Rides a wash : Devil’s Den bike trail still impassable after April storm
Posted on Monday, May 19, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/65343/
Several places are just gone along the three- to five-mile Fossil Flats Trail for mountain bikes in Devil’s Den State Park.
Lee Creek swelled and wreaked havoc on April 10 during a severe thunderstorm throughout the region, its violent waters taking big chunks out of the bank on the trail.
The park received 6 inches of rain in one day.
“ Lee Creek got up, and water eroded up to 15 feet in places on the bank the trail was on, ” Park Superintendent Monte Fuller said.
The water undercut the bank, which fell off because there was no support, he said.
“ That’s just the physical part of it, ” he said.
The trail was closed to visitors immediately after the April 10 storm, and mountain bikers are still being turned away.
Fuller said Federal Emergency Management Agency officials visited the park Thursday to survey the damage.
He recalled seeing one of the roots of an oak tree on the bank that was once under dirt. But now it’s sticking out, hanging from what is left of the bank.
“ A pretty impressive amount of water came through on that day, ” Fuller said. “ We’re looking at around 400 yards of trail on Fossil Flats that need to be rerouted, reclaimed or repaired, because not only did water wash away part of the trail but just the volume of water runoff caused damage in places farther away from the creek. ”
It is what happens when so much rain occurs in a short period of time, he said. The creek comes up fast, “ and as the water is flowing it starts eroding, ” he said, “ and as it erodes the trees fall into the creek. When they hit the bank it causes more erosion. ”
The resulting destruction to Fossil Flats is a testament to the power of water and, in its way, so was the damage to Devil’s Den Trail, where the roots of a large sweet gum tree indicated how water pushed through a pool and uprooted years of growth. But this trail did not sustain the damage that Fossil Flats did and already has been rerouted. Hikers could be seen Friday morning enjoying the outdoors as they surveyed the damage.
This was just a short section of rerouting and was done in a matter of an hour. The cost was only labor Fuller said.
As for the more complicated Fossil Flats repair, he said, “ We want to have it done as quickly as we can. Our summer riding season is upon us. ”
It will be a waiting game to see if FEMA will fund the work or if the park must do it.
It is estimated to cost about $ 5, 000 to fix the damage and get the trail back in service to mountain bikers, who Fuller said favor Fossil Flats for a variety of reasons.
“ It has something for everyone as far as the level of riding, ” he said. “ It’s such a good trail. ”
The rerouted Fossil Flats will involve moving the trail 20 to 30 feet away from Lee Creek to provide a buffer zone, he said, so when the creek does rise the trail will not be destroyed.
Park officials said they hope to have the trail repaired in time for the Northwest Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship on Sept. 13.
“ I feel like we’ll have that done, ” Fuller said.
Park Assistant Superintendent Tim Scott said he has plenty of faith that the trail will be in race condition by September.
The race at Devil’s Den is part of the Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series, in which riders collect points throughout the season and win in different divisions.
Several of the championship series races have been canceled this season because of weather, said Scott, a bike enthusiast himself.
On average, about 20-25 percent of the Devil’s Den visitors are mountain bike enthusiasts, Fuller said. While the disabled trail is hurting the park as far as dwindling bike enthusiasts, he said, there are plenty of other people taking up the slack and visiting for other reasons.
Scott said several people have come to camp, thinking the trail is open, only to find it closed, becoming “ really disappointed. ”
“ We do have another mountain bike trail, ” he said. “ It’s just not near the trail that Fossil Flats Trail is. ”