RIVERDALE and the ARKANSAS RIVER TRAIL

If it weren’t for a big damn bridge, the biking boom may never have come to Central Arkansas.

But the Big Dam Bridge, on the westernmost edge of the Riverdale business and residential area along the Arkansas River, threw interest in cycling into high gear and paved the way for the 21-mile Arkansas River Trail.

Cyclists — and walkers, joggers and skaters — can loop around the cities on the trail, from the Big Dam Bridge to the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge on the east and through downtown Little Rock. West of the BDB The River trail extends to the 1,000-acre Two Rivers Park, crossing over the Little Maumelle River on yet another bridge.

An 88.5-mile “Grand Loop” starts at Two Rivers and heads west on state roads to the towns of Natural Steps, Roland, Wye and Bigelow south of the Arkansas River, over the Toad Suck Ferry Lock and Dam bridge to Conway and then heads back south to Mayflower, connecting to the River Trail at Cook’s Landing in North Little Rock.

Walkers and bikers pass through all manner of topography on the River Trail, from sandy, riparian grasslands and willows on the north to marsh and meadow at Two Rivers (the downtown Little Rock portion is chopped up, unfortunately.) The Grand Loop heads to the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains before returning along the ridgeline between Conway and Mayflower.

Walkers and bikers fuel up on Rebsamen Park Road, at Cajun and Ceole influenced eateries The Faded Rose and Maddie’s Place, the Buffalo Grill, and The Pizza Cafe. The Riverdale Shopping Center attracts fans of barbecue at Whole Hog Café as well as the Riverdale 10 Cinema. Ace Hardware is another anchor to the shopping center, which is scheduled for a $2.5 million upgrade and new landscaping.

Rebsamen Park Road, which leads from the Riverdale shopping Center to the Big Dam Bridge, has something for people who like to stay grounded: the public Rebsamen Park Golf Course, which has both nine- and 18-hole courses and a driving range. Murray Park along Rebsamen has a playground for humans and Paws Park for well-behaved dogs. n

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