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If you spend your weekends running, riding, climbing, or generally finding an excuse to be outside, the final weekend of September presents a problem: there may be too much going on in Arkansas to choose just one thing.
From Sept. 25 through 27, some of the state’s best-known outdoor events will take place at nearly the same time. Thousands of cyclists will roll out for the Big Dam Bridge 100 in Central Arkansas. Mountain bikers will descend on Eureka Springs for the Fat Tire Festival. Climbers from around the country will gather near Jasper for the legendary 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell.
And those are just the headliners.
Road races, trail runs, community walks, mountain bike races, and festivals fill out a weekend that provides a pretty good snapshot of just how large and diverse Arkansas’ outdoor recreation community has become.
Big Dam Bridge 100 Takes Over Central Arkansas
The Big Dam Bridge 100 returns Saturday, Sept. 26, bringing thousands of cyclists to Little Rock and North Little Rock for one of Arkansas’ largest cycling events.
The first riders leave Riverfront Drive in North Little Rock at 7 a.m., with routes of 15, 26, 50, 75, and 105 miles available. The ride uses the Big Dam Bridge and portions of the Arkansas River Trail before longer routes head west into the hills of Central Arkansas.
The weekend actually begins Friday. The Big Dam Bridge 100 Expo and packet pickup runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock. Organizers say more than 3,000 riders and their families are expected to attend the expo. A Gears and Beers athlete reception is scheduled Friday evening at Dickey-Stephens Park.
On Saturday, the cycling continues long after the starting corrals empty. Finale Fest opens at 8:30 a.m. in North Little Rock Riverfront Park, turning the finish area into a gathering place for riders, families, and spectators.
Mountain Bikes Take Over Eureka Springs
About three hours northwest, the atmosphere will be very different but just as busy.
The Eureka Springs Fat Tire Festival runs Sept. 25 through 27, with racing centered around Lake Leatherwood City Park and its extensive mountain bike trail system.
The weekend includes the Eureka Springs Downhill and Arkansas Enduro Series racing. Lake Leatherwood’s 1,600 acres and roughly 25-mile trail network provide a natural venue for a weekend built around gravity riding and Ozark terrain.
Downhill practice and seeding begin Friday, followed by racing Saturday. The downhill course uses OGre Run, including berms, jumps, drops, and the terrain that has helped make Lake Leatherwood one of Arkansas’ most recognizable mountain bike destinations.
For riders who prefer rocks, roots, and gravity to pavement and pacelines, Eureka Springs will be one of the places to be.
24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell Returns to Jasper
Then there is Horseshoe Hell.
The 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell returns Sept. 23 through 27 at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch near Jasper.
What began as an endurance climbing competition has become a five-day climbing festival. The weekend includes the flagship 24-hour competition, a 12-hour climbing competition, the Devil’s Disco bouldering competition, camping, food, live music, games, mountain biking, and plenty of social time between climbs.
The premise of the main event remains wonderfully unreasonable: climb as much as possible for 24 hours.
Teams attempt route after route on the sandstone walls of Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, combining climbing ability with endurance, strategy, and the ability to keep moving when most people would have called it a day many hours earlier.
Even for people who aren’t competing, Horseshoe Hell has developed into a gathering of the climbing community that reaches well beyond Arkansas.
Trail Runners Head to the Cossatot
While climbers are testing themselves in the Ozarks, trail runners can head south to one of the state’s wildest landscapes.
The Cossatot River Trail Run takes place Saturday, Sept. 26, at Cossatot River State Park-Natural Area near Wickes.
Runners can choose a 12.5-mile “half marathon” or a 25-mile “marathon” along the River Corridor Trail. Expect exactly what a Cossatot trail race should offer: rocky and rooty singletrack, hills, dirt, grass, and views along one of Arkansas’ best-known whitewater rivers. Organizers list about 2,000 feet of climbing for the shorter race and roughly 4,000 feet for the longer distance.
The 25-mile race begins at 6 a.m., while the shorter event begins at 7:50 a.m. from Bushy Creek Recreation Area.
Runners Have Plenty of Other Choices
You don’t have to run a half marathon through the Ouachitas to participate in the weekend.
Saturday’s calendar is packed with shorter running and walking events across Arkansas.
The Great 5K Pumpkin Run starts at 8 a.m. in Lonoke and combines running and walking with a community event benefiting youth and family needs.
In Searcy, the Funnel Cake 5K begins at 8 a.m. as part of the Get Down Downtown Festival. The event features a fast, flat course and welcomes runners and walkers.
Little Rock’s Logan’s Run begins at 9 a.m. at War Memorial Park. The event serves as the kickoff for the Little Rock Marathon’s All-Abilities Marathon program, which is designed for participants with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities.
Later in the day, the On Our Way 5K Glow Run/Walk starts at 6:30 p.m. in Clarksville.
Other events listed around Arkansas for Sept. 26 include the Heart & Sole Half Marathon/10K/5K in Jonesboro, Celebrate Recovery 5K in Springdale, Hike for Hearing and Speech in Russellville, and several community walks and running events.
Pick Your Adventure
There are weekends when Arkansas’ outdoor calendar provides an easy decision.
This isn’t one of them.
You could spend Saturday pedaling more than 100 miles through Central Arkansas, racing downhill at Lake Leatherwood, running rocky singletrack beside the Cossatot River, climbing sandstone for an almost unreasonable number of hours, or knocking out a community 5K close to home.
You could also skip the competition entirely and spend the weekend cheering for riders, watching climbers, exploring a festival, hiking a trail, or simply taking advantage of early fall in Arkansas.
Late September has traditionally been one of the busiest periods on the state’s outdoor calendar, and Sept. 25 through 27 shows why. Road cycling, mountain biking, climbing, trail running, road running, and community events are all happening within the same three-day window.
For Arkansas’ outdoor community, the biggest challenge next weekend might not be finishing the event.
It might be deciding which starting line to choose.
This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens, thank you for supporting our work!