Volunteers, Evergy and IMBA pitch Cameron’s Bluff trail; landowner, neighbors raise ecology and access concerns

An advisory-board presentation on a proposal to develop mountain‑bike and multiuse trails at an area known as Cameron’s Bluff drew broad interest and several concerns at a meeting of the Lawrence Parks & Recreation Advisory Board.

An unidentified presenter, introduced as chair of Friends of Lawrence Area Trails, said the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) assessed the site and recommended further planning and community engagement. “We’re really excited about the possibility of another set of mountain bike trails,” the presenter said, noting the IMBA report and that the site lies along the Kansas River north of I‑70.

Sarah Hill Nelson, representing Friends of the Kaw, described years of outreach and fundraising to win an IMBA trails‑accelerator grant and said the primary current obstacle is access. “Part of the challenge is because this area lies north of I‑70, there is a little bit of an issue of how do you gain access,” she said, describing possible connections from Burcham Park and partnerships with the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) and Evergy to complete a loop. She said a professional trail design would cost on the order of…