parked downtown at Riverfront park and ended up at Two Rivers park. 24 miles round trip. all paved but some short areas are on 2 lane (not very busy) roads. several bike friendly bridges to traverse but otherwise flat, wide trails. lots of pedestrians, joggers and bikers but it was a sunday. very "brown" when we rode, probably much more scenic in late spring, early summer.

The trail surface is very smooth right now - we rode from Barton to Lakeview (20 miles round trip) on gravel/cross bikes with our children. The gravel is small and well groomed, and most road bike riders would not have problems with it; it is definitely suitable for hybrids. The visitors center is easy to find, has ample parking, and has clean bathrooms. Almost all road crossings are over low traffic minor dirt roads or driveways, so we did not have to stop for traffic while riding. The trail is shaded, in parts by very large, old trees. The state parks have secured a large matching grant from the Walton Foundation and will have all 84 miles complete within five years. Nearby Mississippi River State Park has a lovely RV campground and more roads to explore by bike.

I am on a X-C road trip on I 40, and stopped today to get some exercise skating the trail. I parked at Big Dam Bridge (on the South side of the river). I skated across the river there, and put in 90 minutes on the trails on that side. Returning to the South side I explored around another 30 minutes. I was on miles of very good paved surface. I only saw one short (40 feet) segment with root cracks; these were clearly visible as one approached them. My understanding is there are many more miles of trail I didn't get a chance to skate.

The only long steep portions I found were the approaches to the Big Dam Bridge.

All-in-all a great skating site with wide, smooth, pavement.

We "put in" at the Helena Junction trailhead and had to turn around at Barton - only 2 miles into our ride. When we read that the trail was crushed rock and that it was in excellent condition we thought that we'd see a Katy Trail type of surface ("The Katy" is one of our faves).

Such is not the case. The crushed limestone that we encountered was #57 or #5. We expected #8.

It was a bummer that we had to abort our ride, especially after having driven for two hours to get there. It was a beautiful day, and the trail scenery is spectacular.

Just do not attempt this unless you are prepared for a trail bike experience.

My wife and I rode this trail a week ago - started in Watson and finished in the very sleep town of Arkansas City. First 9 miles were shaded with trees on both sides. Trail of crushed limestone in excellent shape. Final 14 miles were paved road along the top of the Mississippi river levee. Amazing views from top of the levee. You can see for miles across forests, lakes, and fields of soybeans and corn. Town of Arkansas City is a shadow of its former heyday before the 1927 floods. Lots of history there. Will do this ride again.

I rode from Lexa to Elaine today (~21 miles) on a hybrid in 90-95 degree heat. Overall condition of the trail is excellent, however, the first 2 miles (Lexa to Barton) were a little rough, with some loose stones. Those first two miles probably need a little grooming / reconditioning. First 14 miles of the trail (Lexa to Lake View) is generally shady which helps a LOT. Very pretty. The last 7 miles between Lake View and Elaine has very little shade, running between massive fields of rice, soybeans, and corn. These fields are actually quite scenic, and was a nice change from just the trail surrounded by trees. I'll be doing this trail again. Excellent.

My wife and I drove 5 hours to ride this trail for 3 days. All I can say is incredible! Beautifully maintained paved trail system. Huge variety of landscape from downtown Little Rock to mountains and swamps. Tons of people enjoying trail. A real blessing! Thank you to the people of Arkansas and RTR!

Being from El Dorado, AR, where there is nowhere to safely bike and run, I am extremely grateful for the 2 rivers trail. Sadly I have to drive 2 hours to enjoy it but well worth it every time. This area alone is one reason I plan on leaving south arkansas the first chance I get. I appreciate the effort and hard work it has taken to build an area so beautiful. If I had any suggestions at all I would advice hiring a part time security bicyclist to be in the area from time to time. I think this may cut down on some of the breaking or enterings. I mean we see it as crime but criminals see it at opportunity. Guess if I was a criminal and never saw law enforcement present on the trails, I would for sure take advantage. But hey, there is crime everywhere and I would rather my vehicle be broken into while out enjoying the sunshine and beautiful scenery, vs sitting in the house and your vehicle get broken into any way. I give an A for the trail overall and would recommend it to anyone.

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.