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Print Friendly MapClosure Notice: There are two active closures along the Razorback Greenway, one at the south end of Bella Vista's Dry Lake for a bridge repair, and the other at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art for the construction of a Flyover Bridge. Please see the Razorback Greenway site for more current information.
Overview
Razorback Greenway runs for over 40 miles of Northwest Arkansas, connecting numerous natural and cultural attractions in Bentonville, Fayetteville, and the growing suburban centers of Rogers, Springdale, and Lowell.
About the Route
The Razorback Greenway’s northern endpoint is just north of Sugar Creek Soccer Park, on Mercy Way in Bella Vista. Bella Vista Lake Park, nearby, with parking available, also offers a good place to start. Heading south from Bella Vista Lake Park, the trail runs alongside McKisic Creek and then passes the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, offering access to its surrounding trails, forest, and outdoor sculptures, before continuing south through downtown Bentonville and alongside exurban farmlands in Lowell.
South of Bentonville, the trail skirts Lake Springdale and follows Spring Creek. This section of the route also passes the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History and through the town of Springdale, before reaching Lake Fayetteville Park and its several recreational offerings, including the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks.
Just after the Northwest Arkansas Mall, the trail weaves into downtown Fayetteville, adjacent to the University of Arkansas, near Old Main, before passing through Walker and Greathouse Parks in south Fayetteville.
The Razorback Greenway’s southern endpoint is at Kessler Mountain Regional Park, on the park’s eastern edge, home to a sports field complex and offering access to several sprawling acres of forested mountain trails.
Connections
The Razorback Greenway is a distinct trail network made up of dozens of individual trails, some with their own individual TrailLink pages.
The trails that make up the Razorback Greenway are as follows: Blowing Springs Greenway, Bella Vista Lake Trail, Wishing Springs Trail, North Bentonville Trail, Crystal Bridges Trail, Town Branch Trail (Bentonville), South Bentonville Trail, Horsebarn Trail, Mercy Trail, Pleasant Grove Trail, Goad Springs Trail, Silent Grove Trail, Lake Springdale Trail, Spring Creek Trail, Park Street Trail, Dean’s Trail, Powell Street Trail, Lake Fayetteville Trail, Clear Creek Trail, Scull Creek Trail, Frisco Trail, Oak Ridge Trail, Town Branch Trail (Fayetteville), and the Cato Springs Trail.
Trail History
In 2000, the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC) officially began planning for the Razorback Greenway, coordinating with local stakeholders in the region to connect its constituent trails.
The first 37 miles of the Greenway opened in 2015. In June 2023, the Department of the Interior designated the Razorback Greenway a National Recreation Trail in a celebration of National Trails Day.
The Razorback Greenway runs between Mercy Way (Bella Vista) and Kessler Mountain Regional Park (Fayetteville), with parking available at the southern endpoint in Fayetteville.
Parking is also available at:
There are numerous parking options along this route, see TrailLink Map for all parking options and detailed directions.
We started in Bentonville and rode to Fayetteville in three hours. No construction or detours. It is a well maintained trail with beautiful views! It has challenging hills and some street riding but we felt safe the entire ride. Car drivers were very considerate. There are many of places to stop to eat or rest along the way. The trail is well marked with signs.
We rode this trail for a couple of days, just the Razorback, but you could connect to the entire areas regional trails that intersect throughout the trail and make it a few day ride if you're in the area. Our two day total was 67 miles.
There was a lot of construction going on throughout the trail and some of it is not well marked on the detours.
Hills, lakes, parks, benches, along river beds, as well as paths dedicated on city streets. Overall a nice trail. Lots of weekend riders, families, strollers, etc. Fun urban riding. Any bike will do as the trails are concrete and asphalt mostly with some dirt tracks. Lots of amenities, shade and fun.
I rode this trail in April 2024. I highly recommend this fantastic trail. They certainly did a fine job of connecting all the regional trails. I rode it in sections over four days. This is a world class trail!
Traveling cyclist
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DO NOT start in Bella Vista! The trail is closed soon after starting at the trail head, due to a bridge being out. After turning around and riding next to a really busy road we got back on the trail again only to find another closure near the Crystal Bridges. Again, we had to turn around, go out to the road and push bikes up the sidewalk next to the road. We ended up in bentonville and decided to quit for the day. Our next ride was from Lowell to Fayetteville, no closures at all, but it was a difficult ride for 70 year olds due to the numerous hills made harder when really hot. It was a gorgeous trail but I was not aware of the closures and also the hills.
I have ridden the trail on three different days on my handicap scooter. It allows me the opportunity to see the wonderful sights of northwest Arkansas and meet some wonderful people along the way.
I live in Washington Missouri with a daughter living in Cassville Missouri while employed in Bentonville. I now travel as often as possible to the trail. It has put motivation back in my life while suffering from cancer. My infusion treatments are the only thing that alters my travel to the trail.
I am 86 years of age with 100% disability as a veteran. All this to say the trail and the people are a blessing beyond compare. Thank you Arkansas for blessing this old mans life.
I started walking this trail in sections on April 16 in south Fayetteville and finished in Bella Vista on June 5. Other than various detours and closures which I wish were reflected on the map in this app, I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery along the trail. Now that I’ve finished walking the trail from south to north, I’m going to plan on biking it from north to south when my bike is fixed. It was nice to see how many families were biking together. ¿
Not as clean and well kept as other trails. There’s a lot of trash left by those overnighting near trails. However, good safe crossings and interesting to weave through Fayetteville. I started at finished at Walker Park, which has a children’s splash park-an added cooling bonus on a hot day!
I started at Horsebarn trailhead 7/14/2022 headed toward Fayetteville. Beautiful ride! This is what I wanted to do the last 2 days from Bella Vista and Bentonville but could not due to construction. Signage was great! I had to detour in Springdale but the detour signs were spot on and I was back on the trail soon. The scenery was nice. I recommend riding from Horsebarn trailhead.
I drove 5.5 hours mid July 2022 with the goal of riding the trail. I reserved lodging at the trail which should have allowed me to ride as far as I wanted to go. Day 1 trail closure was thanks to the Bella Vista Bypass Project with projected completion fall 2021. Day 1 second attempt was stopped by another trail closure to expand the Crystal Bridges Museum. Day 2 attempt was toward Fayetteville from Bentonville only to ride about 2 miles & see a small sign saying “detour” with an arrow. I went the direction the arrow pointed to arrive at a busy intersection with no signage. Asking locals resulted in confused looks and no help. This was disappointing at best & extremely maddening. I’m not sure why trail organizers do not care enough to at least put adequate signage for detours.
Started from Horsebarn Trailhead and headed south. Trail was pretty easy to follow and signs were at all junctions where one had multiple choices. It was a bit hilly in spots though. We rode as far as Springdale (Phat Tire Bikes) due to the headwinds that day (03/22). Surface is in very good condition. The trail crosses some roads, but also "goes under" many of them, especially the busy ones. Definitely a gem.
There is so much new road and building construction along RRG that the trail has become hazardous to travel. Multiple areas where the trail is torn out, sometimes with dead end, sometimes with routing bike traffic into the street along with vehicle, truck traffic.
This includes all areas north of Fayetteville (Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and Bella Vista).
Safe riding has been reduced to only 10 miles at south end of the RRG trail.
Did this trail today from Bella Vista Lake to Rogers (Bass Pro). Beautiful day! Great trails - loves it. It’s under construction right now so I would park farther south to avoid that, but otherwise it was great!! They’ve done a great job with these trails - highly recommend.
My daughter and I stayed in Rogers. Day 1 we hiked 8 miles on the Pigeon Roost Trail. Day 2 we drove to the Ozark Botanical Gardens with our bikes. After a tour of the gardens we rode our bikes around Lake Fayetteville and then headed south. We picnicked at Wilson Park and then headed back. Approximately 20 miles of biking was enough after a long day of hiking; however I can’t wait to go back and do more. I’ve ridden several trails and this one ranks up there. Beautiful and well maintained!
I live in Rogers, AR so I am biased with this review. If you’re a visitor or a resident, the paved trail system (especially the Razorback Greenway Trail) in Benton and Washington Counties (Rogers, Bentonville, Lowell, Springdale, and Fayetteville) are the best I have ever rode. I have used paved trails in several other states, but the ones in NWA are the BEST. Hands down! The maintenance is meticulous. I find the signage helpful and easy to follow. There are many places with water fountains to refill your water bottles as public restrooms. I can’t say enough good things about the trails in Northwest Arkansas
Excellent! Hats off to those who developed this trail! Started in Fayetteville and rode north to Crystal Bridges. Scenery is beautiful in south part. Only trouble I had was in Bentonville...there is construction going on and parts of the trail had detours (I got lost). I flagged down another biker and she guided me through Bentonville to Crystal Bridges (bikers are friendly people). Trail was an easy ride and very enjoyable. Would definitely recommend this.
We put in at the start of the trail in Bella Vista & rode to South Fayetteville, 35 miles. Very scenic with a variety of terrain & yes there are a few hills. I would advise riding it from the other direction from Fay to BV because of that but nonetheless a great trail from start to finish.
Rode the southern portion of the trail in May 2019. Started at the "Bike Route Bike Shop"and went south to Kessler Mountain Regional Park and back. Trail is well kept and thought out. One thing I noticed, as a first time visitor to the area, riding south is more intuitive than riding back north. That being said, the trail is well designed and well kept. 4.5 stars! Lastly, after your ride, make sure to stop at HUGO's for a meal! The "Blue Moon Burger" is tasty!
Thx
BN
I can’t say enough great things about this trail. Rode it without any fuss and beautiful I might add! A treat for sure’
I was in Arkansas last week, visiting from PA and rode this trail, one of the best trails I have ever ridden. I am on a quest to ride 100 miles in each state and rode 62 miles one day and 40 the next and greatly enjoyed this trail. Going through a couple of towns the way the trail and the road is separated was fantastic.
As visitors, rode some of the Greenway for first time this week. Awesome trail system. We thought the Tulsa OK trails were good but this system has them beaten for standard and variety of users. We rode trikes but the systems available for all grades of mountain bikers was phenomenal.
Only complaint we had, maybe more of a comment, signage could be better in some places. As the system is made up of many trails, it was confusing when trying to go from one to another. Got onto the wrong trail twice because no signage at any trail splits.only reason we didn't give 5 stars.
We love riding our bikes on the Razorback Regional Greenway. You can pick and choose different places to park and ride. We enjoy riding with friends whenever we can.
I am fairly new to biking, but this is one of the most amazing trail systems I have ever seen. I have only ridden the northern half so far, and have enjoyed it every time I've gone out. Don't stop branching out. I live in Cave Springs and would love to see a trailhead closer to me where I can jump on. There are some signage issues that need to be dealt with. Especially around the New Hope area. Thanks again for providing an excellent trail.
I live in Springdale and ride four miles from home through city streets to downtown where I catch the Greenway.
At the moment the trail is blocked in two places going north. Signs say the trail is closed at Pleasant Grove Road, but I continued on all the way until where it crosses under I-49. It's blocked there and will be for several months because they are widening I-49 and building the trestles under the highway.
There is a detour shown from Pleasant Grove up over and around I-49 but I'm told it's on city streets and bit hazardous. And up near Bella Vista in the north its closed by more highway construction for the new bypass.
It's called progress and when it opens again it will be possible to traverse then entire path from north to south. It is a fun and picturesque ride. In some fifteen months I've ridden some 3,000+ miles on this system on a recumbent trike. It's a lot of fun.
More and more trails are connecting to the system in the coming years. You just need to be patient. It's only going to get better and better.
I don't know wher to start, but it looks like this is the first review of this trail. I'll start by saying this is one of the top trails in the country. What they (whoever that group of folks may be) have done is a engineering marvel. I live in Missouri and I am a bicycle tourist. I have camped, backpacked and enjoyed the Arkansas scenery for many years.
The way I did the trail was like this...I parked near the Northern end at a Lowe's Home Improvement. They do not allow overnight parking at the trailhead at Bella Vista or Bentonville or any trailhead at for that matter. I rode my loaded touring Bike South to Fayetteville, which was a wonderful ride. The only problem I encountered, was that the 2 campgrounds in Fayetteville did not allow tent camping of any sort. I found a RV campground 6-7 miles South of Fayetteville called the "Cow Patty" and they had no problem with a tent. The only negative thing about that is that 6-7 miles on HWY 71 which is pretty much bicycle unfriendly. After spending the night at the Cow Patty, I headed back North to my vehicle parked at Lowe's which was still in the parking lot. I did call them ahead of time and had the O.K. to park there.
I'll repeat; this trail is an engineering marvel. I won't go into details because you'll have to see for yourself how they wound it through the various cities. It is 95% concrete trail, seperate from the roadway.
The only problem I had with the trail was some of the signage. It looks as though it was placed by someone who has never ridden the trail. This problem is compounded by the fact that the trail travels through many different cities and is composed of 19 trails which are listed on this website at the homepage for this trail. Why they don't get rid of the 19 trail names and just call it the Razorback Greenway and rename the side trails is beyond me.
The worse places I saw for signage problems were in Bentonville, South of the Neil compton home through the rest of Bentonville and in Springdale. I think the powers to be would be really enlightened to find someone who has not traveled the Greenway before, and follow them and see the reaction they have to the signage. they would need to do this North and South.
As it is now, the whole trail is 95% nice concrete and mostly brand new. At some point you have to get rid of the 19 trails it is composed of.
I also think that the mile markers for the trail are useless, they need to be much more often, say every tenth of a mile instead of every mile.
And lastly, they need to provide overnight parking at leat at the beginning, middle and ends. I give the city of Bentonville and Bella Vista zero stars for this matter. The suggestions I was given was to park up at the Missouri state line at the Walmart. I E-mailed the director of the Bentonville Parks and Recreation, David Wright. Much of the parking information I got was from him, another Bentonville Parks employee or the Bella Vista police Department. Mr. Wright was the only one that did not suggest the Walmart up at the Missouri state line and the dangerous highway I would have to navigate on my bicycle to get to the Northers end of the trail.
I was told over and over, no camping alsong the trail, but as I knew I would find, homeless folks are already using the trail and camping. Especially at the Southern end in Fayetteville.
Special thanks to the Lowe's in Bentonville/Bella Vista for letting me park. Even more so, Thanks to whoever engineered & designed the trail. They will always have a job. Pat yourself on the back.
In closing, I would say, fix the signage, allow overnight parking and make public those locations.
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