Syllamo Trails

03/22/2025

FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2025
SYLAMORE RANGER DISTRICT STORM DAMAGE UPDATE

OPEN
-Blanchard Springs Caverns
-Blanchard Springs Day-Use Area
-Mirror Lake
-Gunner Pool Campground
-FS1113 Green Road
-FS 1119 Bear Road
-FS1139 Sandy Flat Road
-Access to Steel Falls on FS1140 Branscum Road

CLOSED
-Blanchard Springs Campground
-Syllamo Mountain Bike Trail- Jack’ Branch Loop, Bad Branch Loop, Bad Branch Trail Head
-North Sylamore Creek Trail- Blanchard to Gunner Pool Section

03/20/2025

Sad news.
On March 14th, 2025 an EF4 tornado took out a significant portion of Bad Branch (red blazes) and Jack's Branch (yellow blazes). The photos below were taken the following Monday. You're seeing Green Mountain Road and Bad Branch Trailhead.
Luckily, there were only minor injuries in the Blanchard Springs area but there was significant devastation to the community of Fifty Six. Blanchard Springs was affected but mostly the road in and out. Thankfully the campground was largely spared. Weather reports indicate a consistent 170mph wind speed with a 1400 yard wide path that traveled over 45 miles. At the current moment, all of the trails that were hit are completely inaccessible. Most efforts are currently restoring the community. We've had dozens of people reach out to ask what they can do to help, which is truly heartwarming. Please understand the volume of questions is too much to respond to. We'll do our best but might not have time to respond. If you're interested in helping, here is the current plan: when the Forest Service says they are ready to do trail work, we hope to organize a work day and a fund raiser. Until then, Green, Blue, and Orange are okay. There's likely blow downs but we've had reports the trails are mostly okay. Many campgrounds and related areas are closed until the Forest Service can certify them as safe. Stay tuned, we will update when we can.

01/29/2025

The last mile of Syllamo has had maintenance this season! Most of trails have been cleared since November. Looking like a great weekend for a ride!

11/25/2024

Another massive chunk of Syllamo is ready for riding season! Shout out to Chaia Gibson again, Jim McDonough, and Norfork Adventure Supply for the hard work. They've put in over 40 man hours in less than 2 weeks. We're really happy to see the trails getting so much love. The past few years trails have been maintained by 1 person with the US Forest Service (Chaia) and volunteers.

All of White River Bluff, Jack's Branch, Scrappy, and Bald Scrappy has been cleared of leaves. All downed trees are recorded and will be cut out. Some undergrowth is yet to be cleared but it is very minimal. Jack's and Scrappy both have a small section yet to be cleared but they are small sections. These sections were skipped logistically and will be cleared later. Bad Branch (Red) had maintenance earlier this year so that should be pretty good except for recent dead fall and leaves.

Happy Riding!

11/22/2024

Shout out to Chaia Gibson with the US Forest Service, Norfork Adventure Supply, and Spirit of Syllamo for clearing almost 14 miles of trail yesterday.

That makes all of White River Bluff (Green) done.

Everything North of Green Mtn. Road has been leaf blown and the deadfall is getting cut out today.

Bad Branch (Red) has had deadfall cut out with a couple of recent trees that are known but haven't been cut out.

The remaining loops on the south side Green Mtn. Road are scheduled in the coming weeks.

Doing all this is no easy task and it's been mostly volunteers the past few years, accumulating hundreds of hours of labor. Thank you to all the Trail Angels that keep this place maintained.

10/22/2024

Riding season in North Central Arkansas is here. Reports of Syllamo indicates the trails in the best shape they've ever been in at this time of year!

04/27/2024

FAQs and Need to Know Syllamo Info

#1 "Are the trails in good shape?"
Yes. For approximately 5 years, Syllamo has had annual maintenance. This typically starts in October/November and is completed by January. There is currently a full time trail coordinator with the Forest Service. There's also several private volunteers that contribute hundreds of hours of work every year.

#2 "Are these trails beginner friendly?"
By comparison to some trail systems, Syllamo might be challenging. If you are unsure, start with either the Red Trail known as Bad Branch Trail or the Green Trail known as White River Bluff. You are riding in a wilderness area. Come prepared! Don't treat this like a city park.

#3 "Are these public trails?"
Yes. Parking has a $3 cash fee. There are 4 primary trailheads. Not all of the trailheads show up on Google Maps. There is a ton of info online - search "Syllamo Mountain Bike Trails."

#4 "How do you pronounce Syllamo?"
Sill La Mo

#5 "I rode this one trail out there and it was really hard! Are they all like that?"
No. Some loops are much more approachable than others. Use this as a general guide:
Bad Branch (Red) - Easy - 4, 8, or 12 Miles
White River Bluff (Green) - Easy/Medium - 4 Miles
Jack's Branch (Yellow) - Medium - 12 Miles
Bald Scrappy Mountain (Orange) - Hard - 7 Miles
Scrappy Mountain (Blue) - Hard - 12 Miles
Distances are approximate and the difficulty rating is by comparison to itself - meaning that red is the easiest at Syllamo and Blue is the hardest at Syllamo. This is not comparing Syllamo to other trail systems.

#6 "Is anyone managing this page?"
Yes. We respond to questions all the time. Occasionally privacy settings have prevented us from responding. If your question went unanswered, this might have happened.

#7 "What's the best time of year to ride?"
General guide:
Summer - Ticks, Snakes, Overgrowth, Hot, Humid.
Fall - Scenic, maintenance has just begun, weather varies.
Winter - Ongoing maintenance, typically good riding though.
Spring - Good riding, ticks and snakes if it gets warm.

#8 "Can I volunteer to maintenance trail?"
Absolutely. While you're riding, pick up some trash, remove that dead fall (if it's not too big). If there's a big tree, drop a GPS pin - we can get the location to the US Forest Service for the tree to be removed. General locations won't work. They don't have time to hunt through miles of trail. They need a GPS location. If you want to do more, give us a shout and we'll steer you in the right direction.

#9 "Can we access the trail from Blanchard Springs?"
Yes, but the 2 yellow loop connector trails might be the most awful climbs you ever attempt. We suggest Country Rd 52 to ride from Blanchard to the Trailheads. The connector trails are beautiful but we suggest hiking those versus riding.

Don't hesitate to message and ask questions. We love to see people getting out and using Syllamo!

12/09/2023

Hello everyone! I just wanted to introduce myself before I move on. I’m Andrea, and I started this page way back in the day when I lived in Memphis and spent weeks out of the year riding mountain bikes and doing trail work at Syllamo. I’ve since moved to Colorado, and, even though I still visit from time to time, there are much more qualified people to take this page over. So, I’m passing it on! Thanks for following!

11/14/2020