Last week we spent some time hiking at Mount Nebo State Park. Trying to make the most of time off from the day jobs we took our mountain bikes with us. Our plan was to ride the Bench Trail at the park but since we had already spent some time on that trail during our visit and a few weeks ago for a race, we opted for making a stop and riding the trails at Old Post Road Park in Russellville on our way home.
We first visited the trails a month or so ago while helping with an Arkansas Parks and Tourism photo shoot. We never miss a chance to get our pictures taken while riding.
On this trip we decided to ride in another area of the park instead of the bluffs. The park is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and has ball fields, soccer fields, disk golf and 8-10 miles of trail. After dropping by the park visitor center to pick up a trail map (map) we headed to the top of the hill behind the visitor center and entered at the trailhead. Although a bit wet the trails were very nice. One reason for this was the trail crew we came across. They were working on some reroutes and were excited about us being the first to test them out. One thing we’ve learned from building trails is that one of the best feelings you get from trail work is watching someone enjoy the fruit of your labors. We rode several of the short trails that loop off of the main trail and most were fast and flowed well. No tough climbs in this area and only a few rocks and roots to test your technical skills. Eventually we came to the Zig Zag Trail. This was really fun and I look forward to doing this one again.
The trail then left the woods for a short ride out in the open. We then caught the Main Street Trail back up to the top of the hill. Another group was working on this trail and we stopped and talked to them for a few minutes before heading down to the Tall Pines Trail. Lisa really enjoyed the flow of this one. This was the perfect high note to end the ride on. We got in about 6 miles of riding, not much but there is plenty more in the park and we will be back (I heard that the trails will be part of the Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series this year). Below is a video of some of the beginning of the ride. Enjoy.
