Ozarks IRL with more bikes and less murder
long weekend itinerary for Bentonville, AR
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Last summer, I got my first bike.
Well, okay. Not the first bike of my life, but the first one that was a true investment and commitment into the world of cycling (a Specialized Diverge gravel bike, to be exact!)
Biking was not something I grew up doing. As a kid, I lived “in the country” (and as I type that phrase I wonder if only fellow Midwesterners would know what I mean?)… essentially, I lived miles from town on a dirt road where cars flew by and it simply wasn’t a safe place to bike as a kid.
By comparison, my husband Sam grew up on his bike. His three best friends lived down the road — a band of besties rolling the streets — seeking out adventure to rival the Goonies.
When Sam and I lived and traveled full-time in our skoolie, he bought his first mountain bike in Napa, CA. Southwest of Napa, across San Pablo Bay, is the birthplace of mountain biking in Marin County. (We ended up living here as well, but that’s another story/itinerary for another day!)
Sam revived his childhood love of biking! It was incredible to see how hard he was bit by the bug of mountain biking, and then how much further his obsession developed once we moved to Sedona, Arizona. ( < previous Habitual Travel Itinerary!)
Cut to moving back to Kansas in 2021.
The thing about mountain biking is that mountains are a bit of a requisite. Alongside relearning what it’s like to live in a stationary home, we were also relearning what it’s like to not live near mountains.
We started researching to fill this void of mountain biking. From where we live, Denver, CO is about an 8-hour drive, Moab, UT is about 14 hours away; and, to our surprise, Bentonville, AR is less than 4 hours away.
Arkansas? For mountain biking?
Growing up, I did lake life often with my family at Beaver Lake. I’d visited Bella Vista for the renowned craft fairs and experienced the quirky town of Eureka Springs a couple of times. But otherwise, Arkansas wasn’t somewhere I necessarily considered a destination (and yeah, I’m from Kansas, so I see the irony in that).
Turns out, Bentonville has built itself up over the years and is now considered the Mountain Biking Capital of the World. Yes, the WORLD.
According to VisitBentonville.com (albeit a biased site, to be sure):
“What makes Bentonville the Mountain Biking Capital of the World? Nowhere else can you find an extensive network of nearly 70 miles of trails running throughout the city, seamlessly connected to the 400-mile award-winning systems across the bluffs and hollers of Northwest Arkansas.”
Or as AllMountainStyle.com says, “The city is doing an excellent job at standing up to its claim as ‘the mountain bike capital of the World’ or as it’s been referred to in other articles, a ‘Mecca’ or a ‘Disneyland’ for [mountain bike] riders.”
Bentonville is built to be experienced on bikes. It’s in the water. There are paved paths for cruising through the city, the double black diamond trails people travel all over the world for, and open stretches of gravel for those like me, who have allowed gravel biking to become my full personality.
If you’re not a regular cyclist, tons of bike rentals are available, including electric bikes (eBikes), so you can see even more of the city.
Sam and I take quick trips to Bentonville often, and below, you’ll find a long weekend itinerary with museums, food, drinks, hikes, and everything in between (and lots of biking, duh).
Another great thing about Bentonville? The art!
Did someone say art? Through March 20, I’m offering an Equinox Special where a yearly subscription to Shade Cactus is only $35/year (instead of the full $50/year). The monthly subscription is only $7/month. Upgrade! 🤖