Steel Horse Rally returns for 10th year, adds ride to Mt. Magazine
by March 15, 2025 3:57 pm 635 views
The Steel Horse Rally will celebrate its 10th anniversary in downtown Fort Smith on May 2-3. And like each past rally, this year’s will offer something new for those participating, according to event organizers.
“We are always looking for ways to keep it fresh. We don’t want it to be the same old same old, so we introduce new events,” said Dennis Snow, Steel Horse Rally president and c0-founder, during a Saturday (March 15) press conference held at the U.S. Marshals Museum.
The Steel Horse Rally charity motorcycle event “honors all who serve” and helps local charities and the region.
This year, the Steel Horse Rally Board of Directors added the Steel Horse Rally Highest Peak Run, a more than 110-mile round-trip motorcycle ride going to the top of Mount Magazine, which is Arkansas’ highest peak. Motorcycles will leave Fort Smith early the morning of May 3 and ride as a group through Booneville and up the south face of Mount Magazine.
They will stop at the Mount Magazine State Park lodge for lunch and return down the north face of the mountain and be back in time for the Thunder through the Valley Parade that stages at 3 p.m., at the Riverfront Park and begins at 4 p.m.
Since its inception, the rally had a total estimated local economic impact of $126 million, according to the Fort Smith Advertising & Promotion Commission. It has brought more than 1 million visitors to the city in the past nine years, Snow said. In 2023, the rally surpassed its projected goal with more than 210,000 attendees.
“For the past decade, this rally has brought together thousands of riders and enthusiasts from across the country, not just to celebrate the spirit of the motorcycle but to support an incredible mission. That mission is to honor veterans, first responders and charities. It has become a tradition in Fort Smith and we’re proud to see it grow bigger and better each and every year,” said Fort Smith Mayor George McGill.
The 2025 Steel Horse Rally will see the return of the Steel Horse Rally Bikes & Badges Vintage Motorcycle Show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., May 3, at the U.S. Marshals Museum. The event, sponsored by Fort Smith Harley-Davidson, also allows visitors free admission to the museum between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. May 3.
Other events include the Cops and Cones Motorcycle Exhibition and the Steel Horse Strongman Showdown, hosted by the Fort Smith Police Department at 10 a.m., May 3 at Garrison Avenue and 12th Street.
There also will be more than 75 vendors in three vendor areas along Garrison Avenue that will open starting at noon May 2, and 9 a.m. May 3.
Motorcycle riders at the 2025 Steel Horse Rally can park their bikes in the middle of Garrison Avenue, starting at 6:30 p.m. May 2 and 9 a.m. May 3.
The rally also supports local charities. This year’s official charities include Arc for the River Valley, the Children’s Service League, and Heaven’s Babies.
This year’s event sponsors are Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, The City of Fort Smith, First National Bank of Fort Smith, Fort Smith Harley-Davidson, Cheap Sleep, Horton Law, Belle Point Beverages and Garrison Goodies. Lodging Partners include the Wyndham and Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Fort Smith.
“Because of our sponsors, we are able to present this rally free of charge to the general public. It’s so much more than motorcycles. You can bring your entire family down and have a safe environment,” Snow said.
The 2025 Steel Horse Rally Volunteer Meeting will be 10 a.m. April 5 at the Wyndham Fort Smith, 700 Rogers Ave., in downtown Fort Smith.
“The most important group to me throughout this event are the volunteers. Every single year, I say this, and every single year, I mean it. The volunteers give of their time and their efforts. They give up their sleep. They work through thunderstorms. … They give up a lot. And without the volunteers, the Steel Horse Rally would not be possible at all,” Snow said.