Buffalo Outdoor Center’s downhill trails are unlike any other in Arkansas.
STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY BOB Robinson
HAPPY TRAILS: All smiles on a section of over a mile rock armorplating.
There’s a new mountain bike trail in The Natural State: not just a new trail that has been constructed, but a style totally new to Arkansas.
Mike Mills first opened the doors of the Buffalo Outdoor Center in Ponca in 1976. Mills retired in 2011 and his son-in-law, Austin Albers, returned to the area to run the business. Since Albers took the helm, he has continued to grow the enterprise, tripling its size in the last eight years to include a 5,200-square-foot log cabin retail headquarters, 25 rental cabins, two lodges, an RV park, float trips, hiking shuttles, zip-line canopy tours and a backcountry airplane landing strip.
In 2014, aware of the growing interest in mountain biking and with the help of a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, Albers brought in Bentonville-based trail-building company Progressive Trail Design to construct the BOC Ponca Downhill MTB trail on the mountain directly behind the outdoor center’s headquarters.
As the team at PTD began scouting the rugged mountainside with Albers, its excitement peaked. Ever since joining an Arkansas contingent of trail builders on a visit to the famous world-class downhill mountain bike trail systems in British Columbia, Canada, Chris Crone, director of operations for PTD, has wanted to bring that advanced caliber of challenging adrenaline-pumping technical downhill trails to Arkansas.
HIGH FLYING: Keaton Weeks on the fly-over with Brett Carter taking the down under.
“We strove to create trails that rose naturally and spontaneously with the lay of the land to create a unique technical experience Arkansas has been lacking.”
Exploring the BOC mountain’s steep gradient — a 1,300-foot elevation difference — and discovering giant geological features scattered across the hillside, PTD designers realized this was their opportunity to recreate the rugged and technical downhill experience they had enjoyed bombing down on trails like the famous North Shore Trail in Vancouver.
“We strove to create trails that rose naturally and spontaneously with the lay of the land to create a unique technical experience Arkansas has been lacking,” Crone said.
And now, following 12,000 man-hours of labor-intensive trail construction, the 11-mile BOC trail system is ready for you to create your own BOC trail adventure.
YOU TAKE THE HIGH ROAD: Mike Colombo taking the high line while Eddie Campoman takes the low.
LET THE FUN BEGIN
Before loading up your bike and typing “Ponca” in your navigation system, know that the trail rating begins with DIFFICULT, then progresses to VERY DIFFICULT and on to EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. These trails are not recommended for beginning mountain bikers.
However, for those possessing the required skillset, after your BOC adventure, riding other trails in the state will never be the same.
UP ON HIGH: The view from the top.
A good place to begin your ride would be the 6-plus-mile collection of blue “DIFFICULT” trails that routes cyclists from the top down to BOC headquarters. These trails include over 2 miles of fun-filled, uninterrupted, fast downhill descents and a sampling of the challenging rock gardens that are scattered throughout the trail system. However, there is nothing on these trails that an experienced intermediate cyclist shouldn’t be able to handle.
On your next run, drop into Lower Miner Downhill, “VERY DIFFICULT,” to test your skills on the next progression of challenges. This trail includes rock features that are rated a little higher up the techie scale and even steeper faster descents. But these still don’t require superhero status to enjoy.
If you’re still feeling confident and ready to turn up the fun-meter dial, skip riding back down the mountain and instead circle back up the mountain on Upper Buffalo River Run to reach White Lightning Trail.
On your initial White Lightning run, I would bypass the entrance for the Alt Line Trail (“EXTREMELY DIFFICULT”) and dive into the unique dual off-camber rock feature and steep gap drops White Lightning offers. If the pucker factor wasn’t too overwhelming on this, circle back around to take on the Alt Line for features without compare in the rest of the state.
EASY RIDERS: Bridging Ponca Creek in style.
As you send it down the backside of house-size boulders, over colossal rock slabs and across a gap jump, you will experience a taste of the famous trails of the Pacific Northwest that were PTD’s inspiration.
Cyclists will be tempted to continue to circle back around this fun upper section of trails for repeat after repeat; however, be sure to save some juice for the equally fun and challenging trails further down the mountain.
Skull Cracker and Mule Kicker are packed with a slabfest of rock features, steep, tight switchbacks, the longest sustained downhill section on the mountain and a 12-foot rock drop that lands bikers in a tight, high-banked earthen berm.
Merely describing the BOC experience as an adrenaline rush does not do justice to the emotional high you’ll experienced on your ride.
BOMBS AWAY: Eddie Campoman and Tommy Tenreino bomb down White Lightning.
ITíS A PACKAGE DEAL
The BOC experience doesn’t end with these great one-of-a-kind downhill bike trails. It also offers cyclists the convenience of bicycling to the trails from the front door of many of BOC’s 25 cabins. You can also invite a group of your cycling buds to rent one of the two lodges for a club training camp. And, as if those offerings weren’t enough incentive, there is also a shuttle service seven days a week to haul you back to the top of the mountain.
To plan your BOC adventure and for more information, visit buffaloriver.com.