The map above shows multipurpose trails in black and on-street suggestions in purple. A few of the street suggestions have bike lanes, but the majority do not.
Bicycle touring through Northwest Arkansas is not easy. Growth in the region means that traffic on major streets and highways has outpaced the state and local government ability to keep roads safe for bicycling. What was a sleepy rural road through farmland 10 years ago is now congested with sprawl traffic. On the good side though, Fayetteville has begun developing a network of paved multipurpose trails. The latest, Scull Creek Trail, will provide a north-south route with relatively few street crossings when it is finished in the latter part of 2008.
Most of the state highways have two to three feet of shoulder along portions that are outside the city limits but very often become curbed four- or five-lane highways once they enter the city limits. Where curbed, most of the highways have a sidewalk but of varying quality. U.S. 71B through Fayetteville does not have sidewalk for great stretches and is heavy urban traffic. Avoid it if at all possible.
Interstate 540 is closed to bicycle traffic, but frontage streets on the south side of Fayetteville are open to bicycles. Between Wedington and Garland, there are fewer frontage street options, and there are no frontage streets going north of Fayetteville, although there are streets that parallel the interstate.
Beyond Fayetteville
South of Fayetteville, old U.S. 71, now a scenic byway, is a relatively quiet alternative with wide shoulders once past the Fayetteville municipal airport. It is relatively flat, gaining elevation slowly, following the valley of the West Fork of the White River. At Winslow, the highway begins a strong climb up over the Boston Mountains. You'll have a second long climb just south of Mountainburg too.
East of Fayetteville, Arkansas Highway 16 has good shoulder until just past Elkins where the should becomes very narrow. The route has some rolling hills but is mostly level until Durham, where the hills become sharper. At Brashears, Arkansas Highway 23, known as the "Pig Trail," cuts south toward Ozark. Highway 23 has very little shoulder, is steep and winding, and fills with logging trucks during the fall, winter and early spring months. Camping available at Turner Bend. Meanwhile, Highway 16 continues east, following the upper White River, again with mostly rolling but occasionally steep hills. At Pettigrew, the highway starts up a long climb to Boston, and the rest of Highway 16 is difficult hills.
To the northeast, Arkansas Highway 45 is two-lane and has a lot of commuter traffic but 2 or 3 feet of shoulder along most stretches. It slowly gains elevation leaving Fayetteville until hitting the city limits and then has a long downhill and flat, straight stretch before crossing the White River and Richland Creek bridges and entering Goshen. After Goshen, the highway crosses relatively rugged, hilly country.
To the north, Arkansas Highway 265 currently has shoulders but a widening project is planned that is supposed to include bicycle lanes. It becomes a four-lane curbed highway in Springdale. There are paved roads that parallel it on the east, but they eventually tie back into 265 at some point in east Springdale.
Again, avoid U.S. 71B north and Interstate 540 north.
To the northwest, Arkansas 112 is two-lane and has minimal shoulder or none. It also has a lot of commuter traffic into and out of Fayetteville. When 112 goes through Cave Springs, you can also run into a lot of airport traffic coming from the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport. And option between Fayetteville and U.S. 412 is to use the old Wheeler/Barrington Roads going into Tontitown. They are lightly traveled during most of the day and oft used by recreational cyclists, so drivers are more aware.
To the west, U.S. 412 is a divided four-lane highway with wide shoulders, but a fairly high amount of traffic. Arkansas Highway 16 in Fayetteville is four-lane and curbed, but it has a wide sidewalk for most of its distance. Outside of the city limits, it becomes a two-lane highway with narrow shoulders. It's also hilly and winding all the way to Siloam Springs. Lake Wedington Recreational Area offers cabins and camping.
To the southwest, U.S. 62 between Fayetteville and Farmington is not recommended for bicycling. If you've got the choice, follow Illinois Chapel Road between Prairie Grove and Arkansas 265 and then 265 into Fayetteville. Arkansas 265 has little or no shoulder but has light traffic during most of the day. Parts of it are hilly and winding. The southern end can be followed to Arkansas 170, which drops down into Devil's Den State Park, where cabins and camping are available.
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