Springdale opens mountain bike park

Also opened: Trailhead and Razorback Greenway re-route

Students from J.B. Hunt Elementary School ride through for a ceremonial opening Tuesday for the trailhead at Silent Grove Road and Pump Station Road in Springdale. The trailhead leads to the Razorback Greenway, J.B. Hunt Park and a new mountain bike skills course and trail. The students are part of the school’s bicycle education program where they learn how to ride, bike safety and maintenance.
Students from J.B. Hunt Elementary School ride through for a ceremonial opening Tuesday for the trailhead at Silent Grove Road and Pump Station Road in Springdale. The trailhead leads to the Razorback Greenway, J.B. Hunt Park and a new mountain bike skills course and trail. The students are part of the school’s bicycle education program where they learn how to ride, bike safety and maintenance.

SPRINGDALE -- Residents and visitors can now use a newly opened trailhead, mountain bike park and re-route of the Razorback Greenway.

photo

NWA Democrat-Gazette

Students from J.B. Hunt Elementary School ride through for a ceremonial opening Tuesday for the trailhead at Silent Grove Road and Pump Station Road in Springdale. The trailhead leads to the Razorback Greenway, J.B. Hunt Park and a new mountain bike skills course and trail. The students are part of the school’s bicycle education program where they learn how to ride, bike safety and maintenance.

photo

NWA Democrat-Gazette

Mayor Doug Sprouse speaks opening Tuesday for the trailhead in Springdale.

City officials, city employees and community members gathered at the new trailhead Tuesday for an event to open the three areas to the public. The trailhead is near the intersection of Silent Grove Road and Pump Station Road.

Springdale mountain bike park

The park includes the following:

• A 1.5 mile contour flow trail

• A downhill flow trail

• A closed-circuit pumptrack

• A skills course

Source: City news release

Students from J.B. Hunt Elementary School sat on bikes at the trailhead Tuesday. Mayor Doug Sprouse cut a ribbon and the children rode through the area. Two maps sat near the lectern. One showed the city's plan for trails, while the other showed the park and its plans.

Sprouse called the park that opened Tuesday "another piece of the puzzle." He said the park will make the area more attractive to people outside the city who enjoy mountain biking.

Two bike tracks sit near the parking lot at the trailhead. The trail inside the park features multiple wooden tracks and a large one-way track. People rode their bikes down the large hills Tuesday, while a group of children watched from the bottom.

A sign reading "Downhill Exit Do Not Enter" was posted at the end of the track. Another sign stating "Advanced Downhill One Way" was also posted in part of the park.

Calvin Snyder, 13, and Madi Snyder, 11, are brother and sister. They were at the park with their family Tuesday, and both rode their bikes on the largest track.

Calvin said he began competing in the Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series when he was 8 or 9 years old. He has ridden the largest track at the Springdale park five times.

Calvin said he did two of those five rides on Tuesday and described the track as "thrilling." He said he likes the wooden drops.

Madi Snyder said Tuesday was her first time riding the largest track. She said she liked the downhill parts.

"It was fun, a little scary because it was my first time," she said.

The trailhead has 55 parking spaces, a pavilion, drinking fountain, pet bowl and an area to repair bicycles, according to a news release. Sprouse said he thinks the trailhead will be heavily used.

The re-route of the greenway was needed so people who are fishing and those who are biking don't interfere with each other, Sprouse said. The re-route created a new piece of trail that sits near the trail around Lake Springdale. People can access the greenway from the trail and vice versa.

Officials also plan to build an extension that will follow Spring Creek, go under Interstate 49 and past 56th Street, Sprouse said. The extension will connect the new park with the greenway and another future mountain bike park planned for an area near Shaw Elementary School. He said there isn't yet a timeline for building the extension or the future mountain bike park.

NW News on 10/07/2015

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