Blazing trails : Slaughter Pen to be expanded this year
Posted on Sunday, February 3, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/News/58384/
BENTONVILLE — Bentonville always has taken pride in its trail system, but the donation of the Slaughter Pen Mountain Bike Trail by the Bentonville-Bella Vista Trailblazers in 2007 really put the city on the map.
The Trailblazers turned several acres of rugged terrain donated by the Walton family, near the North Bentonville Trail at Arkansas Highway 71 and Northwest A Street, into 5. 18 miles of single-track mountain bike riding trails. The trails boast something for riders of all skill levels through thick forest and even a freestyle park for the daring.
Now, the city and the Trailblazers are working together to more than double the trail mileage within Slaughter Pen, with the idea of eventually hooking up to the trail system carved out within the 100-acre wooded campus of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Trailblazers president Bob Norwood expects the 5-plus miles of new trails to be unveiled this year.
“ The plan is to pay for this through grants secured by the Trailblazers, ” Norwood said. “ The city already owns the property on either side of Northwest A Street. ”
With the Trailblazers spearheading the effort, Bentonville Parks and Recreation director Doug Glaysher is excited about the coming addition to the city’s trail system.
“ The Trailblazers get things done very quickly, ” Glaysher said. “ Working with them is a blessing and helps move things forward without as many hoops to jump through. This will be a great gift. ”
The Trailblazers cut the trails and donated the existing portion of Slaughter Pen to the city last year. Slaughter Pen, at the time, was believed to be the first single-track mountain bike trail in Benton and Washington counties. In addition, it marked the first mountain bike trail located in such close proximity of a largely populated area for several hours in any direction.
“ If you look at the trails we’ve already provided, we’ve gone about it without disturbing the natural environment, ” Norwood said. “ The city owns the property we’ll be expanding the trails through and that land is such that you’re not going to be able to build or develop on it anyway. ”
Norwood said the 5-plus mile extension of Slaughter Pen will remain tucked away from view from Northwest A Street through heavily wooded areas. The extension will move south to Tiger Boulevard, where the Glaysher and Norwood said the idea is to link up with the trails planned at the wooded area surrounding Crystal Bridges of American Art. Crystal Bridges anticipates a 2010 opening. That connection would provide a continuous trail system — mountain bike or otherwise — from Lake Bella Vista to downtown Bentonville.
“ That’s the plan, ” Glaysher said. “ You’re going to see it all come together. ”