After a tornadic storm cell decimated Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas on Memorial Day Weekend, an initial social media post from The Trailblazers asked trail users to “Please avoid all trails for 48 hours.” Unfortunately, that post was woefully optimistic.
We’ve now received initial reports from the Trailblazers on the severity of the trail damage. In a word? Catastrophic.
“Bentonville and Rogers trails are totally impassable and bombarded with deadfall,” said Uriah Nazario, Director of Soft-Surface Trails for the Trailblazers. “To give it some perspective, my team of five chainsaws and my mini-ex made it 900 feet in a day after cutting 60 trees, many being 100+ years old. Absolutely brutal and heartbreaking. It will be a massive endeavor.”
All trails in the region remain closed, with no estimated time of reopening. Nazario emphasized that accessing the trails is currently extremely dangerous. “Hundreds of trees are dangling precariously and bound by tension. It is extremely dangerous for people to be perusing especially with more storms on the way.”
If locals really need to hit the trail to get some exercise and clear their heads, trails to both the north and the south are still open. Bentonville and Rogers bore the brunt of the storm damage. Most trails just to the north in Bella Vista remain open, although the Trailblazers ask that you “please use extreme caution as there could be downed trees and you may have to hike-a-bike.” The same goes for Springdale and Mount Fitzgerald. The trails in Fayetteville are still open and clear, as are the new WOKA trails in Siloam Springs.
Or, if you need a workout, you can show up for one of the many volunteer work days that the Trailblazers are organizing via their social media accounts. “We’ll have plenty of cabers to toss off trail,” said Nazario.
“Our Trail Adopters and surrounding volunteers will play a vital role in getting our trails reopened,” he continued. “We have thousands of tons of debris to remove on miles and miles of trails. It will take an army, and that is exactly what we have here. I just hope we have enough food and beverages.”
Even though this is the darkest of times for Bentonville, it has provided an opportunity for the community to band together. “Our community was absolutely shocked to endure such a natural disaster but wasted no time lending hands to help neighbors in need within hours of the storm event passing,” said Nazario. “Some really solid community members are standing out by going above and beyond. Really wild how a bad event can make for a good community.”
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