Looking for a Razorback Greenway hotel in Bentonville? Book direct at TheBikeInn.com and you can be on the Greenway about a mile from our front door, with secure bike storage in your room and a bike wash waiting when you roll back.
The Razorback Greenway is the paved, car-free spine of Northwest Arkansas riding. It runs 40 miles from Kessler Mountain Regional Park in Fayetteville to the Mercy Way Bridge in Bella Vista, and more than 10 of those miles run through Bentonville. A Razorback Greenway hotel means you can roll out for coffee, a museum, a creekside lunch or a Slaughter Pen warm-up without loading a car. Below is how the Greenway works for a visiting rider, three ways to ride it from Bentonville, and what to look for in a hotel when the trail is the point of the trip.
We run The Bike Inn, a veteran-owned boutique cycling hotel at 3400 S. Walton Blvd., and the only locally owned hotel in town. As a Razorback Greenway hotel, we sit about a mile from the trail, downtown and The Hub are about 2 miles by bike, and Slaughter Pen and Coler Mountain Bike Preserve are about 10 minutes away.
What the Razorback Greenway is
The Greenway is a 40-mile, primarily off-road, shared-use paved trail. The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission says the full length was dedicated on May 2, 2015, and the Razorback Greenway site explains that the original 37 miles linked 19 existing paved trails; four more miles were added later to reach 40. The trail now touches seven communities: Fayetteville, Johnson, Springdale, Lowell, Rogers, Bentonville and Bella Vista. Mile 0 is at Kessler Mountain Regional Park, and mile 40 is the Mercy Way Bridge in Bella Vista.
For a trip planner, the useful part is how many places the trail reaches. Crystal Bridges, the Momentary, downtown Bentonville and the Slaughter Pen trails are all on or next to it. That is why riders who skip the rental car and pick a hotel near the Greenway often end up seeing more of town.
Greenway etiquette in plain words
Visit Bentonville’s Greenway guide lists a few rules worth knowing before you clip in:
- The trail works like a road with a center stripe. Stay in the right-hand lane and use the left only to pass.
- Call out “passing on your left” or ring a bell when you overtake someone.
- The speed limit is 15 mph.
- Dispose of trash in the bins provided.
Sunrise starts are easy. Evening rides are easy too, but the Greenway is shared with walkers, runners and kids, so a relaxed pace is the right call even when your legs feel fresh.
Three rides from our Razorback Greenway hotel
We are about a mile from the Greenway, so the distances below are measured from the trail, not from our door. The mile markers come from Visit Bentonville’s Greenway Experience Guide, which counts from Bella Vista Lake Park at the north end of Bentonville.
1. The downtown coffee-and-art ride
Downtown and The Hub are about 2 miles from us by bike, so this is the easy first ride after check-in. Visit Bentonville places Compton Gardens and Arboretum, Lawrence Plaza, the splash pad and ice rink, and Wright’s Barbecue along the Greenway near mile 6.75, with the Visit Bentonville visitor center on East 5th at mile 7.45. In winter the ice rink is the draw; in summer the splash pad is. Our own trail maps page gives the bike route from the hotel: across Walton, to 34th, then C Street.
Stop at the Momentary if you have an hour to spare. It sits on the Greenway near 8th Street Market in a converted 63,000-square-foot cheese factory, offers free general admission, and has a green where you can park your bike and sit outside. The address is 507 SE E St.
2. The Crystal Bridges and Slaughter Pen ride
This is the best way to see how the Greenway ties the road bike world to the singletrack world. Around mile 3.5 the paved trail passes through the tunnel under Highway 49 and into Slaughter Pen. Mile 4.3 has restrooms and a view of the skills park. At mile 5.7 you reach the Masterpiece, a sculpture built for mountain bikers to ride on, and Sassy the Sasquatch, an 11-foot figure made of recycled bicycle parts. At mile 6.5 the A Street Flyover carries you above Crystal Bridges on a smooth, ADA-approved grade, with a separate lane for mountain bikers.
The museum itself does the rest. Crystal Bridges describes its Crystal Bridges Trail as part of the Razorback Greenway, running about a mile from NE 3rd Street to NE A Street, and says the Art Trail connects to the museum’s south entrance. General admission is free and the museum is closed on Tuesdays, per crystalbridges.org. Lock up at the racks, walk in, and ride back. If you plan to hit the trails more seriously, our guide to Coler versus Slaughter Pen helps you pick.
3. The long out-and-back toward Bella Vista
If you want miles, Visit Bentonville suggests a roughly 10-mile Bentonville section from Bella Vista Lake Park to the Horsebarn Trailhead, and notes that if you park a second vehicle at Horsebarn you can skip the return leg. From a hotel base you do not need to shuttle anything. Head north, where the trail runs along McKissic Creek and the Wishing Springs Trail, pass the local bike businesses around mile 2.5, and turn around when your legs say so. Mile 9.3 on the route has Sam’s Clubhouse Bike Stop, where you can fill a bottle, sit in the shade or use the repair stand.
The guide also points out that the stretch through the Walmart Home Office, between SE 5th and SE 14th, runs along a stream, with tunnels and murals that let you cross without waiting for cars. It is worth a detour if you want a quieter section. The guide also warns that parts of downtown are under construction, so check the official interactive map before you go.
What a Razorback Greenway hotel should have
Anyone can put a bike icon on a booking page. A Razorback Greenway hotel that suits riders should do most of this:
- Bike storage inside the room. Our rooms have secure in-room bike storage on a vertical wall-mounted rack.
- A wash station. We have a Muc-Off bike wash station, with water at the wash, for the muddy ride home from the trails.
- Repair stands and a 24-hour bike shop. We have two repair stands, and the honor-system bike shop stays open around the clock.
- Maps and routes. Trail maps are posted around the property, and we can set up custom GPS routes for trail, gravel or road.
- Self check-in. Check-in is 2 p.m. and check-out is 10 a.m., with 24-hour contactless check-in, so a late ride never makes you late for a key.
- A place to recover. Our backyard has a hot tub, a shared sauna, a cold plunge and a big fire pit with firewood provided.
For more on what separates a real bike-friendly stay from a marketing label, read our post on what bike-friendly lodging actually means, and our guide to recovering after a ride.
Rooms at our Razorback Greenway hotel
We have 13 private rooms and units across eight boutique hotel rooms, the Razorback Greenway Cottage, four handcrafted glamping cabins and three RV pads, with 16 queen beds in all. Solo riders tend to like the single rooms, which have a queen bed, a coffee bar and a mini-fridge. The Razorback Greenway Cottage has two queen beds, a living room, a dining area and a kitchenette, which suits two couples or a family sharing a ride. Browse the full list on our Bentonville mountain bike lodging page.
Traveling with a bigger crew? The whole property sleeps 32, and groups can book it together. Start on our group lodging page.
A Razorback Greenway hotel weekend plan
- Friday: check in, ride the 2 miles to downtown for dinner, and ride back to the fire pit.
- Saturday: take the Crystal Bridges and Slaughter Pen ride in the morning, spend the afternoon at the museum or the Momentary, and finish in the hot tub or shared sauna.
- Sunday: ride a few north miles toward Bella Vista before check-out, rinse the bikes at the wash and load up.
Choosing a Razorback Greenway hotel with its own bikes helps too. Rental bikes are available exclusively to our guests if you would rather not haul your own, and we also run guided eMTB tours. Ask for details when you book.
Check conditions before you go. Trail conditions and downtown detours change, so look at the official Greenway map and local trail updates on the morning you ride.
FAQ: Razorback Greenway hotel in Bentonville
How long is the Razorback Greenway?
It is 40 miles long, from Kessler Mountain Regional Park in Fayetteville (mile 0) to the Mercy Way Bridge in Bella Vista (mile 40). More than 10 of those miles are in Bentonville.
How far is The Bike Inn from the Razorback Greenway?
About 1 mile. Downtown Bentonville and The Hub are about 2 miles by bike, and Slaughter Pen and Coler Mountain Bike Preserve are about 10 minutes away.
Can I bring my own bike and store it in my room?
Yes. Our rooms have secure in-room bike storage on a vertical wall-mounted rack, and there is a bike wash station on the property.
Do I need a car to ride the Razorback Greenway from the hotel?
No. The Greenway is about a mile away, and downtown Bentonville is about 2 miles by bike.
Is Crystal Bridges free?
General admission is free, according to Crystal Bridges. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.
What is the speed limit on the Razorback Greenway?
Visit Bentonville lists the speed limit as 15 mph.
Sources: NWA Regional Planning Commission, Razorback Greenway history, Visit Bentonville Greenway Experience Guide, Crystal Bridges nature trails, The Momentary.
Ready to ride? Book your Bentonville stay direct at TheBikeInn.com and pick the room that fits your crew.