RYDB Fest – Community Overnighter

The Ride Your Damn Bike Festival invites you to ride your damn bike, any damn way you want.  We’ve got a weekend full of fun and diverse options for you to choose from.  For my part, Bikes or Death will be leading a beginner friendly, lightly supported, no drop, community overnighter.

We’ll be riding the Bikepacking Roots’ Devils Den Loop (short & long) which is part of their Fayetteville Bikepacking Route Network with an overnight community camp + optional evening activities at Devil’s Den State Park.

Devil’s Den State Park is a scenic gem nestled in the steep terrain of the western Boston Mountains. This is the most demanding of the three “overnight” route options in the Fayetteville bikepacking route network – the terrain becomes more rugged southwest of town in the high Ozark’s. The route is a mix of maintained gravel roads and pavement, with three 600- to 1,000-foot climbs with expansive vistas and numerous resupply options along the way. We’ve reserved the group camp site at Devil’s Den which can accommodate 75 people.  Once at camp riders will have a couple (optional) activities to choose from.  Either a hike up to Yellow Rock (rated the #5 hiking trail in all of Arkansas) or a Singletrack ride with a stop at Yellow Rock to meet up with the Hikers.  We’ll provide some snacks and beverages for all to enjoy while we watch the sunset and revel in our decisions to get outside, ride our damn bikes, and make new friends.  Riders will be responsible for their own dinner and breakfast, but the State Park does have a cafe that is open from 9am – 7pm.

This is a beginner friendly focused ride, but everyone is welcome to come ride with us at a chill pace.  We will have ride leaders and sweepers, mechanics on the ride to help with any mechanicals, and a sag vehicle that can assist with carrying gear and/or you and your bike to camp if needed.  We also have a Carry My Damn Shit option for riders who don’t want to be lugged down by the additional weight.  Moral of the story, you wanna ride your damn bike, but you’re not sure if this route is obtainable for you, we invite you to push your limits with the assurance that we got your back and one way or another we’re gonna get you and your shit to camp!

Routes

Day 1

• Devil’s Den Loop (short)
  • 43 miles
  • 2,900’ elevation gain
• Devil’s Den Loop (long)
  • 53 miles
  • 3,700’ elevation gain

Day 2

• Devil’s Den: Return to Fayetteville
  • 30 miles
  • 2,100’ elevation gain

Overnighter Itinerary

Day 1 – Sept. 20th

• 8am: Coffee & cheer on the racers as they embark on the Fayetteville Ultra Circuit
• 9am: Community Overnighter Grand Depart
• Ride 53 miles (long) or 43 miles (short)
• We have a group campsite reserved for all participants
• Once at camp we have a couple of optional activities for you to participate in
  • Yellow Rock Hike – 4 mile round trip hike up to Yellow Rock
  • Yellow Rock Singletrack Ride – a 13 mile singletrack ride with a stop at Yellow Rock to join the hikers
    • At Yellow Rock we’ll provide some snacks and beverages for you to enjoy while we watch the sunset.  Bring Lights for the hike/ride back to camp
• Participants are responsible for their own dinner.  There is a diner at the state park that is open from 9am – 7pm
• 10pm: Quiet Time

Day 2 – Sept 21st

• 8am wake up call
  • Break down camp
  • Participants are responsible for their own breakfast.  The State Park Cafe opens at 9am.
• 10am: Roll out – ride 30 miles back to Fayetteville

About the Route

The Devil’s Den Loop departs downtown Fayetteville and meanders southwest out of town on recreation paths, past Kessler Mountain Park, and then follows ~6 miles of paved roads before turning toward Prairie Grove on gravel. At mile 20, riders hit a 600-foot gravel climb, the first of the route’s three longer climbs, and ascend to a ridgeline with long views into the Boston Mount to the south and toward where Devil’s Den State Park is nestled.

The shorter and longer routes split at mile 28, with the shorter route taking a more direct route to Devil’s Den State Park that is ~10 miles less than the longer option with 800 feet less climbing. The shorter route descends to Cove Creek (a generally reliable water source) and then begins the second of the three long climbs. This one is paved to start, passes the former Strickler town site, turns to gravel, and rolls before the final pitch. The high point of the climb is at mile 36, and from there, it’s mostly paved and mostly downhill for ~7 miles to Devil’s Den State Park. The shorter route doesn’t pass any camping options until immediately before the state park boundary.

The longer version of the loop continues south from mile 28 climbing and then traversing a beautiful gravel road across the long summit of Skylight Mountain. A steep and winding descent brings riders down to Cove Creek at mile 37. From there, a 600-foot climb leads to the Ozark National Forest boundary at mile 41, and for the subsequent 6 miles, there are numerous dispersed camping opportunities. The route descends to a paved road along Fall Creek, and from the bottom of the downhill, it’s 6 paved miles with one more shorter climb to Devil’s Den State Park (or riders could turn west for a mile to a beautiful swimming hole at the bridge across Lee Creek).

Devil’s Den State Park offers a wide range of amenities and recreation opportunities. The mountain bike trail network through the canyons and past waterfalls has trails for all skill levels. There’s also a swimming pond, additional trails for hiking, and a café and small store.

Leaving the state park, the route climbs steeply up a switch-backed paved road. At nearly 1,000 feet, this is the longest climb on the route, but from the expansive views at the high point, the route is mostly a gradual descent all the way back to Fayetteville. The final 5-mile-long section of gravel parallels the towering Interstate 49 bridges. The community of West Fork at mile 59 (69 on the longer loop) has a grocery store and several restaurant options. From there, it’s just 14 miles back to downtown Fayetteville.

FAQ’s

• What kind of bike should I ride? We recommend a gravel bike with a minimum of 45mm tires; a mountain bike would also be absolutely fine.  If you’re participating in the optional singletrack ride at camp you’ll probably want to bring your MTB or be comfortable underbiking.
• What is the longest distance between resupplies? ~25 to 45 miles
• What is the percentage of paved and unpaved? Shorter version: Paved: 70% / Smooth Gravel: 30%. Longer version: Paved: 50% / Smooth Gravel: 50%
• What if I need help carrying or curating gear?  Please reach out to us at the email below if you need assistance acquiring gear for this trip.  If you don’t have bikepacking bags or don’t want to carry all your gear to camp we can do it for you for a small fee, more info on the registration page. 
• What if I can’t make it to camp? That’s okay!  We will have a sag vehicle that can get you and your gear to camp.  Even if this distance feels a little out of reach we encourage you to push your limits knowing that we will support you and get you to camp one way or another!
• Will there be a mechanic on the ride to help with any trailside repairs?  Yes!  We will be able to do light trail repairs and help get you back on the road.  If it’s not repairable we’ve always got the sag vehicle as a safety net.
• Can I get a refund?  A portion of entry fee proceeds goes to Bikepacking Roots, a nonprofit organization with a mission that supports and advances bikepacking, the growth of a diverse bikepacking community, and access to and the conservation of the landscapes and public lands through which we ride.  Due to the philanthropic component refunds aren’t available, but free transfers to a friend are totally cool.

To take a deeper dive into the route’s check out the route info from Bikepacking Roots.

Recommended Packing List

Please use your Packing Guidelines to help you prepare for a successful and fun weekend on the bike!

Questions?  We love email!  Send me your comments, questions, suggestions, to bikes@bikesordeath.com