This is my home trail. Park at the Big Dam Bridge during daylight hours and you shouldn't have any problem with crime due to lots of people being around. It is also safe to park in the River Market downtown and rent a bike. Technically; it is about a 15 mile loop if you make a circle from the Big Dam Bridge to downtown on both sides of the river. I would only suggest this route EARLY on a Saturday or Sunday morning for newbies due to some safety/route/traffic issues on the Little Rock side along Cantrell Road and Dillard's headquarters. The two best routes 7 days/week: A: out and back from the Big Dam Bridge to Downtown on the North Little Rock side(14 miles roundtrip). B: out and back from the Big Dam Bridge to Two Rivers Park on the Little Rock side(10 miles roundtrip). Both routes are good. Two Rivers Park can be very crowded on a nice weekend morning. Be sure to take the long loop at Two Rivers park which goes along the Little Maumelle River. Overall the trail would be considered relatively flat. Nice scenery of the Arkansas river at several spots. The A & B routes are uninterrupted by cars except for a 0.3 mile shared street in North Little Rock which has very low traffic. Bathrooms are at the Big Dam Bridge on the Little Rock side, Two Rivers Park and Downtown North Little Rock. If time allows for a bonus; drive up the hill to Emerald Park in North Little Rock and ride the paved 2-3 mile trail along the ridge for a nice aerial view of downtown and the river. The Arkansas River Trail is as good as anything I've personally ridden in Florida, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska.

Ran here on a cool October morning.Trail relatively flat,in good shape, and uncrowded.Negative factors are you have to cross at least two very,very,busy roads.

The trail is great. But the police are having problem with car break in. Our friend had there car broke into. Stole her wallet and credit cards.

This trail is not in a good section of town. Be sure you leave no valuables or look like you have anything of value in your car. We were there parked between a BMW and Mercedes Benz in our Buick and our back window was smashed out and they ransacked the vehicle. When the police arrived they told us this happens all the time. There are folks there that are watching to see who drives what and when they ride off. I would not recommend this area to anyone. All bikers are great people and its a shame that the city doesn't have the man power to watch it better.

We recently visited Little Rock, Arkansas to experience the Arkansas River Trail. We like to ride the Rails to Trails conversions in particular, but had heard good things about the river trail. Our first ride began downtown at the Junction Bridge location in the Market area. Bikers can use the elevator to take them up a couple stories to the bridge connecting Little Rock with North Little Rock. Currently there are two construction sites on the north side which require a short detour until one can get on the actual trail. Completion date on the bridge and buildings should be in 6 months.

Once on the trail which runs along the Arkansas river for approximately six miles, you ride through various parks and ever changing landscapes. The surface is smooth and well maintained with frequent signage. The northside trail ends at the Big Dam Bridge which has a long manageable gradient offering spectacular views of the Arkansas River in both directions.

On our second day of riding we chose to park at Murray Park on the south side to avoid biking on the surface road which is necessary from downtown. Once at Murray Park the trail can be ridden east to Rebsamen Park and then a quick turnaround back to the west will take you past the Big Dam Bridge to the Two River Bridge. The trail from the Bridge to Maumette is spectacular.

the Arkansas River Trail, while not a Rails to Trails offers a variety of enjoyable experiences for all bikers and should be enjoyable throughout all seasons.

Little Rock has an excellent variety of restaurants and breweries. Lodging can be at several levels, but if you want a real treat, try the Empress of Little Rock. It is a trip back in time.

My husband and I traveled from Nebraska to ride this trail on Sept. 30. Our hotel was in the River Market area, just blocks from the river, the trail, great food, shopping and live music. We started our ride by crossing the Clinton Bridge. The north side of the trail was fantastic! Beautiful river views, several White Herons and sunning turtles. Due to some construction there is a slight detour but this is well marked. The Big Dam Bridge is certainly a highlight with several nice amenities including the bike repair and air station. Amazing views from the top! On the south side of the trail there was too much street riding for our liking. the bike lanes were fine, but not as much of a fan of the dedicated bike routes. That being said, Little Rock motorists were very respectful of cyclists. If I were to ride this again, I would go back over the Big Dam Bridge and retrace our route on the north side. A great asset for the citizens of Little Rock!

My wife and i started at Two Rivers Park and rode the entire loop. We started early to avoid the heat on Sept. 25th. I would not ride the entire loop other than Sunday because the street traffic could be a problem, especially downtown. There could have been a few more directional signs down town.
The area around the Big Dam Bridge was very busy. We both were astonished in the BDB and the expense someone went to for bikers and pedestrains to cross the river there at the dam. We love the trail. My wife usually only rides about 12 miles but she enjoyed it so much, she couldn't stop and turn around - plus she wanted to cross the Clinton bridge downtown.

This trail offers many obstacles from climbing the Big Dam Bridge to following the open roads in a few locations. There is little to no timely cleaning of the trail that leads to lots of spotty areas to dodge carefully. The changes in scenery are pretty grand though the pavement needs some TLC nearing the Clinton Library. Hopefully the trail will keep from flooding as the summer progresses. Not many places in the state that offer the distance of this measure.

This is a great trail! It is not under water or blocked in any way, is is well maintained. I ride on both sides of the river and have found many ways to change this trail up so as not get boring as I try to ride on it everyday on the way home after work and on the weekends. It is really the only safe way to ride in central Arkansas, meaning no cars. If you are in the area on a trip, try this trail, you will like it.