High water closes Devil's Den trail

By The Associated Press

Rushing water at Devil's Den State Park has eroded a segment of the Fossil Flats trail, leaving a chasm big enough to lead park officials to advise mountain bikers to try another route.

The trail is along the cliffs above Lee Creek, which was the source of the damage.

"It (the creek) just ate the trail away," Devil's Den Assistant Superintendent Tim Scott said. The creek has damaged the trail several times this spring, a period of record rainfall and flooding in the state.

At the latest break in the trail, a mountain biker would drop at least 10 feet into the creek if he couldn't stop in time.

Lee Creek through the park is normally too shallow for a boat and not very imposing. But during a severe storm on April 10, the creek rose and became a torrent, tearing away sections of its banks and collapsing 10-foot sections of the trail.

The three- to five-mile Fossil Flats trail, popular with mountain bikers, has been closed since the storm, Scott said.

In 2004, the park sustained $3 million in damage from flooding. A suspension bridge, campgrounds and the retaining wall of a dam were damaged, the latter of which resulted in the eight-acre Devil's Lake draining completely.

Dave Renko, the director of the Eureka Springs Fat Tire Festival for mountain bikers, said riders should resist the temptation to use the Fossil Flats trail anyway.

There are other trails in the area, but Fossil Flats is one of the most popular, Renko said.

Chris Crone, a mountain biking enthusiast from Eureka Springs, said the trail is a key path to other rides in the park. He said he rides Fossil Flats about a dozen times a year.

"Fossil Flats leads to everything out there ... sort of a main artery. I probably wouldn't go out there if it's not open," Crone said.

About 10 percent of visitors to Devil's Den are mountain bikers, Scott said.

Scott said it will cost an estimated $3,000 to $5,000 to repair the trail. Scott said he is hopeful volunteers will help park staff with the work. The trail needs to be relocated at least 20 feet inland from Lee Creek's high-water banks.

The goal is to have the trail fixed by Sept. 13, when about 150 mountain bikers are expected to attend the Northwest Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship at the park, Scott said.

Fred Phillips helps organize the Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series said the first three races of the season had to be canceled, events at Barling, Mountain Home and Russellville.

For more information see Sunday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.