In the last video, The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism invited me out to Hot
Springs, to see their newest large scale trail building project.
We dove into the technical aspects of building machine cut trails and got to see the builders
test their work.
As a continuation of this partnership, I’m out in Bentonville to explore the economics
of public bike parks.
Chances are your community has an unused patch of land which is being under utilized.
I’m not talking about national forest land, or undisturbed wilderness—I’m talking
about suburban dirt—Oases of trees and rock, surrounded by highways, houses, and restaurants.
I surmise you would all be in favor of building something fun on this dirt, but you aren’t
the ones that need convincing.
That would be your city, and cities don’t like dirt jumps.
Or at least, that’s the way it used to be.
Valmont is a public park, and so is Rocky Knob, Baker Creek, and Duthie Hill.
I could keep going on.
Public bike parks have been a thing for quite some time and are becoming more common.
But to convince your city to build a bike park, they need to understand the benefits.
Besides you having fun, what are the real benefits of building cool stuff for people
to ride their mountain bikes on?
This structure is called “The Hub”, and it’s the most over the top launch pad I’ve
ever seen at any bike park anywhere.
The whole thing is welded together, and they even trucked in a huge rock slab which they
could have just used some wood for.
The Hub is the centerpiece of Coler Mountain Bike Preserve, and you can ride it for free.
Pedal here from downtown Bentonville, AR and you’ll have access to rock gardens, rock
jumps, rock berms, dirt berms, ladder bridges, pump tracks, dual slalom courses, and lots
of sweet jumps.
Really sweet jumps.
But a few years ago, Bentonville’s sweet jumps were much smaller.
Well maybe not
that small.
Gary is a program officer for the Walton Family Foundation, which is of course made possible
by the Walton Family, who founded Walmart.
It was very gracious of them to speak with me considering my storied history with Walmart's
sporting goods department.
Indeed, the most talented workers have options when it comes to employment, and quality of
life is a huge consideration.
This was the initial motivation for actual investments to be made in and around Bentonville,
not just in mountain bike trails, but outdoor assets in general.
As it became clear that the trails were a draw for tourists as well, it was easier to
justify additional investments.
I can’t personally vouch for this study but it must have been convincing because the
state and the foundation just kept on building.
About two years ago they began developing Coler Mountain Bike Preserve, which brought
gravity trails into the mix.
This project necessitated a full time maintenance crew.
And
Andrew has his work cut out for him.
In the parking lot of Coler, you’ll see license plates from
all over.
When the word tourism comes up, we usually envision an airplane.
But an attraction like a bike park or trail system can bring visitors from adjacent towns,
states, and provinces.
Those visitors purchase food, fuel, lodging, and lots of other stuff.
And if you’ve ever traveled someplace to mountain bike, you know this to be true.
In fact, I’ll assume you’re ready to do this in your town right now.
But you probably don’t have a Walton Family Foundation to lead the charge, and not everyone’s
local government is ready to hop on board like Arkansas.
So what’s a good starting point?
To convince your town to build a gravity park,
dirt jumps, or even an XC trail may in fact, be a moonshot.
But getting someone of influence to attend a trail lab in Bentonville—now that’s
a more realistic goal.
So let’s quickly review the main benefits of public bike parks and trail systems.
Tourism from locations near and far
The recruitment of talented workers
Keeping the locals active and healthy
Keeping kids out of trouble
Adding value to local property
If this video leads to just one town building a bike park somewhere, I’ll consider it
a major success.
But if we keep the conversation going, if we frame the benefits of sweet jumps in a
context that cities can digest, it might lead to much more.
If you have questions about anything in this video including the trail labs, check the
description for information and links.
Northwest Arkansas has a lot more to offer than just Coler, and I encourage you to make
it out there to see what they’ve built.
Thanks for riding with me today, and I'll see you next time.