Running trails in Bella Vista, AR
Bella Vista has 18 trails in the directory — 1 paved and 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 4 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 3 open 24 hours. 11 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 4,585 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
Tanyard Creek Nature Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 2,981 reviews
Nature area with several waterfalls, a lake and creeks.
Blowing Springs Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 700 reviews
Park offering picnic and barbecue facilities, walking trails, and mountain bike riding.
Blowing Springs MTB Trail Head/back 40
4.9 ★★★★★ 152 reviews
Outdoor recreation spot with hiking and mountain biking trails, plus a public restroom.
Mad Hatter Trail Head
4.9 ★★★★★ 38 reviews
Trailhead Blowing Springs Back 40
4.9 ★★★★★ 31 reviews
Area with kid-friendly hiking, plus mountain biking trails.
Back 40 Trails
4.8 ★★★★★ 28 reviews
Lake Ann Back 40 Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 27 reviews
Snowbird Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 16 reviews
Buckingham Trailhead Back Forty Trail
5 ★★★★★ 10 reviews
Bella vista trails
5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
Razorback Greenway North Trail Head
4.5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Bella Vista
- Match the surface to your legs. Bella Vista gives you a choice: 3 mixed, 2 natural surface, and 1 paved. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More mixed trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 4 trails here are loops, so you finish back at the car with no backtracking — the easiest way to run a set distance without thinking about it. On an out-and-back you turn round at half your target distance, which makes any trail fit any run. The longest stated distance in Bella Vista is Blowing Springs MTB Trail Head/back 40 at 2 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in Bella Vista are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 11 of the 18 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 2 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 7 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Bella Vista. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 2 with mile markers, 2 that runners describe as quiet, 2 dog-friendly, and 3 smooth and wide enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Bella Vista trails by type
- Mixed trails
- Natural surface trails
- Paved trails
- Loop trails
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Trails with mile markers
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Bella Vista
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.