Photos provided by Progressive Trail Design.

There’s nothing better than anticipating an upcoming trip to a mountain bike destination. “Vacation” and “mountain biking” have become synonymous for many, and while it can be tempting to think you’ll be on the trails every day, some may want, or need, a break. Perhaps it’s just to rest, or maybe it’s to mix up activities.

Or, in some instances, a significant other may not be a mountain biker. For this reason, multi-sport destinations are growing in popularity, and states like Arkansas are capitalizing on this trend. Whitewater lovers are hitting the trails and the rapids in Siloam Springs at WOKA whitewater park, and rock climbers are mixing it up with bikes at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch.

Now, north central Arkansas is getting in on the multi-sport action, with new trails added at Bull Shoals. And, if you’re planning to head that way, don’t forget to bring your fishing pole.

Bull Shoals-White River State Park

Established as Arkansas’ seventh state park, Bull Shoals-White River State Park was founded in 1955. The area was designated as a state park after the completion of the Bull Shoals Dam, which created a lake on Arkansas’ White River.

Initially, the state park was just a piece of undeveloped property leased from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who had built the dam. The earliest accommodations at the park consisted of a simple field cleared for visitors to establish campsites, and bathrooms. 

However, as the decades passed and Bull Shoals-White River State Park gained popularity, more amenities were added to the area. Now, the 732-acre park has established day and multiday-use facilities for lake and river seekers alike. A total of 109 campsites — ranging from RV to tent camping — dot the landscape. Playgrounds, picnic areas, hiking trails, boat ramps, and more attract approximately 75,000 visitors to the state park each year. 

Many of those visitors are bringing their poles, hoping to get in on some of the world-class fishing. The construction of the Bull Shoals Dam created two incredible ecosystems at one location. Those looking to catch walleye, bass, or monster catfish do so in the warmer waters of the 45,000-acre Bull Shoals Lake, while record-sized trout can be found in the cooler waters of White River, flowing 90 miles downstream from the dam.

Mountain biking Bull Shoals

Along with their fishing poles, visitors are also bringing their mountain bikes to Bull Shoals-White River State Park to ride the Oakridge Trail System.

“The four miles of trails built by Progressive Trail Design (PTD) complement the existing locally hand-built trails,” Rob Grunnagle, Director of Marketing for PTD, told us. “In total, the Oakridge Trail System now has around ten miles of trails.”

PTD is a trail design and build firm based in Bentonville, Arkansas. While they are known for northwest Arkansas favorites such as The Railyard, Back 40 Trails, and Coler Mountain Bike Preserve, their work has taken PTD all over the country and the world.

Before PTD landed in Bull Shoals, roughly five miles of trails existed. Hand-built by volunteers from the Trail Team of North Central Arkansas (TTONCA), the multi-use trails became a popular destination for mountain bikers and hikers alike.

“The trail traverses the oak-hickory upland forest for a unique walking or riding experience,” Grunnagel explained. “Along the trail are creek crossings, dirt roads, open meadows, long downhills, and taxing uphills.”

Before PTD’s addition, most of the trails at the Oakridge Trail System fell into the intermediate category. Grunnagle also shared that trail difficulty depends on which direction you ride an established loop trail. Riding clockwise, the more difficult but still intermediate direction, has more strenuous climbs, while a counter-clockwise ride turns those climbs into downs, making for a more beginner-friendly ride. 

PTD added over four miles of new trails to Oakridge, bringing the overall mileage close to ten. The latest addition brings more beginner-friendly trails to the system, with roughly 200-300 feet of elevation gain/loss across the entire system. 

Bull Shoals-White River State Park is nestled in the Ozark Plateau. Grunnagle said that, like Northwest Arkansas, riders can expect rolling tree-covered terrain that has been carved out by creeks and hollers. Riders can expect fast, pedally flow sections along with flowy descents, with some technical sections, as they catch glimpses of Bull Shoals Lake and the White River through the trees. 

The PTD crew began work on the addition to the Oakridge system in the fall of 2024 and completed the project just a few months ago. Along with the nearby Pigeon Creek Park trails at Lake Norfork, PTD hopes to see more riders coming to north-central Arkansas. And they are hoping that some of that new tourism will come from those wanting a bit more than just a mountain bike destination.

“North-central Arkansas has so much potential and could be the next great destination in Arkansas for mountain biking,” Grunnagle shared. “With an already well-established, world-class trout fishing industry on the White River, this zone already draws many to the region each year.”

Grunnagle sees trails — singletrack or paved — as adding another layer of amenities for vacationers to experience the beautiful Ozark outdoors and landscapes. He sees a potentially interesting connection between fishing, mountain biking, and, oddly enough, aviation, as many visitors fly into the area to go fishing.

And Grunnagle hopes to see one more thing added to those planes.

“We can see north-central Arkansas as a destination where travelers load up their fishing poles and bikes on their aircraft for a long weekend getaway of fishing, bikes, and aviation.”