On the Arkansas High Country Route.
By Molly Mitchell
HIGH TRAIL ATTACKERS: Even the most seasoned cyclists will find the Arkansaw High Country Race a challenge. Seen here (left, from left) are Dirk Merle, Brannon Pack, course designer Chuck Campbell, Noel Howard, Patrick Farnsworth, Johnny Brazil and Andy McNeil. Photo By Oark General Store
The second annual Arkansaw High Country Race, a 1,028-mile self-sustained tour inspired by the highly challenging and rewarding Arkansas High Country Route, is scheduled to start Oct. 31 in Fayetteville.
The race, which started and ended in June in Little Rock last year, was delayed until autumn this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The move to begin and end the race in Fayetteville is part of a plan to shift the home base to different towns every couple of years to showcase different communities and shake up the experience of the race. Fingers are crossed that pandemic conditions will improve by October, and event planners are cautiously optimistic that the race will go on. After all, given the solitary, outdoor nature of the activity, bike-packing could be considered the ultimate socially distant sport.
The three stacked loops that compose the route connect some of the most beautiful and iconic natural areas in the state. The mixed road and gravel trails wend their way through highlights in the Ozark mountains in the Northwest Loop and Jasper and the Buffalo River in the Central Loop before dropping down into the Arkansas River Valley to reach out and grab Little Rock. The route then heads southwest into the South Loop to explore Hot Springs, the Ouachita Mountains and up and over Petit Jean Mountain and Mount Magazine.
The route was born of a collaboration between the Arkansas Parks and Recreation Foundation, the Adventure Cycling Association and Russellville native Chuck Campbell, who designed the route. Campbell has been receiving spirited feedback from cyclists over the past year as they break in the route. “I’ve been cussed at a lot,” Campbell said good naturedly. “[Prominent ultra endurance cyclist] Jay Petervary called me names that we can’t print! Sadistic was one of the words and then it went downhill from there,” he laughed.
The route is a challenge for the most seasoned athletes by design. “I knew that we had places here in Arkansas that were just as challenging as anything out West, and so I wanted to make sure and include some of that in the route. It sounds like I was successful. It is a challenging course,” Campbell said.
Sadism notwithstanding, the state’s natural beauty and unique communities were top onmind for Campbell as he designed the route. “I tried to put something together where folks could really experience what’s cool about Arkansas,” he said.
That’s ultimately what Jay Petervary found when he gave the route a spin in early July, crushing the time record while he was at it: It only took him 5 days, 12 hours and 6 minutes to cover more than 1,000 miles. Still, he found moments to appreciate the character and characters of the state along the way. “When I got there, I think the route exceeded everything that I thought,” Petervary said. It’s really beautiful, it’s super lush, there’s more waterways than I thought — rivers, streams, swimming holes — and the roads are actually in really good shape,” he said. “I really like to do these types of routes because it gets you into what I call the slice of America, like real backcountry Americana, if you will. These small, one-store towns are places I really like to visit. I mean, Witts Springs is pretty funny, but oh, my gosh, how welcoming.”
Arkansas is growing its reputation for hospitality to cyclists. Fayetteville is ready to impress with its bike-friendly accommodations and culture. Newly recognized as ranking sixth in the country for having bike-friendly businesses, the city is well positioned to host the Arkansaw High Country Race. According to Brannon Pack of Experience Fayetteville, “Our hotels really helped us take that leap forward. All our hotels are super accommodating to cyclists,” providing easy access to many trails with diverse experiences and allowing bikes to be kept safe in the rooms.
While the race offers an opportunity for Arkansas to show off, organizers are approaching it cautiously in the face of COVID-19. Campbell said, “If the masks work ... and the numbers come down, we might have a big start. But, you know, the numbers are going to have to come way down. Not only is the state government going to have to give us the clear, but I really want to make sure that the health experts agree that it would be a good thing to do.”
ENJOYING THE TRAIL: Patrick Farnsworth (above) with the BikesOrDeath podcast takes a rest on the High Country Trail; others pause, perhaps for a burger, at the Oark General Store.
If the pandemic is still a concern, organizers have a contingency plan for a more socially distant version of the race. “If we’re not going to be able to have our big event and everybody start on the same day on Halloween, then we will set it up for individual time trials and set up a window [for the race],” Campbell said. “Everybody should be finished by the opening of modern gun [deer] season, and we even insist that they get off the course by that day.” Up to 50 people may participate; go to rivervalley.ozarkoffroadcyclists.org to register.
Even if you’re not in the race, the route will be there for anyone looking for adventure and discovery. “It encompasses so much of the state,” Pack said. “We’re talking public lands, wildlife management areas, that backcountry — The Natural State. What Arkansas is known for, you get to experience on this route.”
While 1,000 miles of self-supported bike packing is probably a little much for most cyclists, any of the three loops offer the bike-packing-curious plenty to work with. For beginners, Pack advises starting at your front door. “You just need a bike with some beefy tires, and maybe just picking a public campground that’s close to your house and just riding from your own home to that public campground and staying that night, camping off your bicycle, and then riding back home the next day. That’s a great place [to start],” he said.
For anyone who works up to taking on the high country, it is a world-class adventure. “It’s not to be taken lightly by any means, but it’s definitely worthwhile for anybody to travel to, to go and do the route,” Petervary said. “I don’t think anybody’s going to be disappointed, no matter how far they come from.”
Jay Petervary of Idaho set a new FKT (fastest known time) of the Arkansaw High Country Race route over the 4th of July holiday weekend. Jay completed the route in 5 days, 12 hours, 6 minutes.