Searcy has big plans for the Little Red Greenway.

By Trey Reely | Photography Courtesy City of Searcy

The city of Searcy is blazing new trails for cyclists in Central Arkansas.

Searcy Mayor Mat Faulkner says that the Searcy community clearly wants more opportunities to get outdoors. Connections between parks and destinations with accompanying recreational amenities were just the ticket to accomplish this, and both the subsequent Parks Master Plan and Active Transportation Plan laid the foundation for the development of the Little Red Greenway.

Go West, Young Man

As part of the planning, it was only logical that Searcy turn to Northwest Arkansas and its burgeoning bike community for ideas.

Richard Stafford, Searcy’s director of Planning and Development, says that the Razorback Greenway in Northwest Arkansas, which he and his team visited, is one of the best examples of a paved greenway trail system where hard-surfaced, multi-use paths connect parks, neighborhoods, schools, shopping areas and other destinations.

The 40-mile Razorback Greenway connects three major hospitals, 23 schools, the University of Arkansas and businesses like Walmart, J.B. Hunt and Tyson Foods. It also connects the downtown areas of Fayetteville, Johnson, Springdale, Lowell, Rogers, Bentonville and Bella Vista.

For mountain biking trails, Stafford and his team scouted the Coler Mountain Bike Preserve and Slaughter Pen in Bentonville. (Fortunately, Slaughter Pen derives its name from its history as a stockyard, not from the difficulty of its trail system.) They also visited Mount Fitzgerald Mountain Bike Trails in Springdale, and Centennial Park and Mount Kessler in Fayetteville. In Central Arkansas, they looked at Pinnacle Mountain State Park (west of Little Rock) Woolly Hollow State Park (north of Conway), Rattlesnake Ridge (northwest of Little Rock), and Two Rivers Park (West Little Rock). And, if that wasn’t enough, they even gleaned ideas from bike parks in Rogers, Benton and Bella Vista.

“Searcy is going places and welcomes anyone who wants to come along for the ride.”

A big takeaway from these visits was that a trail system should be progressive in difficulty so that cyclists of all levels can have an optimal experience. It’s important that beginners can feel safe on certain parts of the trail while more technically savvy cyclists can, for instance, descend over a series of designed jumps in succession on other sections.

They also discovered it was important to have a trail system that appeals to riders of all styles, whether it be recreational, road or mountain biking. It also became evident from their observations that trail systems should connect with paved greenway where residents and visitors can access a paved trail system and easily reach parks and key places around town.

Safety First

With any trail system, safety is of premium concern. In this regard, a variety of options are being considered. A HAWK (high-intensity activated crosswalk) is used on busier, high-speed roads and stops traffic only when someone needs to cross. The RRFB (rectangular rapid flashing beacon) uses flashing yellow lights where drivers should yield to people in the crosswalk. Grade-separated crossings like overpasses and underpasses are important as well. At this point, Searcy is planning to construct three tunnels and two bridges. Bike lanes in the downtown area will help cyclists connect to the Little Red Greenway.

Follow the Money

The phases of the plan are, to a great degree, tied to the money available. The majority of the initial funding for Phase 1 came from a bond initiative passed by Searcy voters in 2024.

Searcy also received a federal RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure and Sustainability and Equity) grant to the tune of about $4.2 million.

The first phase should be completed by the end of 2027. That will give Searcy 8.2 miles of paved surface (the Little Red Greenway) and 19.2 miles of soft-surface trail with two bike parks and three trails.

Design for the remaining 20 miles of the Little Red Greenway is underway and other additional soft-surface trail areas have been identified but still lack the funding to construct. Searcy will continue to pursue federal and state grants and other funding sources to construct these trails.

The flagship park for the soft-surface trails will be Little Red Riverpark (formerly Riverside Park). It will have two cross country trail loops for hiking and biking and six one-way, bike-only downhill trails. There will be green, blue and black trails for riders of all skill levels.

Uphill Challenges

Like with any big project, there are big challenges as well. Coordination between multiple entities and property owners is critical because trail systems cross many different properties. And working with many state and federal agencies like the Arkansas Department of Transportation, the Army Corps of Engineers and Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to secure necessary easements and permits can be challenging.

Ramping It Up

Faulkner sees the ongoing projects as not just a trail system but as a way of improving connections, quality of life and making Searcy a place where people want to live, work and raise a family.

The ongoing Little Red Greenway will be, in many ways, the glue that holds all the city’s plans together. The new community center, currently under construction, will be called RAMP (Recreation Arts Music Park). The Little Red Greenway literally ramps up the outside of the building, through the second floor of the building, and down the other side.

From Near and Far

As for the economic impact, the Little Red Riverpark trails alone will attract outside visitors who wish to ride or hike a trail that runs along the scenic bluffs of the Little Red River.

To make the area even more attractive to outsiders, one of the cross country trail loops at Little Red Riverpark is being designed with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) specifically in mind. Stafford and his team have worked with state NICA representatives on the design to make sure the layout meets their guidelines.

Downhill lines are being designed in a way to host enduro events.

The establishment of a trail system also has the potential of an economic domino effect with businesses and services attracted to outdoor lifestyles making their way to Searcy: bike shops, bike rental shops, specialty shops, retailers carrying outdoor brands, casual dining restaurants and lodging — just to name a few.

But That’s Not All

The trails and dreams do not end at the borders of Searcy.

While still in the dream phase, Stafford says there is the hope of someday connecting with the Central Arkansas Regional Greenway — a plan now in the works that aims to connect Faulkner, Lonoke, Pulaski and Saline counties and will end in Ward.

Come One, Come All

Adopted into law in 1995, the nickname “The Natural State” was chosen to highlight Arkansas’s natural scenic beauty. Searcy’s plans align with the state’s vision of becoming a premier destination for outdoor recreation. Searcy is going places and welcomes anyone who wants to come along for the ride.