The town of Hot Springs, Arkansas, is known as “America’s first resort.” Tourism in the region runs so deep that the town is a tourist destination to the core — and mountain biking is a major draw. Though Hot Springs is located far from Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas, it has a top-notch mountain bike scene of its own that’s truly worthy of a visit.
Hot Springs boasts three IMBA Epics within a one-hour drive
Arkansas has more IMBA Epic rides than any other state in the country, and three out of five — Womble Trail, Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT), and the Ouachita National Recreation Trail (ONRT) — are located within a one-hour drive of Hot Springs.
The Womble is one of the oldest MTB trails in Arkansas
Of the three long-distance IMBA Epics, the Womble is one of the oldest — and has a claim as one of the first trails designated for mountain biking in Arkansas. “Devil’s Den likes to claim it, but I’m not sure. I think those are really close to the same year,” said Jake Meredith, Northwoods Trail Specialist.
Out of all three of the IMBA Epics, the Womble is the most rideable — but it’s still far from easy. “It’s out in the woods a long ways — it’s a very remote-feeling trail,” said Meredith. “There’s a lot of bench cut trail that’s no more than 18 inches wide on the side of a hill, which has got a really unique feel to it.”
The 35-mile point-to-point trail has very few access points, making for a very committing ride. Along the way, riders will encounter plenty of rock gardens and rugged root webs, as well as historic sections of railroad grade and logging roads that have since reverted to natural singletrack.
A long-distance hiking trail is getting more popular with mountain bikers
The Ouachita NRT (ONRT) was historically a hiking trail, but the vast majority of the route is open to mountain bikes — and it’s becoming more well-ridden thanks to the rise of bikepacking.
The entire ONRT runs for 223 miles from Talimena State Park in Oklahoma to Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock, Arkansas. About 137 miles of the trail are open to mountain bikes, with a critical 106-mile segment running through the Ouachita Mountains near Hot Springs.
“The Ouachita Trail has definitely traditionally been a hiking trail. We are very thankful that they allow us to mountain bike it,” said Meredith. “So it’s tough. It is a different flavor from the rest of the trails in the area. There are definitely hike-a-bike sections on it.”
Unlike the other long-distance trails, the ONT offers three-sided shelters spaced every 10 miles. These shelters are perfect for backpackers and bikepackers looking for a little extra protection while spending the night, which is especially helpful during a rainstorm. Each shelter offers a porch, table, and a fire pit, and is usually located close to a water source.
The “new” LOViT trail
Finally, the LOViT trail was built in the mid-2000s, and it is the most accessible of the three Epics. The roughly 38-mile trail runs near the southern shore of Lake Ouachita, occasionally climbing high into the mountains to get the acclaimed “vistas,” before dropping back down to the shoreline. In addition to out-and-back rides, mountain bikers often create loops with segments of the trail, thanks to connecting dirt roads and Highway 270 nearby.
While the LOViT trail was built more recently than the other two epics, it “was almost all built by a volunteer hiking group,” according to Meredith. “As a volunteer and hiking group they didn’t necessarily care as much about the grade on some stuff. There is some hike-a-bike in there.”
Portions of the trail swoop and flow along the shores of the lake, but when it comes time to climb the mountains… well, the climbs are steep, and not necessarily bike-friendly.
Still, the accessibility makes the LOViT popular — and the amenities can’t be beat, either. “There’s like seven or eight really good campgrounds with shower houses and all that on the Vista trail,” said Meredith. “It definitely gets used more.”
The rise of bikepacking in Hot Springs
A quick glance at the map reveals that it would be easy to link these three Epics together into one massive bikepacking loop — and that’s exactly what the Ouachita Triple Crown route does. First mapped by Kenny Williams in 2019, the route covers 182.5 miles and climbs over 17,000 feet. The epic loop begins and ends with a short stem leading to Hot Springs.
The Ouachita Triple Crown is held as a race in November, but according to Berry, the development of the route has brought many riders looking to bikepack it at a leisurely pace. “I do think that that’s brought more attention to those trails and that possibility for bikepacking,” said Berry. “And so I would have to say that probably there are more people that are looking at doing that on the ONRT than there may have been previously.”
Hot Springs also hosted the Arkansas High Country Race for two years, a half gravel/half pavement bikepacking race covering 1,015 miles and climbing over 74,000 feet.
New trail development has increased Hot Springs’ profile for mountain bikers
Only a certain subset of mountain bikers is really interested in punishing themselves on these long-distance epics, so in 2017, Hot Springs followed Bentonville’s lead and began developing modern mountain bike trails closer to downtown. Since that time, they’ve built 22.5 miles of bike-specific singletrack on city property and rehabbed an adjacent 10 miles of trail on county property, creating a 32.5-mile trail system. Collectively, this trail system is referred to as “Northwoods,” though local riders refer to the 10 miles of singletrack on county property as “Cedar Glades.”
Berry shared her perspective on what makes Northwoods so special. “What’s unique about Northwoods, and what Northwoods brought to [the Diamond Lakes region], is now we have a trail system that’s less than 10 minutes from downtown, that’s not just for your top maybe 3% of riders, right? Because the Epics are super technical… but now you have a trail system that has something for everyone, for all ability levels and different styles of riding.”
Above and beyond providing trails for different experience levels, Northwoods offers trails for different styles of riders. Whether you’re looking to pedal a long XC loop or rip high-speed flow trails, Northwoods has a trail for you.
Cross-country pedaling at Northwoods
Rolling XC trails circumnavigate the entire trail system, with the steeper and faster flow trails clustered on a hillside in the center of the network. For cross-country pedaling, Freeman is the place to go. The longest trail on the property at three and a half miles long, “it’s fun clockwise or counter,” according to Berry. “It’s almost like a completely different trail, depending on the direction you ride it in.”
The Valkyrie trail steps up the technicality a bit, with a few more rock gardens, though both trails get an intermediate rating. “And then we also have, for the more advanced cross-country rider, Wishbone and End of the Rainbow, which are a little more narrow, more exposed on the edge of the ridge, that technical riders really enjoy to ride, and that also connects you to Cedar Glades,” said Berry.
Some of the best flow trails in the state
Arkansas is known for its flow trails, and the cluster of one-way DH trails in the center of the Northwoods trail network boasts a few of the best flow trails in the state. Lucky 13 stands out, with absolutely massive berms feeding into gigantic hits, including a mandatory drop, doubles, hip jumps, step-ups, and step-downs. While there are ride arounds on all the features, the black diamond-rated trail rewards the advanced jumper who’s willing to commit. Lucky 13 might be short at just over half-mile and 222 feet of vert, but the quality is high.
If you aren’t interested in the challenge of Lucky 13, the nearby intermediate Blue Jay trail provides an intermediate-friendly flow trail that’s much more predictable and manageable than Lucky 13.
Ragnarok is located on the same hillside, and it’s Meredith’s favorite trail in the entire trail system. “It is a flow trail, directional downhill, but it’s kind of got a little bit less flow feel to it and more natural enduro chunkiness to it,” he said. “I like the texture of it. It’s not all about buff, beautiful jumps and tabletops. The whole way down, there’s some rock gardens, and there’s actually a little climb hidden in the very end of it. And I guess coming from cross-country roots, that just seems right. You know, we gotta pay to play.”
Trail access from town, via the National Park
Hot Springs is home to one of the rarest mountain bike rides in the nation: a bike-legal singletrack trail through a national park! The Pullman Trail connects the town of Hot Springs to the Northwoods trail system by climbing over a ridge and cutting across a portion of National Park property. While there’s only 0.6 miles of bike-legal singletrack on park property, it’s highly unusual to find any bike-legal singletrack in a National Park, which speaks to the area’s forward-thinking approach.
The trails at Northwoods were primarily funded by grants from the Walton Family Foundation in partnership with the City of Hot Springs. The first phase cost $1.3 million, with 50% of the funds coming from the Waltons and a 50% match from Visit Hot Springs. A second phase of development cost $339,435, and was funded in large part by the Walton Family Foundation.
In addition to the matching funds, Visit Hot Springs has employed three staff positions to manage and maintain the trails at Northwoods, showing just how serious the town is about its trails.
Phase one was built by IMBA Trail Solutions, and phase two by Rogue Trails.
New trails coming to Hot Springs in 2026
The bulk of the trail construction at Northwoods occurred between 2017 and 2019, but now, they’re gearing up for another major trail expansion. The Oaklawn Foundation, which was established by a local casino and racetrack, has awarded Northwoods a $350,000 grant, which will fund nearly seven miles of fresh singletrack.
With these seven miles of new trails, “we’ll be able to close loops around the other two lakes,” said Berry. They’ll also build a bridge across the creek to facilitate connections, including a critical connector from the bottom of Ragnarok to Bearcat Pass.
“We have an opportunity to eventually have this trail system that’s close to 50 miles of trail that’s less than 10 minutes from downtown.”
Traci Berry, Northwoods Trails Coordinator for Visit Hot Springs
“With that, we’re going to circumnavigate the Upper Lake, Sanderson Lake, with trail. The west side of Sanderson will be green. The east side of Sanderson will be blue. It gets a little more technical on the terrain, and the elevation changes a little more sharply over on the east side,” said Berry. “So we will eventually have a green figure eight on the west side, so the green riders don’t have to go out and back. They can create a short loop, or a longer loop with that section. And then once you cross the feeder creek into Sanderson on that side, it’ll turn into blue. And so we’ll have blue on the east side, and then we’re also going to have a loop off of that blue to the northeast of Sanderson.”
The seven miles planned for construction beginning in 2026 are just a portion of an 11-mile addition that IMBA has already mapped out on the property. And there’s even more room for expansion.
“We have an opportunity to eventually have this trail system that’s close to 50 miles of trail that’s less than 10 minutes from downtown,” said Berry as she shared her grand vision for the trail network.
An early inspiration for the US National Park system
Historically, tourism to the town was due to the eponymous hot springs. In fact, Native Americans have been traveling to soak in the healing springs for eons, even before “America” was established. “Multiple tribes would come to [Hot Springs,] and it was a neutral space,” said Traci Berry, Northwoods Trails Coordinator for Visit Hot Springs.
That concept of neutral space extended to the gangsters who traveled to the area in the 1920s and 1930s. The city was notorious for gambling and prostitution, but especially during the 1930s, Gangsters from Chicago and New York — Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Bugs Moran, Frank Costello, Meyer Lansky, and others — came to the town to relax, gamble, and escape law enforcement.
In addition to the water with its purported healing properties, the towering ridges and beautiful forests have been recognized for their natural beauty for almost 200 years. The area was set aside as the Hot Springs Reservation on April 20, 1832, making it the first federally protected land in the United States. The national reserve predated the establishment of Yellowstone as a National Park by about 40 years and helped inspire the creation of the National Park System.
Today, downtown Hot Springs is one of the most unusual of the 63 national parks. You won’t find a big sign or welcome entrance, because the park protects large portions of downtown, including the historic bathhouses and the Grand Promenade, in addition to the nearby mountainsides. The vibrant downtown area is home to dozens of excellent restaurants, magnificent resort hotels, and fun activities for the whole family.
SQZBX serves up crispy pizza pies in a cozy atmosphere, and they even brew their own beer. Eat inside, on the patio out back, or grab your order to go and enjoy it on a park bench in town.
For breakfast, the aptly named Best Cafe is an excellent choice. The cinnamon rolls are to die for, and the old-house-turned-diner atmosphere offers just the right vibe to start your day.
On the beer side, Superior Northwoods IPA is a popular choice, and the brewery offers flights for those who like to sample from a variety of beer styles. Not only is Superior Bathhouse the only brewery to use thermal waters to brew its beer, it’s also the only brewery located in a National Park!
Salsitas is a food truck serving up Mexican favorites like burritos, tacos, and nachos outside of the main downtown area. They’re open late and do a brisk business with tourists and locals alike.
Hot Springs is home to many large and historic resort hotels and bathhouses that make for excellent accommodations during your stay, and rates are generally quite reasonable.
In addition to the hot springs, trails, and natural beauty surrounding the town of Hot Springs, there are plenty of fun activities for families. For example, the Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo has been in operation for over 100 years and is worth a visit.
If you need any bike supplies or repairs while you’re in town, head into Parkside Cycle right next door to the alligator farm. Parkside has been in business for 28 years, and the shop supports the longest, continuously running MTB race in the state, which is part of the three-day Hot Springs Güdrun Festival held each November.
Visit Hot Springs
Whether you want to pedal easy green trails, send massive jumps, or challenge yourself on hundreds of miles of backcountry singletrack, Hot Springs has a mountain bike trail that every mountain biker will enjoy.
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