Soon to be a mountain bike destination.
Story and photos By Bob Robinson
Ever since the completion of Phase I of the Monument Trail system at Mount Nebo State Park, mountain bikers have anxiously awaited the return of Rock Solid Trail Contracting to build the additional 18 miles of proposed trails.
The 2-mile descent of Chickalah Downhill flow line included in Phase I, with its sweet optional black jump features, revealed the potential fun factor of the mountain’s 1,000-plus-foot elevation difference when placed in the creative hands of the Rock Solid crew.
The remaining 6 miles included in last year’s construction, Chickalah Valley Loop, routing cyclists through pine forest hollows and hugging rocky bluff lines, energized the anticipation of what was to yet to come.
But the wait is over. Well, almost over?
Suzanne Grobmyer, executive director of the Arkansas Parks & Recreation Foundation and manager of the Mount Nebo Trail project, said in May that the final stages of construction were still taking place. She stressed that cyclists should keep off the new trails until the opening has been officially announced.
Plans were in the works for a mid-June opening; however, the best way to follow the grand opening schedule of events is at arkansasstateparks.com/monumenttrails.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
The Mount Nebo Trails are not just for mountain bikers.
“From trail runners, hikers, to mountain bikers, the trail offers a system for all skill levels and all fitness levels,” Grobmyer said. “We strive as a foundation to build Monument Trails that speak to the story and place they are located.”
Grobmyer and Arkansas Parks & Recreation Foundation have done a fantastic job incorporating the story of Mount Nebo State Park into the Monument Trail system, beginning with the Three-C Trail. This beginner, and strider friendly, 2-mile trail stretches across the entire length of the mountain, connecting Sunrise and Sunset points. Along the way, it introduces visitors to many rustic cabins, pavilions and campground structures crafted by the 1930s-era Civilian Conservation Corps.
Builders have also preserved the history of the area in naming the trails. Miller’s Goat Trail derives its name from the pet goat of Superintendent Matt Miller’s son, Pat.
The Ox Pull Trail’s name is a reminder of when the park’s early visitors had to switch out the horses of their wagons with oxen to pull them up the steep mountain road entrance to the park.
THE NEW TRAILS
If the highlight of your visits to Mount Nebo over the past year has been Chickalah Downhill, then you should begin your new adventure at the top of Hayes Creek Run. Hayes is another directional descent-only trail, with 12 minutes of adrenalin-filled, gravity-fed ecstasy, featuring monster tall berms, technical rock slabs, black jump features (which offer ride arounds) and a classic bridge that itself is a work of art.
Upon arriving at the bottom of Hayes, cinch up your shoe straps for the long climb back up the mountain. For those who have visited the park, picture the steep winding entrance to the park that had your vehicle downshifting to its lowest gear during the struggle up the mountain. Now replace the pavement with dirt single-track, and you have an accurate image of the climb back up the mountain on Ox Pull Trail.
The long sweeping switchbacks, snaking their way up the steep forested hillside, make the climb as painless as possible; however, the trail will still challenge even the fittest riders.
A parking area located at the transition from fun downhill to no-fun uphill means riders can work out shuttles with their buds. Some may think of it as a cop-out, but hey, no one expects snow skiers to ski back up the mountain.
Grady Spann, director of Arkansas State Parks, said the park is open to an enterprising entrepreneur with a plan for operating a for-pay shuttle service back up the mountain. Having ridden up Ox Pull, I believe a person providing shuttles up the mountain could name their price.
Following your payback for the downhill thrill ride, be it either with sweat or coin, jump on Miller’s Goat Trail.
Miller’s is a fun 6-mile, green-rated trail that meanders its way around the mountain, offering spectacular views of the lush river valley below from a wide variety of angles. It also includes stretches of rock gardens that will challenge the skill sets of beginning cyclists.
Spann rates this as being one of the best trails he has ridden.
The cherry atop the Mount Nebo trail system is Lizard Tail, the only true black-rated trail in the park. This 2-mile stretch of trail earns its high rating with the narrow tread of raw, techy-rock that routes cyclists along the exposed bluff rim of the mountain.
Miller’s is a fun 6-mile, green-rated trail that meanders its way around the mountain, offering spectacular views of the lush river valley below from a wide variety of angles.
THE FUTURE
Spann said that, with a total of 25 miles of single track, Mount Nebo State Park will become a mountain bike destination. This amount of quality bike trails will provide an entire weekend of cycling adventure, drawing visitors to the area from outside The Natural State.
Using attendance statistics from Hobbs State Park’s Monument Trail, completed in 2019, where the April 2020 attendance of 5,570 was more than double the same period from the previous year, it appears the future for Mount Nebo State Park looks bright.
Grobmyer describes the Monument Trail at Mount Nebo as being “truly a shared vision between Arkansas Parks and Recreation Foundation, Arkansas State Parks & the Walton Family Foundation.” The Walton Family Foundation has provided grant funding to the Parks & Recreation Foundation to pay for the trail work at monument trails throughout the state.
Park officials describe the system as the largest trail construction project in the state parks’ history since the construction of the original trail systems in the 1930s and ’40s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.