By Lauren Spencer
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – The Razorback Regional Greenway is a project that has been years in the making. The regional greenway project has been a goal of the Walton Family Foundation and the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission since the ’90s and early 2000s.
The full length of the Razorback Greenway was officially dedicated on May 2, 2015. The greenway is a now 40 mile, primarily off road trail that runs from Fayetteville to Bella Vista.
Tristin Hill, manager of the Razorback Greenway, stated making the vision a reality took years of hard work and planning.
“The Walton Family Foundation put up the funding to create the original 37 miles of the greenway and then recently, there’s been another 3 miles that was added to extend down to Kessler Mountain Regional Park south of Fayetteville, and that makes it an even 40.”
The trail has been an attraction in itself, giving visitors a chance to immerse themselves in the region’s cycling culture, which has boomed in the past few years. It connects the downtown areas of Fayetteville, Johnson, Springdale, Lowell, Rogers, and Bentonville, their arts and entertainment districts, as well as the University of Arkansas.
Hill said they’ve “created the Razorback Greenway Alliance, which is a board of directors that is made up of one representative from each of the 7 cities the greenway runs through.”
One project recently taken on by the Razorback Greenway Alliance is working to give the greenway a cohesive brand.
“For a long time it was just a collection of trails that went all throughout Northwest Arkansas but now we want to give it a recognizable identity” Hill said.
They’ve started to do this by creating mile markers along the 40 miles of the trail. They’ve updated the mileage to account for the new extra 3 miles.
The mile markers have unique colors on the top so riders can tell when they cross over into new cities.
The Greenway is just another way biking boosts the tourism economy in Northwest Arkansas.
It’s said to have spawned a whole other industry with people using the trail and its branches to meet up at local coffee shops, restaurants, and breweries. Hill stated “a lot of people travel from out of state to use the trail and bike.”
The trail is also an access corridor to a number of mountain biking trails in Bentonville including Slaughter Pen trails and Smuggler’s Run.
One element that might get overlooked when it comes to the trail is the transportation aspect.
“The Greenway goes through so many downtown areas of so many cities in Northwest Arkansas,” Hill said. “It makes the entire region accessible on foot or on bike”
Hill explained that this can benefit many local low income families who may not have access to a car.
With the new Walmart Corporate Campus set to open in 2025, the number of bikers committing to work is hoped to increase by at least 10%. The Razorback Greenway will run right through the site.
The Greenway is described as a great mellow ride for all skill levels. Sierra Edeleman, University of Arkansas student, stated she likes to ride her bike on the trail because it’s convenient and easy.
“I’m scared to ride my bike on the sidewalk because it’s really narrow and there’s people everywhere. But the greenway trail is really wide so there’s lots of room if you’re not as confident.”
Edelman lives right next to the greenway, so she said it’s extremely convenient.
“It’s a really long trail so you can just ride however long, day by day.” Edelman said.
As for the future of the Razorback Greenway, Hill stated they’re mainly focusing on the rebrand
“We will be redoing all signs as well as the pavement markers on the actual trail itself” Hill said.
They recently launched a new website with an interactive map that includes all points of interest and parks along the greenway as well as water and bathroom stops.
“We’re trying to create a home for all the information you need whether it’s map or routes or whatever you want to look for” Hill said. “We’re trying to get information out there to people and make it more accessible.”
The interactive map of the Razorback Regional Greenway can be found here