If you’re curious about how to get started riding on the local bike trails, consider Lake Fayetteville Trail.

It’s one of the most popular places to ride, and with good reason. The area includes a paved path around the lake, access points from the Razorback Greenway, and plenty of places to park a car if you don’t want to ride to the lake.

The loop is 5.4-miles long, and aside from a short hill on the north side of the lake, the route is flat and easy to navigate.

Highlights include a ride across the iconic spillway bridge and lake dam, a mural on the marina office, the Butterfield Trail Wayside Plaza and access to the Razorback Greenway and the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks.

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Parking

There are several options for parking at Lake Fayetteville if you don’t live close enough to ride or you’re just looking for a short ride:

Lake Fayetteville Park – Located at 1153 Lake Fayetteville Road, the main parking lot is right by the Softball Complex and the Lake Marina. This is where our video tour (see above) starts and finishes. Another option is to continue past the marina to the North Shore parking lot.

Trailhead Parking Lot – Located on Crossover Road next door to the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, this parking lot was built specifically for accessing the trail. It includes plenty of parking spaces and a water fountain.

Veterans Memorial Park – Located at 4451 N. Vantage Drive, the park includes plenty of parking. In fact, the parking lot is part of the loop around the lake.

Ride to the lake

There are three options for riding to the lake using the city’s official bike infrastructure:

Clear Creek Trail – This trail connects to Scull Creek Trail in Fayetteville, and winds its way north through Johnson before heading east under North College Avenue by Lokomotion and up to the lake.

Razorback Greenway – Those coming in on the Greenway from Springdale will enter the area from the side path along Powell Street.

Vantage Drive – The bike lanes along Vantage Drive provide a connection from Mud Creek Trail to Veterans Memorial Park.

Map

Photos

Our video tour (above) starts at Lake Fayetteville Park by the Softball Complex and the Marina

There’s a trail map and bike repair station by this same parking lot

This is the mural on the back of the marina office building

Here’s the North Shore Park parking lot on Lake Fayetteville Road just past the marina

Here’s the mountain bike skills park by the North Shore Park parking lot

Be careful crossing the entrance to the Environmental Science Center

Watch for wildlife in the wooded areas around the lake

This is the Razorback Greenway intersection. It heads north to Springdale along Powell Street

The Butterfield Trail Wayside Plaza is on the northeast part of the trail

This bridge is by Crossover Road near Albright Road

The trail goes right by the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks

Trailhead parking on Crossover Road

The lot entrance is just south of the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks

South side of the lake

The trail runs into Veterans Memorial Park (another parking option)

Clear Creek Trail intersection (part of the Razorback Greenway)

The iconic spillway bridge

Lake Fayetteville dam (it’s usually busy during peak hours)