A permit signing for the Trails at Mena project ushered in a milestone moment for a transformative outdoor recreation amenity that is slated to connect the city of Mena to Queen Wilhelmina State Park. A special-use permit, granted by the U.S. Forest Service and signed by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, brings lift served mountain biking to Arkansas and gave the green light to move forward from planning to construction on the Trails at Mena project. 

The Trails at Mena project vision includes a lift-served mountain bike and adventure park that will, through phased development, eventually connect the city of Mena to Queen Wilhelmina State Park, located on the second highest peak in the state. Once complete, this downhill bike park will fill a monumental slot of being the largest lift serve mountain bike park in the world built from scratch solely for mountain biking. 

A permit signing event was held in Mena this month to mark the occasion and celebrate the integral partnerships that helped pave the route for the bike park. Partnerships for the project, which is being led by Arkansas State Parks, include the U.S. Forest Service, Arkansas Parks & Recreation Foundation, and the City of Mena. Support for the project also came from state and federal government and more. The project is envisioned as an economic driver for the area and includes lands that overlap through Queen Wilhelmina State Park, the Ouachita National Forest, and the city of Mena. 

More details about the permit signing event and the Trails at Mena project can be found here.

The mountain bike park will have direct access to the city of Mena and will include trails designed by Gravity Logic, which are noted for their downhill design. It will be located within around 8,000 acres of national forest of the Ouachita Mountain range and offer 1,200 feet of elevation for descents. A range of trails will be available, from beginner flow terrain to technical terrain to jump lines for advanced riders. The park is also slated to be a family friendly adventure park, with features like a high speed quad chairlift, zip lines and more. The bike park’s trail system will also be near other nationally known trails such as the Ouachita National Recreational Trail.

Mountain biking can be done year round in Arkansas and the Trails at Mena project aims to add to the current world class mountain biking terrain and destinations found in the state including the Arkansas State Parks Monument Trails and more. 

Along with the mountain bike park in Mena, Arkansas is in gear to soon have another lift served mountain bike park at the Oz Trails in Bella Vista too.