The rocks. A lot of rocks. Gardens of them.  Oh yeah, exposed roots also.  My bottom took an absolute beating.

That doesn’t sound right…

But that’s what this trail does to you when you ride it on a hardtail.  Sounds like a good excuse to get a 2019 Pivot Trail 429 eh?!  I can only dream…

But even with bike shorts on with the gel stuff, I couldn’t stay in my seat for too long because it was JARRING.  Not for every part of the ride, but I would say for the majority.  Like, 70-80% of the trail.

Otherwise, it’s a pretty leisurely and fun trail.  I wouldn’t say that it’s “flowy” because you’re going to encounter more rocks and roots than anything.  It’s not my favorite trail, but it’s definitely not the worst either.

Quick Trail Review: Burns Park MTB Trail – Little Rock, AR

Trail markers are painted onto the adjacent trees so finding the route was SUPER easy.  I never felt lost like I sometimes do mountain biking in new places.  Im not a fan of having to pull my phone out for directions everytime there’s a fork.   At Burns Park, I pulled out my phone only to take pictures.

I rode the trail clockwise, but it’s definitely rideable in either direction.  I felt like I did a lot of climbing so counter-clockwise may have been the better option – I didn’t test that theory though.

On a Monday midday ride, I was the ONLY rider out there the trail.  It did seem a little eerie out there but at the same time, I got to enjoy nature in all it’s glory.  I did come across a trail runner.

If you’re wondering I do carry pepper spray and a pocket knife.

Here’s one of my favorite natural features:

This “wall ride” or giant berm, I guess, towards the end of my Green Loop run was awesome.  Going off of it gives you enough speed to have some fun.  Doesn’t look like much in the picture but it surely seemed bigger in person.  Definitely one of the good features I’ll remember from riding this trail – other than the rock gardens.

The feature was close to where I parked my car which I’ll go into detail about in the next section.

One thing to note is a trail on the crest of the hill starting near the wall ride going off into the distance.  It’s not exactly in the picture above, but there’s definitely a trail up there!  It’s like a secret trail feature that no one takes because the entrance is hidden about 10 yards back where I took the picture.  There was a large downed tree blocking the entrance, but go around and you’ll spot it.  Do it!  I thought it was even better than the wall ride.

Somewhere in the middle of my ride I did encounter another large downed tree blocking the trail.  I wish I could’ve moved it myself but a chain saw is needed for sure.  I went around it shamelessly.

This whole area has signs up saying “This is an old military training ground.  Undetonated explosives may be present, leave them alone.”  Well, it didn’t say exactly that, but I remember something along those lines.  Needless to say, I didn’t venture too far off from the trail.

I’m not sure why it’s called Burns Park, but black charred tree trunks and signs of fires can be seen sporadically throughout the trail in many places.  It’s kind of cool and spooky.  I do I believe they occasionally have controlled burns in the area.

So I give it a 3.5 / 5 star trail.  Fun, but man those rocks killed me.  Wish there were more flowy sections.  Hopefully I can come back to this trail with a full suspension bike some day.

Location and Where I Parked My Car

It’s super easy to get to since it’s on the North side of Little rock.  This is how I got to Burns Park MTB trail:

• I came from the Northeast side of town
• I headed West on I40
• I took Military Drive exit
• I turned left onto Military Drive heading South
• About a tenth of mile down I turned right onto Arlene Laman Dr.

I parked at the basketball court and covered pavilion.  Simple stuff.  From there I hopped onto the green loop in the back.

It’s also possible to keep driving down and park near the BMX bike park.  The park was not open but it looked like it would have been fun to ride.

Trail Difficulty

I would describe Burns Park MTB trail as an intermediate level trail – blue.

I used the MTB Project app to navigate this trail, and the trail rating is spot on.  It’s a technical trail consisting of roots and rock gardens as I mentioned above.  This trail will definitely help increase your technical riding skills.

The rock gardens seemed endless in some sections, especially on the Green and Red Loop.  I enjoyed the challenge of finding the smoothest line – but it still whooped my butt. Literally.

There are some short steep climbs that puts your trials skills to the test.  Tree roots and rocks can easily throw off your balance on those consistent upward climbs.   I had my granny gear on plenty, no shame!

You really have to work those climbs to get to some of the the downhill sections, which are fun, but they go by super fast.  A lot of work, little reward.  It almost seemed like I should have gone counter-clockwise.

I did go check out the short blue trail loop, but didn’t check out the orange or yellow trail on the northwest side of the park.  I ran out of time.

Views and Wildlife

There were some areas where I got amazing views of the Arkansas River.  Otherwise it’s shade galore through the woods.  I love shaded rides through trees. I rode this trail in October where the high was 89 degrees that day.  The shade helped so much.  In the summer, this would be a great place to ride.

Wildlife spotted: I saw a pair of turtles, a pair of deer, and squirrels that jumped out in front of me more than anything – the squirrels were terrifying.

Conclusion

I was out on the trail for over 3 hours – green, red, and blue loops twice over.  That’s a long time when you consider I was busting my butt on those rocks and roots on a hardtail budget MTB.  I also took frequent breaks, checked out scenery, and stopped for animals.  Oh yeah, and gave my behind a break.

There’s also another trail system north of Burns Park called Camp Robinson.  However, a “Sportsman’s Pass” is required.  Apparently it’s a very nice trail system that’s frequently maintained.  The price is I believe $25 or $30 just for the pass, and then you need visitor’s pass for an additional $5.  More information here: http://www.arkansasoutside.com/camp-robinson-trails-step-by-step/

Camp Robinson definitely looks more promising compared to Burns Park MTB trails.  I just did not want to shell out $35 for 3 hours.

If I had a whole weekend, like I did for Bentonville, or Palo Duro Canyon, where I can also camp out… Camp Robinson would definitely be on my radar.

Anyway, Burns Park was fun despite my bum hurting.

Definitely a decent place to have some fun.

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