After five years of planning and construction, the Northwest Arkansas Trailblazers have opened the second phase of the Little Sugar trail system to mountain bikers, hikers, and trail runners. The 25-mile Tunnel Vision loop combined with 14 miles of trail that opened in December adds up to nearly 40 miles of soft-surface riding on the west side of Bella Vista with more to come by the end of the year. The trail system gets its name from Little Sugar Creek, which skirts the eastern boundary of the Tunnel Vision trail before the route plunges riders into the hollers and ravines native to the Ozarks.

Arkansas-based Rogue Trails and Michigan-based Rock Solid Trail Contracting both worked on the trail system. The reason for that is twofold, said Uriah Nazario, the soft-surface project coordinator for the NWA Trailblazers. Two trail building companies working on the system at once sped up the huge endeavor and, from a rider’s perspective, created two different trail experiences. The trail work was split down Highway 340 with Rogue building to the north and Rock Solid to the south.