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I spent the weekend in Hot Springs, Arkansas to see what they were working on. In addition to existing IMBA Epic trail systems, trails are being staked out all over the downtown area for convenient access. With great scenery, lots of stuff to ride, and lots of stuff to eat, Hot Springs is poised to become a major hot spot for mountain biking.
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I’m going to try, as best I can, to give you guys some context so you understand what’s going on here.
In November I attended IMBA World Summit in Bentonville Arkansas. Right downtown there were flow trails, jump parks, and greenways connecting everything together. This infrastructure didn’t appear randomly; it was actually an intentional and focused effort to boost tourism through mountain biking.
Well anyway on the other side of the state is a city called Hot Springs, which is close to a few IMBA Epic trails, like Womble. There are a fair bit of mountain bikers in Hot Springs, but they’re used to driving a little ways to get to trails. It’s not as convenient as Bentonville—yet.
Bentonville proved that if you build trails, greenways, and all the other stuff that mountain bikers like, they’ll visit. That’s why I’m here.
I was invited to Hot Springs to meet with some of their decision makers, have a look at what they’re building, and give you guys a sneak peak at what’s to come.
So on Wednesday I landed in Little Rock, drove to Hot Springs, scarfed down a Jersey Mike’s sub in the car, stopped at Parkside Cycle to pick up a sweet carbon loaner bike, and headed out to some local trails. Thanks to the jersey mikes sub I had to cut my ride short, and headed to my room at Hotel Hot Springs to get some work done. I couldn’t believe how nice it was. I guess someone didn’t get the memo that Seth was coming to town, not Casey. Still I did a time lapse from the room.
Anyway, I went out that night with a couple of people from Visit Hot Springs, which is the tourism department for the city. While sitting in a bar that used to be a brothel, they agreed to get me clearance to film in a restricted area full of unsanctioned trails. In the near future, those trails would be groomed for sanctioned use.
The following morning, I met them downtown to go to the trails, but first we went to this place with a red couch to take my picture. The photographer told me to do whatever I wanted on the couch, so I did.
Then we were off to the trails.
It would be smart to make this part of a trail because it looks dope. It’s not every day you get to ride across the top of a dam. I don’t know if the locals have named these trails yet, but I’d name this one “damn straight”.
Everywhere you go in these woods, you'll find IMBA’s boundary flags tied to shrubs and trees. The plan is to connect all these trails together, and build brand new ones that link up to the downtown. From the looks of it, there’s going to be something for everyone.
Afterwards I decided to go back to the trail from the previous day… the one I got sick on.
Hot Springs looks really promising. It’s surrounded by hills and mountains, has some existing trail systems, and lots of other things that mountain bikers like. While talking to the guys at Parkside Cycle, they gave me the lowdown on Womble, an IMBA Epic trail a little ways outside of town. We’ll have a look at that trail next time, as well as some of the bigger more technical rides on the outskirts of town.
Until then, thanks for riding with me today, and I’ll see you next time.
http://Arkansas.com
http://www.parksidecycle.com/
My Hotel Room
http://www.hotelhotsprings.org/rooms-and-suites.php
Cedar Glades Trail
https://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails/cedar-glades-trail.html
Womble Trail
https://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails/womble.html
My Red Couch Session should end up here:
http://hshotspots.com/category/red-couch-sessions/
#VisitArkansas #visithotsprings #sponsored
