In the last video, we saw how Hot Springs, Arkansas, is beefing up their mountain bike
trails to boost tourism.
During my stay, I rode some of their existing local trails, as well as a few unsanctioned
routes, soon to be legitimized.
In this video, we’ll head out to the Ouachita National Forest for a more natural backwoods
experience.
The trails out here have been well established, but still only lightly trafficked until recently.
The Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism is straight up welcoming mountain bikers here,
so they’re encouraging local businesses to get on board (aerial shot of Mountain Harbor
Resort).
Mountain Harbor Resort is one such place.
They now have mountain bike getaway packages.
Thanks to you guys, I was kind of like an ambassador there.
So, the only getaway package I know about is this one: (pulling up to cabin, various
clips of interior).
While this was great, I was more interested in riding the LOViT, which runs right past
Mountain Harbor.
The Lake Ouachita Vista Trail, or LOViT for short, winds and flows alongside Lake Ouachita.
Considered an IMBA Epic Trail, the LOViT is peaceful, scenic, and very flow-y.
The difficulty level is consistently intermediate, putting it in reach of the majority of mountain
bikers.
You can ride 40 miles on the LOViT, or turn around at one of the many trailheads.
There are plenty of views of the lake, and lots of creek crossings.
Some of you guys were asking what IMBA Epic means.
Epic is a rating given by the International Mountain Biking Association, IMBA.
Among other criteria, it means that the trail is at least 20 miles long, mostly singletrack,
and in a natural setting.
While IMBA hasn’t evaluated every trail in the world, the ones they have rated will
offer you this experience.
One prime example of this is Womble.
The part that I rode started on loamy single track with tons of creek crossings— some
of them not so easy.
I was gradually gaining elevation without realizing it, and eventually riding a bench
cut section that dropped off steeper and steeper.
As the trail flows up and down along the mountain side, it seems to get skinnier and skinnier,
leaving very little margin for error.
With no cell reception and zero knowledge of the trail, a slip up could have sent me
tumbling down the mountain.
After a punchy climb, a mellow descent ensues, with even skinnier and more exposed singletrack.
The thinning trees to the left only provide the illusion of safety.
I would have been happy if this part went on forever, but the ridge that came next was
one of the highlights.
After the ridge, the trail leads you to a view of this.
Yeah, I got a drone.
I'll tell you all about it later.
One more rowdy descent and I reached a double track connector near the Highway 27 Fishing
Village.
That’s where I parked, and I was kicking myself for not starting further away.
If you want to ride the same route as I did look in the description under Womble.
Just like my ride on Womble, my trip to Arkansas ended way too fast.
On Saturday afternoon I brought my loaner bike back to Spa City Cycle and did a fan
meet-up for fun.
I got to hang out in Hot Springs one more time before leaving.
The city has a lot of history from the prohibition era, and even breweries that use water from
the springs to make their beer, and that’s cool, but I only have limited interest in
that stuff.
What left an impression on me, was the community.
Imagine how excited you would be if your city was on the cusp of a major investment in mountain
biking.
Imagine if next year you could look forward to over 40 miles of new trails in your backyard.
I got to share some of this excitement with the locals.
I look forward to seeing Hot Springs prosper from this decision, and I can only hope that
other cities will follow in their footsteps.
Thanks for riding with me today and I’ll see you next time.