Berm Creek - Slaughter Pen

Berm Creek - Black Diamond

If you're looking for a black diamond trail in Bentonville that earns its rating through commitment rather than distance, Berm Creek is exactly what you're looking for. Installed in 2019 in Phase 2 of Slaughter Pen, this 538-foot downhill-only singletrack packs more memorable moments per foot than almost anything else in Northwest Arkansas — a steep wooden ramp drop into a creek crossing, a second ramp with a gap jump option, massive off-camber berms, and a setting inside a natural creek corridor that makes the whole thing feel like it was built specifically to be sessioned until your legs give out.

Berm Creek is also the trail that put Slaughter Pen on the map for a generation of YouTube-raised mountain bikers. Named as a tribute to Seth Alvo of Seth's Bike Hacks — whose original backyard trail build series, also called Berm Creek, inspired riders worldwide — the Bentonville version delivers on that legacy with features that demand the same mix of commitment, style, and calculated send that defined Seth's original content.

The Drop In — Ramp One

The trail announces itself immediately. From the trailhead, a steep wooden ramp drops you directly toward a creek crossing — the kind of entry that separates riders who are ready from riders who are still deciding. The ramp is rollable for riders who want to manage their speed, but it rewards commitment. Carry the right amount of speed and the transition through the creek crossing sets you up perfectly for what comes next. Scrub too much and you'll feel it in the berm that follows.

The Gap — Ramp Two and the Creek Crossing

After the first section flows through a run of off-camber berms that demand you keep your speed up, the trail delivers its headline feature: a second wooden ramp that launches over a creek gap. This is the moment Berm Creek is known for and the reason riders line up to session it on any given afternoon. The jump line clears the creek gap — commitment required, line choice critical. For riders not ready to send the gap, an alternate wooden bridge line runs alongside the ramp, offering a clean way through without sacrificing the flow of the rest of the trail.

That choice — jump the creek or take the bridge — is the defining decision of every Berm Creek lap. It's the kind of fork that makes a trail endlessly sessionable regardless of where you are in your progression as a rider.

The Berms

What makes Berm Creek more than just its headline features is how the trail rides between them. The berms are massive — the kind of wide, sculpted corners that reward speed with pure momentum rather than punishing you for carrying too much. They're also notably off-camber, which means they require active riding rather than passive following. Let your speed drop in the wrong place and the berm will spit you wide. Carry speed through the right line and you'll exit each corner faster than you entered.

With 9,500+ recorded activities logged and 20,600+ check-ins on Trailforks, Berm Creek is one of the most-sessioned short trails in the entire Slaughter Pen system. The short return climb keeps lap times tight, and the variety between riding the gap and taking the bridge gives every session a natural progression structure built right into the trail.

🎯 Why Ride Berm Creek?

• One of the most iconic black diamond trails in Bentonville — 9,500+ recorded Trailforks activities

• Steep wooden ramp drop at entry followed by a gap jump option over a creek crossing

• Alternate bridge line at the gap for riders building toward the full send

• Massive off-camber berms that reward speed and punish passive riding

• Built in 2019 as a tribute to Seth Alvo of Seth's Bike Hacks — a bucket-list trail for his fans

• Short 538-foot lap with easy return climb — designed for repeat sessions

🚴 Perfect For

• Black diamond riders looking for commitment-based features in Bentonville

• Riders progressing toward gap jumps with a safe alternate bridge line available

• Seth's Bike Hacks fans visiting Bentonville on a pilgrimage lap

• Anyone who wants to session a feature-packed trail without a long return climb

• Experienced riders adding a high-consequence highlight to a Phase 2 Slaughter Pen day