You can feel it when a place is about to change. With OZ Trails’ new lift-access bike park rising along HWY 71, Bella Vista is stepping onto the national mountain-bike stage.

Families will ride laps while friends hang out at the plaza, then roll straight into the Little Sugar network for more miles. It’s the kind of amenity that reshapes weekends, communities, and families.

Location: Along U.S. Highway 71 at the Bella Vista/Bentonville junction with easy I-49 access, linking directly into Little Sugar and the broader OZ Trails network.

The lift + terrain: The hillside contains about 300 feet of vertical with a ~2,500-foot-long lift. Trails will be progression-based and signed like ski runs (green/blue/black/double black) with a ‘downhill’ focus.

Amenities: In Phase 1 they plan to have a restaurant and lounge, full bike shop & rentals, plaza, pump track, hiking and art walk, and with year-around service.

Fast laps, more rides: The detachable Leitner-Poma lift means less pedaling up the mountain and more time going down. With progressive trails, it will be family friendly and welcoming to non-riders.

Timeline: The Plans were announced Feb 4, 2025; construction kicked off spring 2025. Summer 2026 is the public target. Expect visible milestones on site as towers, rope, cabins, and the base area go up. As of last week, they already had the full path cleared for the chairlift.

A study conducted in 2022 found that cycling-related jobs, tourism, and taxes generated $159 million in Northwest Arkansas, supporting ~1,300 jobs and $10M+ in tax revenue, with an added $59M in avoided health-care costs from increased activity.

This was based on a 2017 regional study where they found that an estimated $137 million in combined business + health benefits from cycling and the greenway.

So what does this mean for me? Median spend among NWA households who bought a bike and rode in the past year was $700 for the bike and $200 for accessories/maintenance (Benton County riders: $800 and $300, respectively).

For context, in Arkansas, the outdoor recreation economy (all activities) contributed $7.3B to state GDP in 2023 and ~68,000 jobs.

No official economic projection has been published specifically for the Bella Vista lift-served bike park yet.

However, studies aggregated in 2025 show non-local mountain bikers spend ~$416 per trip on average (lodging, food, retail, etc.). If the park attracts 60k–100k non-local visits annually once matured, that implies $25M–$42M/year in direct visitor spending tied to the park and surrounding businesses.

Lift laps plus direct connections to Little Sugar + the Greenway amplify buyer interest in bike-friendly homes (secure storage, hose bibs, mudrooms). The lifestyle and affordability offer transit buyers, investors, and new families alike.

Food, rentals, and a plaza at OZ HQ support shoulder-season tourism and short-term rentals, specifically in the east/central Bella Vista and Hwy 71 corridors.

The OZ Bike Park cements NWA as a gravity-riding destination—and that’s good for neighborhood desirability, small businesses, and long-term property values tied to the outdoors. We’ll keep you posted as passes, trail names, and opening details firm up.

_{Sources: OZ Trails press page/announcement; 40/29 News on construction details and timeline; Northwest Arkansas Council on the park + The Compton hotel.}

_{Disclaimer: this property is not listed by Front Porch Real Estate. Front Porch Real Estate reserves the right to market the property on behalf of the current owner.}