The Ozarkansas 500 is a 500 mile, 4 day, intense dirt bike loop through the Ozark National Forest in North/Central Arkansas. This is not a big bike or casual dual sport type ride. Everyday, you will encounter very difficult sections including rocks, stream crossings, hills, tight single track; and, did I mention rocks! The ideal bike would be a 350 or 500, plated trail bike. Less than ideal but very doable is a two stroke. Regardless of the type bike, it must be plated.
Each day is 100 plus miles. This includes riding pavement out of the forest and into a town for a motel. There are plenty of places to camp in the forest at the end of each day. The primary problem with camping is carrying extra weight through the most difficult section.
The first day starts in Mountainberg, Arkansas. You can park your vehicle at the Twin Creeks RV Park. https://www.facebook.com/people/Twin-Creeks-Rv-Park/100054690013171/. They charge $10/day per vehicle. To get an early start on the first day, you can camp at the RV park. The RV park is nothing fancy but it’s a perfect location as it is located immediately at the start of the loop. Another travel option, depending on which direction you are coming from, is to stay in Fayetteville, Arkansas, (north of Mountainberg), or Fort Smith, Arkansas, (south of Mountainberg). They are each about 35 minutes from Twin Creeks RV Park. Day 1 is the easiest day so if everything goes just right, you may not need the full day.
With all the potential problems, it is rare that, “everything does just right”. There are many potential problems that will need to be successfully overcome to complete this loop in 4 days. Below, I’ve addressed some of the potential issues.
Stream Crossings:
In the full 4 day loop, there are over 100 stream crossings. After a heavy rain, and the water is high, the stream crossings will be very slow. There are times where the water is so high that walking the bikes across the deepest water is the only alternative. Even with the water at average level, the streams will be challenging. If the water level isn’t challenging enough, there are large rocks that can’t be seen, green slippery slime and moving water. Needless to say, every stream crossing can be demanding.
So, before beginning on the loop, how do you get an idea of the water level? The best barometer is the Turner Bend water level gauge. https://turnerbend.com/WaterLevel.html. This displays the water level of the Mulberry river. The Mulberry level is indicative of the other streams in the forest. Anything below 2.0 and streams should be minimal difficulty. For the most part, you will able to ride right through the streams. Some will even be dry. Each days completion time will be considerably shorter with water levels this low. Water at these low levels is not the norm.
Level of 2-3.5 feet is very manageable but some of the crossings will be a challenge. At this level, dropping a bike mid-stream is a definite possibility. Be prepared to clean water out of your bike. With a level greater than 3.5, plan on extra time to navigate the streams. Many of the streams will require getting off the bike to determine the most strategic way to cross. This makes the day longer but is part of the fun/challenge!
With higher water conditions, you must be prepared to clean water out of the engine. With over 100 crossings, it is inevitable that a bike will fall in the water. When this occurs, do not attempt to start the bike without cleaning the water out of the engine. Online, there are many good videos on how to clear out water. It’s a very simple procedure that doesn’t take long. Be prepared to do this on the trail. With high water levels, you, or somebody in your group, will drop their bike in a stream crossing.
Fuel:
Depending on your bike and tank size, fuel range may not be an issue. The longest range without fuel is Day 2 at 105 miles. Unless you happen to be riding day 2 on Sunday. In this case, the Day 2 fuel range is 116 miles. Once in the National Forest, there are minimal fuel opportunities. I’ve noted more fuel information in each day more detailed description.
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Weather:
Typically, in Arkansas the weather forecast is pretty reliable so you can plan accordingly. Over almost any 4-day period, you can expect to experience some rain. Once it starts raining, it can get cold very quickly.
The loop can be ridden anytime of the year as there are advantages and disadvantages with every season.
Normally, the spring is the wettest season but it can rain anytime of the year. Know that with a hard rain the streams will fill very quickly. On the average, winter is driest season but then you contend with colder temperatures and more severe consequences if you should fall in a stream.
April through October, the vegetation can be very thick. Some of the trails are not ridding much and it doesn’t take long for the vegetation to take over. Combine this with the heat and it can become very uncomfortable.
With all the tradeoffs, your best riding season is a matter of personal preference. For me, if the water is high, I would rather ride in the warmer season when I don’t mind getting wet in streams. From a comfort and vegetation perspective, I prefer November – March, assuming the water is not high.
Navigation:
Although tracks for the 4-day loop are provided, it can still be easy to get lost. Typically, you will experience missing trail turn offs. On occasion, that trail can be hard to see or there are multiple trails and it can be difficult to determine the correct trail.
You must have the ability to navigate should you miss a trail or need to create alternative routes around obstacles. Your group should have multiple GPS devices. Part of the fun is figuring the proper navigation.
Bike Problems:
Most of this loop is very remote without cell service. Be prepared to handle bike problems on the trail without any assistance. On this loop, the two most common problems are flat tires and drowning your bike in a stream. At a minimum, you must be prepared to handle these two situations with minimal delay. Being prepared to handle bike problems can make the difference of successfully completing the trip.
OZAR41 Day 1
Start: Mountainberg, Arkansas
End: Clarksville any motel
Total distance: 109 miles
Gas Range: 63 miles
Gas: Turner’s Bend and Clarksville
This is the easiest of the 4 days but I would still recommend starting early. There are plenty of potential obstacles and problems.
At the 10-mile mark, you will begin your first of many stream crossings. The first series of crossings is Hurricane Creek. The trail eventually comes out on Hurricane Road. After several miles of gravel you will drop down into a remote trail that eventually descends into a pretty area called, “frog bayou”. From frog bayou you will take fast trails along the creek bottom.
Be looking for single track turnoff as this single track is very easy to miss. Continue to watch your navigation or you will miss the turn off. Eventually the single track will come out on Phelps trail. From here you will have several miles of fairly fast, but rocky trail.
When you come to Fanes Creek Road, you will have about 8 miles of gravel before your next trails. The next trails are fun and flowy, eventually ending with some large boulders to work your way down. From here, its only a couple miles into Turner’s Bend. Turner’s Bend has non ethanol gas and a small convenience store. They also make fresh sandwiches.
From Turner’s you head south before working your way East towards Clarksville. There are a couple fun hills, otherwise, nothing too challenging but still fun trails. There are a variety of motels in Clarksville. Normally, I stay at the Quality Inn because of the convenience of its location. Casey’s, on S Rogers St., has non ethanol gas and is right on the way to the Quality Inn.
OZAR42 Day 2
Start: Clarksville, Arkansas
End: Russellville any motel
Total distance: 126 miles
Gas Range: 105 miles unless it is Sunday then 116 miles
Gas: Hector (closed on Sunday), Dover, Russellville
Like many of the days, day 2 starts off relatively easy with fast flowy trail. You will eventually come to a long stream crossing. Typically, this crossing isn’t too deep but is intimidating because it is long so you can’t get a good feel for the depth. You will go past an old historic school house and then cross another long stream crossing.
After crossing this stream, you will travel on some gravel and pavement before entering the next set of trails. At the end of these trails, you will go down a steep hill then get on Hwy 123 for a mile to cross a river.
This is where the fun starts. Over the next 20 miles, you will go up and down 7 long hills. You will go up the first, Bear Hollow. This trail is not ridden much and has a lot of vegetation, but trust your track, it is a trail. The first couple miles of bear hollow are the most challenging. Upon entering bear hollow, as a warm up, you will cross a stream with very large boulders. From here, follow the track and keep up your momentum as it gets steep and rocky. If this isn’t enough, frequently there are trees down that you must get over. Don’t hesitate so you don’t lose your momentum!
After reaching the top of Bear, you will take a forest road to a series of five parallel hills. Make note that you will actually go down the second trail and up the first. This up hill is one of the most fun on the loop!
After making it to the top of hill #2, you will go down #3, up #4 and down #5, taking you to Indian Creek Road. Don’t worry, you aren’t quite done with the hills. After a short distance on Indian Creek, you will have a demanding hill going up in the opposite direction. Once you are beyond the first mile, you are in the clear.
At the top of this hill, you will intersect with Hwy 7. 3 miles south on 7 and you will get off on the next 18 miles of trails. Other than some stream crossings and large puddles, these 18 miles aren’t too difficult but still fun.
At the end of the 18 miles, you will again hit Hwy 7 and go north about a mile before taking trails headed East. You will experience very rocky, steep downhill to a wide stream, the North Fork Illinois Bayou. Like some of the other streams, the North Fork is wide. The water can also be running quite rapidly. With the water up, you may want to spend some time figuring the best place to cross. If you get off the best line to cross, there can be some holes where the water gets deep.
Once across the North Fork, you will ride a short distance and then come to where you have two options. The shortest option is to go up the powerline trail. This is somewhat steep and rocky but no more difficult than what you’ve already accomplished. The second option is to follow the track bypassing the powerline trail.
The next 20 miles are fun, flowy and fast trails into the small town of Hector. In Hector, there is a convenience store with non-ethanol gas and food. Make note that the convenience store is closed on Sunday. The next gas option is in Dover 11 miles from Hector but on the track headed to Russellville. In Dover, Mc B’s Stop Lite has non ethanol gas and it right on the track. From here it is 10 miles into Russellville. The Best Western is reasonably priced and in a convenient location. There are multiple motel options at this same intersection.
OZAR43 Day 3
Start: Russellville
End: Clarksville
Total distance: 130 miles
Gas Range: 64, except Sunday 120 miles
Gas: Russellville, Dover, Hector, Hagarville, Clarksville
If you like single track, this is your day. From Russellville, you will take back roads to Brock Creek. In Brock Creek, you will start on single track trail #23. This trail loops around the whole outer edge of the park. In the middle of trail 23 there is a loop of additional single track. You will finish the single track with trail #22. In total, you will ride 20 plus miles of fun single track. Exiting Brock Creek, you will take 21 miles of trail back into Hector for gas. (unless it is Sunday) From here its 43 miles of combination trails and roads into Hagarville which is the next opportunity for gas. (closed on Monday and sometimes close at 3:00 on other days).
If you miss gas at Hagarville, it is only 10 miles into Clarksville.
OZAR44 Day 4
Start: Clarksville
End: Mountainberg
Total distance: 103 miles
Gas range: 70 miles (except Tuesday, 103 miles)
Gas: Oark General Store (closed on Tuesday)
If you want to skip breakfast at the motel, its 30 easy miles to the Oark General Store. Oark General Store is the oldest continually operated store in Arkansas. This is one of Arkansas favorite destinations for motorcyclists. Its not unusual to see 30 plus Harleys in the parking lot. Oark General Store is also one of the favorite stops for dual sport cycles riding the Trans America Trail. They serve great breakfast and lunch. They also have non ethanol gas.
Hopefully, you didn’t get too filled up at Oark because the next 35 miles are very eventful. Leaving Oark, you will take a few miles of pavement before starting trails. The next 30 miles is challenging with everything Arkansas trails have to offer; stream crossings, lots of rock and rocky up hill climbs.
This 30-mile section ends with, “hamburger hill”. Possibly, this is the most fun section of the 4-day loop. Hamburger hill is a several mile climb out of the creek bottom ending with several tight switchbacks.
From here, you take about 10 miles of forest roads to your last challenge of the trip, Spirit Creek. You cross Spirit Creek 14 time with most of them very demanding. A few of the crossings could be considered the most challenging crossings of the loop.
Once you’ve completed Spirit Creek its easy riding back to Mountainberg.
Congratulations, you’ve completed the Ozarkansas 500!
Each day is 100 plus miles. This includes riding pavement out of the forest into a town for a motel. There are plenty of places to camp in the forest at the end of each day. The primary problem with camping is carrying extra weight in the most difficult sections. The main advantage of camping is saving the 10-15 miles of riding pavement into town.
