A gentle south wind provided a nice push for our little band of bikers pedaling north on the Razorback Greenway.
Our ride was the second installment for our Sunday bicycling group out to explore the 36 miles of this walking, running and biking path between south Fayetteville and Lake Bella Vista. A few weeks ago we rode from Fayetteville to Rogers. This trip we pedaled from the Mercy Hospital Trailhead in Rogers to Lake Bella Vista and back.
We found all things Northwest Arkansas along these northern miles of the Razorback Greenway. One mile we were riding near the hustle and bustle of city traffic. Another found us coasting along streams and forest filled with bird song.
Sculptures greet riders near Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Restaurants are near the route in Rogers and Bentonville. There are some busy streets to cross.
We got rained out on Sunday, so on Monday we hopped on our bikes at the hospital trailhead, a block west of Promenade Boulevard in Rogers. The first mile of the ride is through a grassy meadow. Things get interesting where the trail hits New Hope Road.
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off the trail at a bagel restaurant, but we found ourselves in a parking lot wondering where to go. By dead reckoning we figured it out. Pedal clockwise around the bagel place and head west on the sidewalk along New Hope Road. From here it’s easy to see where the trail resumes and goes under Interstate 49.
The route heads north from Village on the Creeks retail center and into a quieter business and residential area. Soon we were at the Horsebarn Road trailhead, a pretty little spot along Little Osage Creek. In a whipstitch we were in Bentonville and crossing Southeast Walton Boulevard.
Riders pass some scenic urban wetlands on the ride north to downtown Bentonville. At the Bentonville Public Library, the route heads north along city streets to the square. We stopped for a delicious lunch at the Station Cafe on the square.
From here we pedaled north on Main Street to Compton Gardens. The Razorback Greenway resumes on the east side of Compton Gardens at the Crystal Bridges trail. The route goes north, downhill to a fork. Left is the Razorback Greenway. Right goes to the museum’s south entrance.
By far the most pleasant ride on the Rogers to Lake Bella Vista section is from downtown Bentonville to Lake Bella Vista. It’s pretty and quiet, with streams flowing beside the trail. There’s artwork to admire north of Crystal Bridges musuem, including a colorful glass work where we took a break.
Go another 100 yards and turn right at the orange metal sculpture. In less than a mile you’re on the trail that circles Lake Bella Vista. The dam is the northern end of the Razorback Greenway. From the Mercy Hospital Trailhead in Rogers to Lake Bella Vista dam is 13.2 miles.
Count on a headwind for the return trip. The prevailing breeze is from the south during spring. All in all, explorers on the Razorback Greenway see Northwest Arkansas in microcosm, with urban, suburban and rural landscape over the 36 miles.
Flip Putthoff can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAFlip