28 Miles - Moderate
Recognized as a National Recreational Trail and one of the country’s “highest caliber trails”, the Razorback Greenway spans 40-miles south to north and serves as the backbone for urban trail adventures across Fayetteville and Northwest Arkansas. Beginning from Kessler Mountain Regional Park and the recognized “Mile Zero” and official starting point of the Greenway, our Mile Zero route features extensive portions of the Greenway with 28-miles of protected, paved trail riding in an accessible, “out and back” design.
From Kessler, the southernmost section of the Razorback Greenway follows the Cato Springs Trail, a 2.5-mile trail meandering alongside Razorback Road – safely crossing over expressways, and under interstates with a series of thoughtfully built bridges and tunnels. The Cato Springs Trail intersects with the Town Branch Trail, heading east for a ½ mile towards Fayetteville’s Walker Park. The next 10-miles of the route follows the Greenway from south Fayetteville to its northern city limit line, paralleling the many creeks, streams, and tributaries winding through town.
From Fayetteville’s northern border, the route picks up the Lake Fayetteville Trail – a 5.5-mile scenic paved trail loop offering stunning views of the 458-acre Lake Fayetteville, plus playgrounds, picnic areas, and public restrooms. Encircling the lake, the Lake Fayetteville Trail leads cyclists clockwise past the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks - a collection of twelve themed gardens and the region’s only native butterfly house. The route rejoins the Greenway at Veteran’s Park, completing the Lake Fayetteville Trail loop and pointing cyclists back south into the midst of Fayetteville’s Downtown and Entertainment District.
Running through the heart of Fayetteville, the Razorback Greenway provides trailside access to an array of local food and refreshments. From hot shots of caffeine to breakfast staples, there’s no shortage of coffee shops worthy of a stop along the route. Featuring a bicycle-friendly patio, Arsaga’s Mill District is a vibrant, family-owned operation offering coffee, food, and cocktails. A full coffee bar serves everything from single-origin expresso to handmade sodas while breakfast, lunch, and brunch options include popular favorites like their thick sliced sourdough toast topped with avocado smash. Another mile up the trail is Doomsday Coffee & Roasterie, a Fayetteville favorite for brunch – where soon-to-be famous breakfast tacos are piled high with sausage, bacon, or vegan chorizo then topped with melted white cheese, crema, and green onions.
Folks curious about Fayetteville’s craft beer scene won’t have to travel far off the Greenway to discover local watering holes like Fossil Cove Brewing Company – a favorite rendezvous for residents with its generous selection of brews and causal, bicycle-friendly patio. A few blocks down the trail sets Columbus House Brewery & Tap Room, a popular haunt for trail users of all types serving up popular brews like the Nutty Runner Nut Brown Ale – a roasted brown ale that happens to be a personal favorite of the Columbus House brewers.
Where to Park
Located just west of Interstate 49 off Cato Springs Road, Fayetteville’s Kessler Mountain Regional Park serves as the trailhead for “Mile Zero” of the Razorback Greenway and the region’s paved trail network. Free public parking is available at the playground area at the park’s entrance, which also features close to 20-miles of world-class natural surface trails popular with mountain bikers, hikers, trail runners and dog walkers - PLUS restrooms, water fountains, bicycle repair stations and other amenities.
No bike? No problem. Fayetteville has an extensive fleet of dockless e-scooters and e-bikes that can be found all around town and available for rent from partners VEO and SPIN.
