Back 40 Opens to the Public

Keith Bryant/The Weekly Vista The crowd at the grand opening of the Back 40 system, which took place in the Blowing Springs pavilion, included riders, hikers, officials and various others. The event drew an estimated 300 attendees.
Keith Bryant/The Weekly Vista The crowd at the grand opening of the Back 40 system, which took place in the Blowing Springs pavilion, included riders, hikers, officials and various others. The event drew an estimated 300 attendees.

Bella Vista's new trail system, the Back 40, had its grand opening Saturday, allowing Mayor Peter Christie the opportunity to cut a shiny blue ribbon on a gorgeous, sunny day

Attendees got the chance to go on guided hikes and visit with vendors, including trail builders and local bike shops.

The ceremony took place in the Blowing Springs pavilion area, where various vendors -- as well as volunteer groups and the Bella Vista Police Department -- lined up tents and set up product demonstrations and services to welcome the new trail system, which has been under construction for several months.

Chris Suneson, director of Community Development Services, said that it was nice to see so many people out and about. Based on discussions among vendors, he said, there were an estimated 300 attendees.

"We parked a lot of cars this morning," he said. "We're competing with three craft fairs and a Razorback game. I think we had a great turnout."

The trails, he said, will allow a variety of people to access parts of Bella Vista that haven't been seen by very many people.

Brian and Amy Brennfoerder came to the event with their two children, Lucy and Kaiden. They moved from Dallas to Rogers in August in part to be closer to family, as well as to have access to Northwest Arkansas' outdoor activities, including mountain biking -- something Brian is a huge fan of.

"Don't live in Bella Vista," Brian Brennfoerder said, "but I come up here two, three times a week."

Brennfoerder said that if he isn't coming to ride, he's bringing his kids to hike.

"We definitely picked the right year to move here," he said.

Hidden amongst the bike shops' tents was a popup featuring members of FAST -- Friends of Arkansas Single Track. The organization had a few members of the National Mountain Bike Patrol on hand, including Corwin Stanhope.

The group, he said, is trained in basic first aid and can contact and coordinate with emergency services, if needed.

"The motto of the National Mountain Bike Patrol," he said, " is assist, educate, inform." The primary goal, he said, is to help anyone out on the trails, be they hikers, riders or lost.

These volunteers will be out on the trails periodically, he said, ready to help if anyone gets hurt or just needs a flat fixed to get back home.

"There's a couple areas out there that'll chew up some tires and tubes," he said.

Phil Penny, director of trails for Crossland Construction, one of a handful of firms that built the newly-opened trail system, said that while the trails are now open to the public, they're still fine-tuning them.

Things like jumps, landing points and rough spots, he said, are getting dialed in, and having riders out to actually test the trails will help sort them out.

His firm built approximately 15 of the trail system's miles, he said, including the bluff bridge alongside the intersection of Trafalgar and U.S. Highway 71, which is part of the main loop.

That main loop, he said, is designed to be fairly simple and accessible, while the secondary trails branching off it are designed with more intermediate to advanced riders in mind.

"You can find something for everyone out there," he said.

Tom Heckleman, who said he's lived here 22 years, retired in January. He hasn't had a chance to actually go out on the trails, he said, but he's excited to try them out.

"I can't wait to go out and walk some of it," Heckleman said. "I won't bicycle it. I'm too old for that."

General News on 10/19/2016