Last year I participated in the inaugural Arkansas Graveler where we traversed the State from Fayetteville to Jonesboro through the Ozarks into the Delta. This year Arkansas invited Ariel Marlowe and I to check out their new course for year two. This year the route would take us from Mena to Russellville mostly in and through the Ouachita Mountain range.

The Arkansas Graveler can best be described as a 5 day bike festival + bike tour on some of the best backroads Arkansas has to offer. Put on by the Ozark Foundation and led by race director Scotti Moody, no stone is left unturned as it relates to the rider experience.

Unlike bikepacking, the Graveler staff carries your gear from camp to camp so all you have to do is ride your damn bike. At each stop along the route we got to experience charming and hospitable Arkansas towns, and the Graveler always made sure we were well fed before and after our rides. Once at camp, participants also had activities like fly fishing, archery, live music, and more!

All of the support and festivities allows riders to just focus on enjoying the ride, the scenery, and Arkansas hospitality. Ariel and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience and tell you all about it on today's episode. We hope to see ya at the next one :)

Today's episode is provided ad-free thanks to Arkansas Tourism!