1 eBike Shop in Union County, AR

Where to ride in Union County

The South Arkansas Arboretum, at 1506 Mt Holly Road in El Dorado, is a 12-acre wooded site with plants native to the West Gulf Coastal Plain and exotic species including camellias and azaleas. The state parks page lists marked, paved walking trails, a rental pavilion, a rental gazebo, restrooms, and parking.

The arboretum is managed by South Arkansas Community College. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon and Sundays from 9 to 5, with evening hours extended to 7 from March to November. For information call 870-862-8131, extension 449.

To get there from Highway 82B in El Dorado, turn north on North Timberlane Drive and go one mile, according to the state parks page. The page describes it as a place to stretch your legs on a long drive, a road trip, or a motorcycle ride.

We found no bike trail, bike lane, or bicycle rule for the arboretum or for El Dorado. A search for local cycling information turned up no published trail plan that we could verify.

Under state law an eBike counts as a bicycle, so ordinary traffic rules apply on city streets, but we have no local route to recommend.

A March 2019 column by an El Dorado city council member says the council adopted a Pedestrian and Bicycle Trail Master Plan two years earlier, that a 2-1/4 mile walking and jogging trail at the Lions Club golf course was heavily used, and that the city had funded two trail projects that had not started. The column also describes the Rock Island Greenway, a proposed trail between El Dorado and Ruston, Louisiana, that had a feasibility study underway. We could not confirm that any of this has been built since.

The El Dorado Chamber of Commerce outdoors page lists city parks including Mattocks Park, Oil Heritage Park, Old City Park, Oakhurst Community Park, and Bodenhamer Skate Park, along with the MAD PlayScape and Splash Pad. It gives addresses only, with no trail lengths or bike rules, so we treat them as stops and not as routes.

The same page lists boat access to Calion Lake and the Ouachita River off Highway 167 in Calion, and it lists Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge at 5531 Highway 82 West in Crossett. We did not read the refuge's own pages, so we cannot say whether bikes are allowed there.

eBike rules in Arkansas

Arkansas defines an electric bicycle in Arkansas Code § 27-51-1702, as enacted by Act 956 of 2017, as a bicycle with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts. It sorts them into three classes. Class 1 assists only while you pedal and stops assisting at 20 mph. Class 2 may move the bike on its own and cannot assist at 20 mph. Class 3 assists only while you pedal and stops assisting at 28 mph.

Under § 27-51-1703 an electric bicycle gets the rights and duties of a bicycle, is not a motor vehicle, and is not subject to the title's insurance, licensing, registration, operator's license, or certificate-of-title rules. Under § 27-51-1705, a Class 1 or Class 2 bike may use a bicycle path or multi-use path where bicycles are permitted, but the local authority in charge of the path may prohibit them. A Class 3 may not use a bicycle path or multi-use path unless it is within or adjacent to a highway or roadway, or the local authority permits it.

Under § 27-51-1706, nobody under 16 may operate a Class 3 eBike, though a child under 16 may ride as a passenger on a Class 3 built to carry one. Any operator or passenger under 21 on a Class 3 must wear a helmet that meets 16 CFR part 1203, and a Class 3 must have a speedometer that shows miles per hour. The statute sets no helmet duty for Class 1 or Class 2, so read our Arkansas eBike laws guide, then the sign at the trailhead, because city and park rules can go further.

Cities in Union County

Only El Dorado has a listing, which you can open on the eBike shops in El Dorado page.

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