Several bike trails now open in Pea Ridge

PEA RIDGE — With names like Chicken Spur, Crekside, Mule Barn, On Ya Left, The Nest, Trolls Trail and Harrison Street Connector, the trails at Baker Hayes Trail System range from 2/10ths of a mile to .43 miles with difficulty ranging from easiest to extremely difficult and offer an opportunity for people of all ages and skill levels.

Several years ago Baker Hayes was identified as a potential site of a trail system by Anya Bruhin, teacher and cycling coach; Brannon Pack, executive director of Ozark Off Roads Cyclists; and city officials.

In 2018, Pack presented a plan to the Pea Ridge City Council. Introducing Pack, Mayor Jackie Crabtree said then that the Baker Hayes Park was eight acres off Greer Street obtained by the city in 2004 from Gene Baker and Tom Hayes, developers of Battlefield Estates. City officials approved the initial plan.

Initial attempts to get funding for the park were unsuccessful.

About two years ago Blackhawk Cycling partnered with Ozark Off Roads Cyclists and began building trails utilizing what the club had in abundance, sweat equity, according to Blackhawk Cycling official Josh Johnson.

The team met monthly, as did members of Ozark Off Roads Cyclists and their supporters. Those workdays turned an under-utilized piece of land into a park, with an outer trail through most of the park.

“The community support that was demonstrated during those workdays did not go unrecognized,” Johnson said, adding that, “Merrill White was able to organize a meeting with the League Director of [the National Interscholastic Cycling Association], and Gary Vernon, a representative of the Walton Foundation, and we brought them on site.”

White, a Pea Ridge City Council member and employee of Walton Family Foundation, said last May that bringing sidewalks and trails to Pea Ridge was part of his goal.

Shortly after that meeting, Baker Hayes was awarded a $100,000 grant. The contract for designing and building the trail system went to Rock Solid, and they began work last summer and completed the work over the course of two months.

This spring work was resumed, and another grant was awarded by The Trailblazers + Ethic which funded signage for the park and a bridge.

“Recently we had another workday to clean up the park, install the bridge and make preparations for the grand opening,” Johnson said.

Blackhawk Cycling, supporters and families showed up May 22 to officially cut the ribbon and recognize the effort that went into making this dream come true.