This trail is made up of six trails which unfortunately are not all loops. In
order to ride every trail out there you will have to go back over some trails
you have already ridden. With that said this is still one of my favorite trails
to ride and each trail offers something a little bit different then the other.
The Inner Loop and Carriage trail are probably about the easiest trails out
there. The Inner is all single track that twists and turns through a meadow
and tree line, it is fast and flat and a great place to start a novice out on.
Carriage Trail is an old dirt road that is slowly being taken back by mother
nature. This trail is short and does not make up a loop unless you use the
Settler trail to create what we call the Outer Loop. Carriage is a fairly flat
and non technical trail with very few turns. If you are traveling from the
north heading south on the Carriage there is a nice little berm at the end
which makes for a nice place to catch a little air. Using the Inner and Outer
Loops makes for a great novice ride, recovery ride or speed work.
Settler Trail runs south to north connecting Fern Loop to the Earthquake
Ridge Loop. For the most part this trail does not have much in climbing, it is
a little rocky in places and has a little drop off nothing a beginner could not
handle. It does run through a section we call the Pine Needle Floor because
of all the Pine needles that cover the trail, a little caution here as those
needles can make the front tire wash out. Settler Loop also connects the
Rocky Bottoms trail to the Earthquake Ridge trail. For more information go
to www.mtbark.com
For more information on this trail go to Mountain Bike Arkansas - www.mtbark.com
| ThankWe rode this trail when it was foggy on the ridge. We also went counter-clockwise on the loop leaving the north end of the parking lot. This meant we were climbing the steepest, narrowest section of trail on slippery roots and rocks with a wet leaf covering . . .challenging to say the least! After crossing the highway the trail was downhill and a little more open. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to do the easier loops south of the parking lot. Maybe next time.
| ThankNice trail. We maintained.
| ThankThis network is a nice Gem in Mena. I would be out here, pretty much everyday. Earthquake Ridge is just one of the trails. The old gentlemen at the visitor center will give you an accurate direction to start for the best routes. As for Earthquake ridge, from the parking lot go in, stay left, go across the road, and stay to the right trail going up, up, up and stay on it, then back down later across the same road, and it's pretty much straight across from where you come out. After that, it's all downhill, until you link back up with the network. The downhill side of Earthquake ridge is nice, you'll stay over 20mph for a ways, just be careful on the dips, one offset rock launched me almost off the trail. lol Rocky, loose, rocks, some leaves and pine needles, little mud on occasion, not bad though. There are some hikers, but they are quick to move, even when you are really nice. Will definitely ride again. Worth the stop.
| ThankThis trail is made up of six trails which unfortunately are not all loops. In order to ride every trail out there you will have to go back over some trails you have already ridden. With that said this is still one of my favorite trails to ride and each trail offers something a little bit different then the other. The Inner Loop and Carriage trail are probably about the easiest trails out there.
| Thank