The Trail
Nearest Town with Accommodations: Mena
Location: Take Hwy. 8 east out of Mena for about 1 mile until you come to Hwy. 375 just before you get to the airport. Turn right onto Hwy. 375 and follow this for about 8 miles. Wolf Pen Gap will be on your left.
Type: Double track / loops.
Distance: About 41 miles doing all loops.
Summary: I have only ridden out here a couple of times and really have no desire to go back. The trails are all made with the ATV and motorcycle folks in mind. I personally love my single track trails so this place wasn't to appealing to me. The trails I rode were mostly up and down type stuff or what looked like an old dirt road. You can tell you are on a trail built for four wheelers because there is a lot of large loose rocks in many places as well as some rutted out spots. There are a few climbs out here that I recall might be a little difficult but most are short gentle climbs. The only thing I found technical about this trail is avoiding all the loose rocks. Some areas are kind of fun for whoopee doo's but nothing to challenging. I went on a weekday and only seen two people out there on ATV's, I pretty much had the whole trail to myself. I would advise you to go on a weekday as well, this place is just crawling with motor junkies on any given weekend. Part of the trail meanders up and down the side of a mountain, while other parts are nothing more then flat dirt roads. If you don't mind sharing the trail with the ATV's then you might enjoy this trail. But let me warn you this is a very popular trail for ATV folks and it gets people in from as far away as Houston. The trail is mostly loose rock and rutted out in places. Some of the climbs are a bit steep and avoiding the ruts makes it even harder. If you do come out here prepare to get dirty because the dust factor out here is really high. There are numerous creek crossings but these really are not to much trouble as the ATV's have pretty much wore a good path through them. There are no fun exciting downhill's so if you are a downhiller you are not going to be pleased with the Pen.
Recommended Route: They way we always go is starting from the west trailhead go clockwise on 2 then follow 1 to 3 and take it all the way to Country Road 84. Ride to the east trailhead on 84 and take 5 back to 3. Follow 3 until you get to the Y at 3A and then take 5 back to 1 and follow it back to the trailhead. You can get about 20 miles by going this route.
When to ride: Almost anytime of the year is good for riding, just avoid it on the weekends and especially during holidays.
Rating: This trail would be good for the new beginner on up. I think most average mountain bikers will find the trail a little on the boring side. If you can live with ATV's running around you and your not single track minded then you might like it out there.
Other recommended trails in the area: Earthquake Ridge, Rocky
Bottoms,
Briar Creek, Twin Pines, Big Brushy,
Womble