Not willing to simply let the birthplace fade into oblivion, Devil's Den State Park was recently designated a "Monument Trail." The new effort to designate Monument Trails in Arkansas is thanks to a collaboration between Arkansas State Parks and (you guessed it) the Walton foundation.

But what exactly is a monument trail?

"The Monument Trails are a collection of world-class, mountain biking destinations within Arkansas State Parks," according to ArkansasStateParks.com. "These shared-use trails are professionally crafted by some of the world’s best trail builders to showcase natural iconic beauty through innovative and sustainable design and build. Monument trails are seamlessly woven into the beautiful landscape of Arkansas State Parks to highlight unique terrain, historic landmarks, and scenic vistas."

Some of the historic singletrack that served as the birthplace of mountain biking in Arkansas is still evident at Devil's Den, especially in the lower reaches of Fossil Flats. But as you climb higher on the hillsides, vast stretches of the historic trails have been re-built using the latest state-of-the-art trail building techniques made manifest by the funding injection from the Walton Foundation.

In particular, the first stretch of this loop along the Devil's Racetrack trail is a true masterpiece of mountain bike trail construction. The trail tread has been reinforced with massive slabs of rock, as the route itself winds below towering rock cliffs, through fields of fallen boulders, ducking beneath slabs of stone leaning against each other. Kickers and jumps abound, along with rocky berms to keep the flow high.

In the far reaches of the loop, two new downhill trails (at the time of this writing in fall of 2021) offer superb downhill gnar-flow experiences. The intermediate-labeled Sparky is a fantastic piece of work, filled with rocky ledge drops, rock gardens, jumps, berms, and a stretch of trail that ducks behind a waterfall. However, calling this trail "intermediate" is a bit of a stretch. This would be better labeled as upper-intermediate, if not advanced.

The route shown here takes Sparky down, but you could also opt for the black diamond-rated Orville. Orville is steeper, burlier, and bigger, and there are several full-blown expert features and expert lines off of Orville. An advanced rider can snake their way down, but don't be fooled: this trail is no joke.

Devil's Den is coming back. From its storied beginnings as the birthplace of mountain biking in Arkansas, thanks to the recent trail construction, it is once again regarded as one of the best trail systems in the state!