Bentonville is Arkansas' best place to bike
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Bentonville, the "Mountain Bike Capital of the World," climbed to Arkansas' No. 1 spot on PeopleForBikes' annual best place to bike list, but NWA has ground to cover under a tougher new national standard.
Why it matters: The rankings track whether people can realistically use bikes for everyday transportation, not just as recreation.
- There are more than 200 miles of paved trails in NWA, and local governments have spent heavily on trail connections and bike infrastructure for years.
State of play: This year's ratings use a stricter methodology tied to the 2025 NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide, with tighter expectations for speed limits, lane design and network connectivity.
- PeopleForBikes scored each census block on whether residents can use low-stress streets and paths to reach daily destinations like jobs, grocery stores, hospitals and recreation spots, then rolled those scores into a citywide rating weighted by population.
- The group says its updated methodology is meant to better capture what biking feels like in real life.
What they're saying: "We know that more than 60% of Americans would ride bikes more often if they were separated from cars and felt safer riding a bike," Martina Haggerty, PeopleForBikes' vice president of infrastructure, said in early June.
By the numbers: PeopleForBikes' 2026 City Ratings gave Bentonville a score of 50, followed by Bella Vista and Fayetteville at 49, Rogers at 42 and Springdale at 38.
- That put Bentonville first in the state and 392nd nationally, with the other cities rounding out the state's top five.
Flashback: Last year, and in years before, Bentonville followed Fayetteville as the top city in the Natural State.
Zoom out: National leaders included Mackinac Island, Michigan (100); Old Orchard, Pennsylvania (100); Crested Butte, Colorado (100); Washburn, Wisconsin (98); and Kent Narrows, Maryland (97).
Follow the money: A University of Arkansas study estimated bicycling generated about $159 million in economic impact in NWA in 2022, underscoring why local leaders view bikeability as both a transportation and an economic development issue.
Bottom line: NWA's cycling push is not just about quality-of-life amenities and tourism. The next phase is about mobility — how to make everyday riding feel safer and more practical, and how e-bikes can help close transportation gaps.