Trails Accelerator Grant Awarded for Cameron’s Bluff Trail
The Lawrence Mountain Bike Club (LMBC) was recently awarded a “Trails Accelerator Grant” from the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). LMBC partnered with Friends of the Lawrence Area Trails (FLAT) and Friends of the Kaw (KAW) to apply for the grant.
The project will study the potential to build new mountain bike trails in an area called “Cameron’s Bluff” on the west bank of the Kansas River north of I-70.
The IMBA will assess the potential for trails development, provide cost estimates for possible access points, and provide a conceptual design plan as a starting point for community engagement to further the project.
A goal of the project is to include a connection to The Lawrence Loop, which would provide safe, car-free access from all parts of the community. The trails would be complementary to the existing Lawrence River Trail.
The additional trails would significantly improve access for local trail users and increase the draw for mountain bikers and outdoor enthusiasts from throughout the region. The trails would be complementary to the existing Lawrence River Trail.
In conjunction with the trails assessment, partners will commission an environmental analysis of the area to ensure that trails are constructed and managed in a sustainable and environmentally appropriate manner.
Grant partners have been working with property owners Evergy, Inc. and the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) to secure public access to the area for recreation. Both Evergy and KTA support establishing public access to the area and have been active partners in the grant process.
Cameron’s Bluff is named after Hugh Cameron (1826-1909). Cameron, who arrived in Lawrence in 1854 with the first group of settlers, lead an interesting life which is memorialized on a plaque located at 5th and Indiana in Lawrence. In his later live he lived in a tree house on the bluffs of the Kansas River and was known as a hermit.
For more information: