Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Family takes advantage of trail system
BELLA VISTA — The Whittles aren’t hanging their bike helmets on some wild statistics about trail use.
On this unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon in January, the three Whittles are taking full advantage of beautiful blue skies to try out their biking skills.
With a high of 55 degrees, it’s hard to believe the hills and valleys were covered with a light snow the day before.
For Lexie Whittle, who just turned 11 on Jan. 2, the warm afternoon affords a chance to see how well she can maneuver the Tweety Bird trail.
Lexie, along with her 13-year-old brother, Maverick, and her dad, Josh Whittle, decided to venture out and enjoy Bella Vista’s offerings.
The other two have taken on the trail’s challenges before, but this was Lexie’s first adventure on this particular trail.
“It was really fun,” she said. “I liked the downhill parts.”
The trio rides the trails about twice a week, Maverick said. “We go as much as we can,” he said, smiling.
Maverick, who just turned 13 on Dec. 12, joins his sister on rides, bike jumps and other challenges.
So far, neither one has broken any bones, they admitted, as their dad laughed.
The Whittle family has a total of seven children. When the three oldest moved out and graduated from college, Whittle and his wife thought the remaining “mini fam,” should have different opportunities than central California offered.
The couple toured the area four years ago and made the leap to move here two and a half years ago.
From their previous home in Fresno, Calif., the mountains or the coast was a twohour drive.
Now, any amenity is only
“10 minutes” away.
Several factors drew the Whittle family to Bella Vista, mainly “the great outdoors and the good people,” Josh said.
“It’s amazing,” Josh said. “We’ve been blessed to be here.”
The Whittle family is one example of the folks who enjoy Bella Vista’s trails, which includes the 40-mile Bella Vista Back 40 Trails system and 50 miles of the Little Sugar
Trails.
The trails are open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Statistics revealed in a 2018 trail impact and usage study show that 80% of all trail users live in Bella Vista.
Forty-five percent of all trail users spend more than two hours on the trail, according to the report, which was conducted by a University of Arkansas doctoral student in the Department of Health and Human Performance.
A great deal of statistics about trail system users has helped Bella Vista officials plan for future projects. Officials continue to utilize and promote those statistics.
For those who want to walk, hike or bird- watch, the trails offer folks the chance to enjoy the village’s natural beauty at their own pace.
For the Whittle family, the trails of Bella Vista — along with other amenities — offer something drastically different
than California.
Maverick said the trail system’s best attribute is the “ease of access.”
The teen said he encourages others to try new trails they haven’t yet tackled.
What would he tell others who might be intimidated by a challenging trail?
“It’s not as bad as you think,” Maverick said.
For information, visit http:// bellavistaar.gov/trails or call (479) 876-1255.
“It’s amazing. We’ve been blessed to be here.” — Josh Whittle