Adventure Cycling Unveils Second US Bike Trail in Arkansas

Montana-based nonprofit Adventure Cycling has announced a new long-distance bike route that will run from the Arkansas-Missouri border to Alma. The 88-mile route, called USBR 51, is Arkansas’ second trail in the U.S. Bicycle Route System. The first, USBR 80, runs from Little Rock to Memphis.

“So it’s an east-west route. USBR 51 is the first north-south route in the state.”

That’s Jenn Hamelman. She’s the routes director for Adventure Cycling. She said the U.S. Bicycle Route System, which the nonprofit facilitates, is unique because it largely uses pre-existing infrastructure.

“It uses the Razorback Greenway for about 35 miles of the 88 miles, which is a great use of existing infrastructure,” Hamelman said. “There’s no infrastructure requirement. But, you know, we always encourage the state DOTs — and I think they’re always looking for ways — to make things as friendly as possible for cyclists, for a bike trail.”

Hamelman worked closely with Kim Sanders of the Arkansas Department of Transportation during the development of USBR 51. She is the bicycle and pedestrian coordinator and said this kind of bike trail development starts the same way most road trips do.

“I think the first phase would be to sit down and just look at maps,” Sanders said. “So what makes sense? What kind of route makes sense? And if you’re a cyclist, that helps. The world looks different on a bike than it does in a car. And so you look at it on paper, and then you really, really have to get down on the ground and ride it, walk it or drive it really slowly.”

According to Sanders, confirming agreement with the landowners was the most difficult part of drafting USBR 51.

“What we have to do, what everybody has to do, is get permission from all the jurisdictions, all the landowners that your route is going to touch,” she said. “So it wasn’t necessarily a challenge. It just took time. We had to get everybody who owns a piece of the Razorback Greenway involved. We had to get the city of Bella Vista involved. And because ARDOT owns Highway 71, we didn’t have to get permission from a lot of the communities that Highway 71 goes through. We didn’t have to get permission, but just as a courtesy, we talked to those communities, and I think I got messages of support from every one of those communities.”

Except for one, initially. Sanders said the Mountainburg City Council wasn’t exactly thrilled about the prospect of more cyclists riding through town. But after visiting the community and speaking with city officials, Sanders was able to get their approval.

“And I mean, the cyclists were going to be riding through anyway, so why not just go ahead and support what we’re trying to do,” she said. “And I think most of the city council was on board, so I was able to get their support. But that could be a sticking point. So you have a lot of communities that have to say, ‘Yeah, yeah, sure. We don’t mind if we have 15 cyclists coming through our city two or three times a week.'”

Adventure Cycling’s Hamelman says USBR 51 will complement and expand the already strong cycling scene in northwest Arkansas.

“This trail, right at the base of the Ozark Mountains, that—northwest Arkansas is like a hotbed of cycling,” Hamelman said. “So it’s really exciting to see this particular trail being designated and promoted in the state for long-distance cycling. It’s exciting for us to see these partnerships come together and have something like this come together to kind of add to the spirit that’s already in northwest Arkansas around cycling.”

USBR 51 will eventually extend beyond Alma all the way to Louisiana. However, Hamelman said that part of the route is still being constructed and won’t be available for public use until next year.

“I would optimistically say that we’ll see the rest of it within the year, but it could be a year and a half before those designations are there,” she said. “There is an opportunity to designate USBR S routes twice a year: once in the spring and once in the fall. So I would expect, if all goes smoothly, they’ll get a designation next spring, but it could be next fall.”

You can now ride the first half of USBR 51 and USBR 80. Visit the Adventure Cycling website for maps of all the trails in the US Bicycle Route System. And please don’t forget your helmet.