Rolling hills, rugged ravines, rich farmlands, spectacular hardwood forests & welcoming Delta culture
Crowley’s Ridge Gravel Trail
Born by windblown glacier dust hitting river fog in the days of the woolly mammoth, Crowley’s Ridge is a unique ecoregion spanning from southern Missouri to the Mississippi River at Helena, Arkansas. Elevated 250 feet above the surrounding Mississippi Alluvial Plain, the spine of the ridge offers riders a perfect opportunity to explore this vast hidden gem.
The trail traverses Crowley’s Ridge connecting Missouri to Marianna. Continuing south the route travels through the St. Francis National Forrest south to historic downtown Helena. Here is the Ride with GPS route.
Crowley's Ridge Gravel Trail spans 249 miles and 10k of elevation
Remote, hilly and well-maintained gravel roads that wind and flow across rugged terrain and fertile farmlands
Explore an undiscovered slice of the Arkansas Delta
Delve into 7 state parks, 1 national forest, and 18 Delta towns
Visit the home where Ernest Hemingway wrote Farewell to Arms
Enjoy the shade of majestic hardwood forests that dominate the landscape on Crowley’s Ridge and bottomlands along river basins
Pull up a chair at a two-table James Beard Award winning restaurant, Jones Bar-B-Q, perhaps the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the South owned by a Black Family
Soak in the confluence of the St. Francis & Mississippi Rivers
Bomb down steep and windy loess canyons and grind across chunky windy levees
Grub a taco and Uno Mas at Native Brew Works
Enjoy a region rich in agricultural, Civil War, and Blues Music - the sound that birthed Rock and Roll
Hang a hammock in hidden upland hardwood forests containing rare plant species that occur nowhere else in Arkansas
Celebrate your journey at Delta Dirt, America's only Black-Owned farm-to-bottle distillery
This project is symbolic of our commitment to the prosperity of rural Arkansas through adventure recreation.
Plan Your Visit
DAY TRIP
You don’t need to spend a week on a bike to experience the Crowley’s Ridge Gravel Trail. Come visit for a day, just pick any access point along the way and create your own outing. Fare warning, you’ll enjoy yourself and want to come back.
MULTIDAY
Perfect distance for a 4-day trip. What you do and where you stay is the essence of adventure. However you go, savor your curiosity. Here’s a sample itinerary,
Day 1 - Helena to Marianna (~30 miles)
Day 2 - Marianna to Birdeye (~80 miles)
Day 3 - Birdeye to Jonesboro (~50 miles)
Day 4 - Jonesboro to Piggott (~80 miles)
EXTENDED JOURNEY
The route intersects with the Big River Trail, the Delta Heritage Trail, and USBR 80 to create lengthy excursion opportunities
Bike to/from the Memphis airport or Amtrak Station and complete the loop self-supported
THE WHY
The Arkansas Delta has suffered for decades from extreme poverty, population decline, and an eroding economic base. Crowley's Ridge Gravel Trail traverses some of the poorest counties in one of the poorest states in America. According to the National Institute of Health, a staggering percentage of the population in these counties are below the poverty line: Phillips (33%), St. Francis (29%), Lee (28%), Poinsett (21%), Clay (19%), Cross (18%), Craighead (18%), and Greene (16%).
Meanwhile, the average tourist spent $198 per day while Arkansas in 2023 - bringing in MILLIONS to the local economy. In 2018, U of A researchers found that bicycle tourism in NWA generated an economic impact of $59 million. Bicycle related business and tourism support 1,329 jobs and generated $10.9 million in state and local tax collections. With 4 million people living within a two hour drive, this project is poised to help.
We see this gravel trail as an amenity that both improves the quality of life for the local community AND serves as a destination that will help strengthen the local economy by creating jobs in bicycle related sectors, increasing tax revenue, and generally improving the quality of life in the area, fostering a sense of community and place.
Fundamentally, CRGT is accessible outdoor recreation, and active transportation, infrastructure that encourages physical activity and connects directly to the most undeserved communities in the state.
Please come visit, CRGT is a journey you will never forget.
Upcoming events
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Birdeye Gravel
Spend a weekend exploring the Delta’s greatest trails this November in Birdeye, Arkansas.
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Delta Grind
One-of-a-kind experience in the Arkansas Delta. See you there in May?
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Birdeye Sessions
Enjoy a night under the stars listening to amazing music and eating delicious food. Check in often, this is a pop-up event series that always sells out.
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Delta Drift
Barred owls, prothonotary warblers, and wintering bald eagles. Tupelos and cypress too. October on the Bayou!
