A Mountain Biker’s Guide to Bentonville’s Trails

Bentonville has quickly become a must-ride destination for mountain bikers, and word is spreading fast. I first visited in 2020, and since then, I’ve been returning annually—sometimes even twice a year! Bentonville is without a doubt one of the best places I’ve ridden in the U.S., and its reputation is growing worldwide.

Say what you will about Walmart, but the Walton Family Foundation’s investment in the region’s trails and community development is nothing short of amazing. This once-sleepy corner of middle America has transformed into a veritable Disneyland for mountain bikers.

And if you’re thinking “It’s too polished for me,” think again. While Bentonville offers plenty of machine-built flow trails, jump lines, and bike park features, there’s also a ton of rugged, hand-cut trails with plenty of rocks and roots for those who love classic, technical terrain.

The best part? The growth isn’t slowing down. Rumor has it that the region plans to add 1,200 miles of singletrack between Bentonville and Little Rock over the next decade—pretty exciting stuff for mountain biking enthusiasts.

If you’re planning a trip to Bentonville, Arkansas, I put together this guide that has everything you need to make the most of your visit, from the top trails to ride, route recommendations, where to eat, and more!

Bentonville Mountain Biking Map

This map shows all the main mountain biking trail networks around Northwest Arkansas. If you’re looking for even more riding, check out my post on the best mountain biking in Arkansas.

Start at Slaughter Pen

The Slaughter Pen Trails are probably the most famous Bentonville mountain biking trails and a good place to start. They’re located basically in town – you can literally catch singletrack trails from downtown Bentonville. It’s amazing!

There is everything here and to be honest, it can be a bit overwhelming if it’s your first time visiting. There are machine-built flow trails, hand-cut old school trails, a skills park with jumps and drops, a CASTLE, cross-country riding, and even big stuff I will never hit (hello Boneyard).

I think most visitors get into the trap of only riding the Slaughter Pen trails when they visit Bentonville, and while they are awesome, don’t fall into that trap. It’s worth checking out the other networks I’ve listed as well. I’d say 2 days at Slaughter Pen is good (obviously more if you have the time).

Tips for riding at Slaughter Pen:

Head to Blowing Springs & The Alice in Wonderland Trails

Making your way closer to Bentonville, the Blowing Springs and Alice in Wonderland Trails bridge the gap between Little Sugar and the Back 40 in Bella Vista (see below) and the Slaughter Pen trails near downtown Bentonville.

These trails are some of my favorites. It’s not a huge area, but what’s packed in there is pretty darn fun, especially if you like old-school tech (Boom Diggity) and new-school flow (Ace of Spades).

It might be easy to overlook these trails when putting together your Bentonville mountain biking trip, but I highly recommend doing at least 1 ride here!

Tips for riding at Blowing Springs & Alice in Wonderland:

Get your XC on at Little Sugar

Little Sugar (and The Back 40 – see below) are the rolling cross-country areas of Bentonville, although there are a few pockets of some fun tech if you know where to look. Little Sugar is northwest of downtown in the residential community of Bella Vista.

There is one 25+ mile loop around Little Sugar called Tunnel Vision. It rolls in and out of neighborhoods on mellow terrain with lots of well-built climbs and long, fast descents. I’ve done the full loop twice and it’s actually pretty fun and worth doing if you have 25+ miles in your legs. If you’re not up for a big-mile day, there are plenty of options for shorter rides at Little Sugar (see route recommendations below).

Little Sugar is also home to the Huntley Gravity Zone. This cluster of trails is located almost smack dab in the middle of Little Sugar and has a few machine-built flow and jump lines. Air-Raid is the most popular and a great trail to build confidence on jumps and drops. (Note: the Huntley Gravity Zone isn’t on the big Little Sugar Loop. You’ll need to take the trail Uphill Both Ways to access it).

Lastly, the last time I rode Little Sugar, I discovered a little pocket of trails on the north end that were a ton of fun. This is where Staggerwing, Sister Rosetta, and Immortal Amanda are. Don’t miss them!

Tips for riding at Little Sugar:

Loose the Crowds at Back 40

The Back 40 trail network is similar to Little Sugar in that it’s mainly cross-country and has one long 22+ mile loop – the Back 40 Loop. There are also plenty of ways to put together shorter (and arguably more interesting) rides with the crisscrossing of trails throughout the trail network.

The Back 40 is also located up in Bella Vista but on the right side of the community. It’s home to one of my favorite mountain bike trails in Bentonville – The Ledges – which follows a band of rock with some exposure and a few tricky rock gardens.

Tunnel Vision or the Back 40? If you want to do one long cross-country ride, I like the Tunnel Vision loop a little more than the Back 40 loop. I also think the Back 40 has better options for shorter and more interesting rides than Little Sugar.

Tips for riding the Back 40:

🚴‍♀️ Check out the Back 40 on TrailForks 🚴‍♀️

Turn up the fun at Coler Preserve

If you only have time to visit one mountain bike network in Bentonville, make it Coler Mountain Bike Preserve. This place is awesome! There’s a ton to explore here and there’s a great variety of trails, features, and terrain.

Most of the downhill trails start at The Hub on the north side. This alien-looking structure is an elevated launchpad with ramps dropping down into different trails. Fire Line is a must! Cease & Desist and the famous Drop The Hammer start from here as well.

On the south side of Coler, Thunder Dome and Family Flow are two fast and flowy machine-built trails that are worth lapping a couple of times.

In between the north side and south side are a mix of cross-country trails ranging from beginner-friendly to the expert-only Here’s Johnny.

Need a snack? Be sure to hit up Airship Coffee, which is located in the middle of the Coler Preserve trails and can only be accessed by foot or bike. You can also book a site at the Coler Campground if you want to shred sunup to sundown.

Tips for riding Coler Preserve:

🚴‍♀️ Check out Coler Preserve on TrailForks 🚴‍♀️

Find old school tech at Handcut Hollow

Handcut Hollow is one of the newer trail networks in Bentonville. As you’d suspect from its name, there are a lot of natural trails here, BUT it’s not all handcut. The Hub does access a few machine-built lines like my favorite – Interplanet Janet (so fun!) – and some impressive rock work trails like The Body Machine. Mother Necessity is the climb trail up to the hub.

If you are looking for old-school hand-cut, though, you’ll love Traverse Loop. It’s a good mix of cross-country and tech. When I rode it, I had the trail mostly to myself. This area is less popular than other Bentonville mountain biking networks.

Handcut Hollow is also home to the infamous Zone 4 trail. The brief for the trail builders was to build the hardest climb they could! As of this post, no rider – even the pros who’ve tried it – has been able to ride the whole thing in one smooth shot.

Tips for riding Handcut Hollow:

🚴‍♀️ Check out Handcut Hollow on TrailForks 🚴‍♀️

Trail Networks Farther Afield

The six trail networks listed above make up the riding closest to Bentonville. However, there is great riding all around Northwest Arkansas! Here are a few other trail networks to check out if you have the time:

Watch BKXC ride some of the trails in Bentonville

Planning your trip? Download my 5-day Bentonville Mountain Biking Itinerary!