Arkansas

The Arkansas scene is smaller than what's right next door in Texas or Oklahoma but it's stubborn and tight-knit. Diamond State Moto, Lost Creek Park, Challenger MX in Greenbrier, River Ridge over toward the Tennessee line. The terrain shifts depending on which corner of the state you're in: Ozark hills up north and pine flats down by the Mississippi border. Riders here cross over hard between motocross and harescramble; if you can't read a tight section between trees, the locals will smoke you on the moto track too. Spring riding is best, before chiggers and ticks set up shop and before summer humidity makes the second moto a survival exercise. Late fall after the leaves drop is the other sweet spot. Watered tracks set up loamy and tacky for an hour or two, then the dust shows up. Bring a vented chest protector, a lower-tooth front sprocket if you're racing harescrambles, and a sense of humor about the dust.