, and the Quiver Archery Range.
Coler is located about 8 minutes/2.3 miles west of downtown Bentonville. You can bike there and if you take 3rd Street to the southside parking, there is a protected bike lane.
10 Tips for Riding at Coler
1. Check out The Hub
Most of Bentonville’s mountain bike trail networks have a central hub that leads into an array of trails, but the Coler Hub is probably the most iconic. This alien-looking structure is located at the top of North Coler and leads into the northside downhill trails.
There are two ‘exit ramps’ off The Hub. One leads into Cease and Desist and the other into Rock Solid and Rock Soft. There used to be three exit ramps, but I guess they decided to take Fire Line’s entrance off, probably because it intimidated some riders.
Anyway, you can’t ride Coler without starting at least one lap from the Hub! (See the map above to locate where the Hub is in Coler)
2. Visit Airship Coffee
Did you know that there is a bike/hike-in-only coffee shop in the middle of Coler? How cool is that?! Airship Coffee is a full-service coffee shop housed in a modern, open-air, architectural piece of art. It’s a great place to hang out for a caffeinated pick-me-up (the coffee is amazing) or a post-ride beverage. They also serve smoothies and light food like nachos and tacos.
Airship is a great place for non-mountain biker significant others to hang out at while you do your ride. Here are a few more things to know:
3. Coler Gets Busy
Coler is probably the most popular mountain bike trail network in Bentonville. Slaughter Pen is popular too, but it’s a lot more spread out so it doesn’t feel overly crowded. Weekends at Coler can be quite busy, especially on the more popular trails like Fire Line, Thunder Dome, and Family Flow (see more about the trails below). Please be kind and courteous and remember that we’re all out there to have fun!
4. e-bikes are thriving
Bentonville is very e-bike friendly, so you will see a lot of them at Coler. Again, we’re all out there to have fun! Stay in control and be a decent human.
5. Some trails get closed after rain
To help maintain the trails, Coler does close the machine-built ones after rain. These include:
Do not duck the ropes if they are up. You are not special. Thanks!
6. Ride within your skill level
Know your limits and always scope the features before you send them. There is some big stuff at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve (maybe you’ve heard of Drop the Hammer?). The northside (the trails that start from the Hub) is home to the hardest runs, both in terms of big features like drops as well as old-school tech. The south side has mellower and more family-friendly trails.
Learn more about each of the trails below.
7. Don’t try to follow a pre-planned route
Coler Mountain Bike Preserve isn’t all that big and since the trails are relatively short, it’s almost impossible to try to follow a preplanned route (plus, you might just want to do another lap on Fire Line!). Instead, I recommend choosing a few trails that you know you want to ride and tailoring your route based on them.
For me, the trails I’d want to hit on my first ride at Coler are:
Once you know what trails you want to ride, you can put together your route using connecting trails. If you have a few days at Coler, you’ll learn the lay of the land pretty quickly.
8. There’s a campground
Want to wake up and ride? There’s a campground at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve that has tent platforms and car/van camping spots. There are also showers and bathrooms. Fair warning, though: the van sites book up months in advance! You can make Coler camping reservations here.
The campground is equipped with:
9. Parking can be challenging
Parking was a lot more challenging before they added a much larger parking lot above Thunder Dome. There are three parking areas to access Coler:
- North Gateway: This is a small parking area located on the north end of Coler Preserve. It provides the quickest and easiest access to the more advanced trails starting from The Hub. There are no bathrooms or water fountains here, but there is a bike tool/repair station.
- South Gateway: Located at the south end of Coler, this parking area is quite a bit larger and has bathrooms, a water fountain, and a bike tool station.
- Coler Grove: This is where I usually park. It’s a large paved lot above South Gateway and provides instant access to Thunder Dome and Family Flow. There are bathrooms and water fountains.
If you want to avoid trying to find a parking spot, you can easily pedal to Coler from downtown. Take 3rd Street because it has a protected bike lane.
10. There’s a little bit of everything here!
One of the reasons I love Coler so much is because there is a little bit of everything here. There are easy trails for families and new riders, machine-built trails for flow and features, and old-school rocky tech that will delight the cross-country crowd.
If you only have a few days in Bentonville, make sure you ride Coler because you’ll get a taste of everything Northwest Arkansas has to offer!
The trails at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve
The mountain bike trails at Coler literally cover any type of riding you might want to do. There are easy beginner-friendly trails, rocky and rooty old-school trails, freeride trails with big jumps and drops (ahem, Drop the Hammer), and intro-level freeride trails to help you build up skills and confidence.
I highly recommend giving yourself enough time to check out ALL of the trails at Coler, but if you are just looking to ride Coler’s greatest hits, here are what I consider to be the must-rides:
Watch BKXC shred the trails at Coler MTB Preserve
Read next
Planning a mountain bike trip to Bentonville? Check out these related posts:
Facts & FAQs
Q: Are e-bikes allowed at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve?
Yes, e-bikes are allowed and thriving.
Q: How many days do I need at Coler?
If you want to get the full Coler experience, I recommend at least two days.
Q: Is there a fee to ride at Coler?
Nope! It’s completely free.
Q: What else is there to do there?
In addition to the awesome mountain bike trails, you can also walk the greenway, relax on the swings at Airship Coffee, sit by the river, and check out the cool art.
Q: Do I need to be a good rider to mountain bike at Coler?
Nope! There are plenty of easy, beginner-friendly trails to ride.
Q: Is Coler open year-round?
Yes, but they do close the jump trails and Thunder Dome after rain.
Have you been to Bentonville? What did you think of Coler Mountain Bike Preserve? Does it live up to the hype? Leave a comment below!
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Great information. Is the Coler Bike Preserve open year round; do they close for part of the season, and what happens when the weather turns bad?
Yes, Coler Preserve is open year-round weather dependent. They’ll close it due to muddy/snowy trails but there isn’t a ‘closed season’.
Great write up! How would you compare Coler to the Mt Kessler trails?
Coler is definitely more developed and popular than Mt. Kessler. It has a lot more jumps, features, and machine-built trails. They’re both fun depending on what you’re looking for!