Correction: The name of the Pfeifer Loop trail in North Little Rock was misspelled in this article.
Plowing up the front yard, bouncing over curbs - pretty much any kid with a bicycle becomes an offroad biker.
But how often do grownups and children pedal together? Mountain biking enthusiasts in Little Rock, Hot Springs, Rogers, Wynne and West Fork plan to seize the occasion of National Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day on Saturday to promote, well, taking yourself out to ride with a kid.
TWO RIVERS PARK
Joe Jacobs and Lisa Mullis of Arkansas Outside and several friends have created a 1-mile bike path for the occasion in a level field in Pulaski County’s part of Two Rivers Park.
From 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, cyclists and bike shop representatives will be there to show off the little trail and encourage families who pass by with their children to try it.
“We’ll have a little obstacle course set up,” Jacobs says. “We’ll be taking kids out on rides. Somebody will lead rides if we need to - whatever makes them comfortable to get out there on their bikes.”
The grassy trail winds through flatness across from the park restrooms.
To find it, do this: Find the square concrete slab where once upon a time the park’s lone portable toilet stood, wearing a crown of wasps.
That’s gone now, but “if you go to that square you can see where the trail goes off in either direction, it’s a big loop,” Jacobs says.
“Parents can either go out and ride with a kid or you can stand there and watch them the whole time: You can see the whole mile standing in the parking lot,” he says.
Construction was easy, he says, mostly just mowing; he and his wife hardly count it as trail building (they also built the Jack Rabbit and Rabbit Ridge trails at Pinnacle Mountain State Park). But if the public embraces the trail and uses it, County Judge Buddy Villines has agreed to let them beef it up a bit, maybe add a few low berms.
“We haven’t gotten approval from Judge Villines, but we’d like to call it the Little Buddy Trail,” he adds. For a brand new rider, “it’s an easier trail than Pfeiffer’s Loop [near Cook’s Landing Park]. If you want to let them get their tires dirty, here’s a good place to take them out.”
Older riders are also welcome to use the loop for personal time trials: “It’s pretty curvy,” he promises.
Parents with questions can email him at [email protected].
HOT SPRINGS
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department and the Hot Springs Bicycle Association plan to mark Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day at the same time they hold the annual Tykes, Trikes and Trails (TT&T) - from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Entergy Park, 530 Lakepark Drive, off Carpenter Dam Road.
TT&T will take place on awinding quarter-mile asphalt loop trail where adults will be standing by. Children can ride as many laps as they wish and earn a certificate.
The taking of the kids, etc., can happen close by on the Water Tower Loop, three-quarters of a mile dirt track. Adults will ride with children and offer instruction. More experienced riders and their adults can then branch off to connecting dirt trails.
The event is free, but all bicycles will be inspected for safety and so registration opens at 9 a.m. Helmets are required.
More information is available by calling (501) 321-6871. ROGERS
Hobbs State Park - Conservation Area, the Ozark Off Road Cyclists and Friends of Slaughter Pen Trails will host riders 6 to 16 and their parents on a 4-mile group ride along the Bashore Ridge Loop of the 24-mile multiuse trail system at Hobbs State Park.
This single-track trail includes fast downhills and some roots, so helmets are required and training wheels are not allowed.
Park Interpreter Rebekah Penny will meet you at the Piney Road access to the trail system, 3 miles from Arkansas 12. After the group ride the Off Road Cyclists will provide a free hot cookout.
More information is available by calling (479) 789-5006; preregister by emailing rebekah.[email protected].CROWLEY’S RIDGE
Village Creek State Park near Wynne plans many kid-friendly bicycling activities from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
The schedule includes guided rides, obstacle courses, competitions, safety checks and a bicycle maintenance class. The whole family is invited to take their own bikes, helmets and water bottles; a few bikes will be available to rent for $4.50 an hour but they are too large for little kids.
A map to the park’s multiuse trails is linked to the park’s Web page at arkansasstateparks.com. More information is available by calling (870) 238-9406 or emailing [email protected].
WEST FORK
Devil’s Den State Park in Northwest Arkansas was mountain biking before mountain biking was cool, and so of course there will be special events Saturday.
From 10 a.m. to noon, Assistant Park Superintendent Tim Scott plans a casual group ride and an obstacle course suitable for children in the ball field at park Area E.
Admission is free and adults as well as children are invited. Helmets are required.
More information is available by calling (479) 761-3325 or emailing [email protected].
ActiveStyle, Pages 27 on 09/30/2013