Arkansas is next on our journey to cover some of the most popular off-road parks across the country. To be honest, we’re not sure why Arkansas is known as the Land of Opportunity. But if we had to guess, we’d say it’s because this state is full of opportunities to cut loose on the trails. (See what we did there?)
In all seriousness, this region really does have some of the best ride spots. And since ATVs and UTVs aren’t street legal in Arkansas, it’s important to be aware of those places where you are allowed to tear it up in your favorite machine. SuperATV is here to make sure you don’t miss out on any of them.
So sit back, relax, and prepare to plan your next trip to the great Midwest. In no particular order, here are 15 of the most sought-after UTV trails in Arkansas. Check it out and then let us know if your favorite park made the list!
NOTE: Park details and prices reflect what was current as of March 2021.
This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means. If you’re in the Arkansas area, you already know that there are endless places where you can take your quad or side-by-side and let loose.
So what places did we miss? Let us know in the comments!
To learn about more places to ride in this region, check out our coverage of the best ride spots in the Midwest. And keep checking back here at Off-Road Atlas to see which state we cover next!
We started traveling from SW Louisiana to Mena, AR for Wolfpen back in 1998. It was a fun place back then. Now the trails are like roads and not as much fun. Fourche Mountain is north of Mena and more like Wolfpen used to be. We’ve also traveled to Mill Creek and Mount Magazine both of which have fun trails but limited lodging.
Northern Arkansas is a top notch riding area. So much riding and many of these places allow you to ride from one to another by trail and gravel. My favorite camping is at Byrd’s Adventure park due to the on site restaurant which serves good and reasonably priced food all day. No cooking… No dirty dishes?
Actually the Buckhorn lays between Chester, Arkansas & Natural Dam, Arkansas.
We ride there a lot.
Whiskey Springs Camp ground has a few cabins as well as rv hook up.
Hey Mark. We are trying to plan a trip to Arkansas to ride SXS. We are wanting 3 days worth of riding. I noticed a lot in Ozark – St. Fran. National Forest. Is it worth it? We like a big challenge.
You can still ride the Shirley trail, you just can’t park in Shirley. You can ride from Fairfield Bay to Shirley. We usually park at the town center and ride through town to Highway 16 to Lightfoot Road and that brings you out at Shirley.
Hot Springs offroad park is an incredible place to ride & camp (tents on the water, dry camp on the lake, and 70 RV hookups (water/electric) along the creek. Nice clean shower house. Full supply store/gift shop. Theres even duplexes you can rent..OR just park for the day and ride. 75 miles of trails Mostly moderate to challenging some easy with paper maps & trail ratings/trails are marked. Lots of forest trails, rocky trails, dirt and mud trails. Separate designated trails for dirt bikes/4-wheelers. Many beautiful overlooks! You will NOT regret it! We stayed 6 days and only did half the trails
We just came back from Mack’s Pines. Spent 4 days there and LOVED it!!! Especially loved the challenges of riding in the mountains. Some of these trails are NOT for beginners! We’ll definitely be going back there!
Hello, I enjoyed reading your list. I live Arkansas, and had never heard of lot’s of them.
There is one place I think you need to add. Hot Springs OHV park. It has been here for several years, under different names, but has always been a good, challenging ride. Motorcycles, ATV’s, SXS’s, Jeeps and rock crawlers all have trails that can challenge you. If you want to have a easy ride with the family and then picnic by a swimming pond, they have that also. After a interesting day ride, you can go to the modern,camping spots for both tents and RV’s.
They have cabins to rent, a bathroom, and store, all located within easy access to trails.
If you don’t have, or was unable to bring yours with you on vacation, they have that covered. Rental vehicles are accessible.
So if you are in the Hot Springs area watching the horse racing, gambling or eating at the world class restaurants, top it off with a day (or weekend) trip to the Hot Springs OHV park.
We are thinking about moving to Greenbrier arkansas from Utah. We love our side by side and don’t want to move somewhere that we can’t use it. Is arkansas a good place for utv trails and adventures?
Hey Kelten, Arkansas is full of cool places to ride. In my opinion, nothing really compares to the riding in Utah, but Arkansas has two huge national forests (Ouachita and Ozark-St. Francis) and their accompanying mountain ranges that give you plenty of wilderness to explore. There are big ride parks around too. Hillarosa in Blevins, Arkansas, is one of the best in the nation, and it’s only a couple of hours from Greenbriar. There should be plenty of riding to be done that will keep you happy for years. Thanks for reading!
26 Comments
We started traveling from SW Louisiana to Mena, AR for Wolfpen back in 1998. It was a fun place back then. Now the trails are like roads and not as much fun. Fourche Mountain is north of Mena and more like Wolfpen used to be. We’ve also traveled to Mill Creek and Mount Magazine both of which have fun trails but limited lodging.
Hey Brian, thank you for the feedback! This is great info!
Northern Arkansas is a top notch riding area. So much riding and many of these places allow you to ride from one to another by trail and gravel. My favorite camping is at Byrd’s Adventure park due to the on site restaurant which serves good and reasonably priced food all day. No cooking… No dirty dishes?
Hey Mark! Glad to hear your favorite spot made the list. Thanks for tuning in with us!
Actually the Buckhorn lays between Chester, Arkansas & Natural Dam, Arkansas.
We ride there a lot.
Whiskey Springs Camp ground has a few cabins as well as rv hook up.
Hey Mark. We are trying to plan a trip to Arkansas to ride SXS. We are wanting 3 days worth of riding. I noticed a lot in Ozark – St. Fran. National Forest. Is it worth it? We like a big challenge.
Around Greers Ferry Lake there are trails at Fairfield Bay and the Old River Road trail between Shirley and Fox.
Can’t go to Shirley anymore. We tried to couple weeks ago and they won’t let you park your trailer anywhere in town. Haven’t tried from fox .
Thanks for the update, Jack!
You can still ride the Shirley trail, you just can’t park in Shirley. You can ride from Fairfield Bay to Shirley. We usually park at the town center and ride through town to Highway 16 to Lightfoot Road and that brings you out at Shirley.
Thanks for the recs, Tracey!
Don’t forget about Hot Springs Offroad Vehicle Park.
We’ll have to check that one out. Thanks, Charlie!
Mulberry mountain is very large and very pretty
Agree 100% I wish there was a similar trail system in south west Arkansas. Mulberry Mountain ranks up there with one of the best in the country.
We ride a lot at Buckhoon, lots of trails, You cant ride all the trails in one day.
What about white rock area
Hey Peggy! That’s another great suggestion. It looks like the Ozark National Forest is full of great riding spots! Thanks for tuning in. 🙂
Hot Springs offroad park is an incredible place to ride & camp (tents on the water, dry camp on the lake, and 70 RV hookups (water/electric) along the creek. Nice clean shower house. Full supply store/gift shop. Theres even duplexes you can rent..OR just park for the day and ride. 75 miles of trails Mostly moderate to challenging some easy with paper maps & trail ratings/trails are marked. Lots of forest trails, rocky trails, dirt and mud trails. Separate designated trails for dirt bikes/4-wheelers. Many beautiful overlooks! You will NOT regret it! We stayed 6 days and only did half the trails
Sounds like alot of fun
Hey, Rick! Thanks for tuning in with us. Let us know if you end up checking any of these places out. We’d love to hear how it goes!
We just came back from Mack’s Pines. Spent 4 days there and LOVED it!!! Especially loved the challenges of riding in the mountains. Some of these trails are NOT for beginners! We’ll definitely be going back there!
This is awesome to hear. We appreciate the feedback and are glad you had a great time!
Hello, I enjoyed reading your list. I live Arkansas, and had never heard of lot’s of them.
There is one place I think you need to add. Hot Springs OHV park. It has been here for several years, under different names, but has always been a good, challenging ride. Motorcycles, ATV’s, SXS’s, Jeeps and rock crawlers all have trails that can challenge you. If you want to have a easy ride with the family and then picnic by a swimming pond, they have that also. After a interesting day ride, you can go to the modern,camping spots for both tents and RV’s.
They have cabins to rent, a bathroom, and store, all located within easy access to trails.
If you don’t have, or was unable to bring yours with you on vacation, they have that covered. Rental vehicles are accessible.
So if you are in the Hot Springs area watching the horse racing, gambling or eating at the world class restaurants, top it off with a day (or weekend) trip to the Hot Springs OHV park.
We are thinking about moving to Greenbrier arkansas from Utah. We love our side by side and don’t want to move somewhere that we can’t use it. Is arkansas a good place for utv trails and adventures?
Hey Kelten, Arkansas is full of cool places to ride. In my opinion, nothing really compares to the riding in Utah, but Arkansas has two huge national forests (Ouachita and Ozark-St. Francis) and their accompanying mountain ranges that give you plenty of wilderness to explore. There are big ride parks around too. Hillarosa in Blevins, Arkansas, is one of the best in the nation, and it’s only a couple of hours from Greenbriar. There should be plenty of riding to be done that will keep you happy for years. Thanks for reading!