CEDAR PARK, Texas — Some hikers and bicyclists in Cedar Park are worried that a popular trail system may never look the same again.
The Suburban Ninja Trail System is right by the Brushy Creek Trail and West Parmer Lane, where a 70-acre fire burned down an apartment complex last year.
Those who use Suburban Ninja say some of the seven natural trails have been cut in half or bulldozed to make way for a new trail project.
The city of Cedar Park said it has planned to create the Bushy Creek North Fork Trail in the area since before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. The city said the trail will be three miles long, stretching from West Parmer Lane to East Whitestone Boulevard, with a concrete path.
AJ Camp said he’s sad to see some of the natural trails go. He’s the owner of Peddler Bike Shop on Brushy Creek Road, right behind the trail, and he also helped create Suburban Ninja.
He said it all used to be a rancher's land back in 2016.
“When that was turned over to a developer, we were able to kind of gain more access to that area, so it became more of a real trail,” Camp said.
He said he and other volunteers have spent thousands of hours making and maintaining the trails, transforming the land into what it is now.
“I always expected it to be 1-mile long, but it’s 11 miles back there. So, it became way more than we ever expected, but it’s pretty cool,” he said.
On a regular weekend, Camp said hundreds of people come out to use the Suburban Ninja trails. He said it’s become special for him.
“A lot of people came together and created it, and it's pretty special because it's fun," he said. "It's not [an] overly difficult trail; like, a lot of people can use it. It's not just for experts only. It's kind of welcoming to a lot of different groups, a lot of levels of riders, you know, skill levels."
However, last August, the trails went through another transformation.
“There was a massive fire behind the apartments. It was really scary, honestly,” Camp said.
A 70-acre fire burned through building 10 at the Bexley Apartments nearby – and impacted the natural trail system.
Camp said fire crews using bulldozers to keep the fire from spreading dug some parts of the trails up.
“It’s completely different. It's not what it was, and now there's the hike-and-bike trail going through that same exact area,” he said.
Camp said five months ago, bulldozers hired by the city came through to make way for a new, official trail.
“For right now, it's a little bit messed up,” he said.
Camp said bulldozers have cut the natural trails in half or bulldozed right over them, leaving broken limbs in their path.
“It makes me a little sad to see some sections that have been torn up as much as they have. But, again, I'm thankful that it hasn't been worse,” he said.
He said the city has been mindful of where the trails are, for the most part.
The city said the focus of its trail is preserving the natural areas. Officials said there has been careful planning to avoid removing trees larger than eight inches in diameter.
Camp said he hopes the natural trails and the concrete one can co-exist.
“Once it's all done, we're going to do our best to rebuild it and make it good again," Camp said. "You can be part of that if you're, you know, if you want to be a volunteer."
Camp said he’s optimistic that this new transformation will make the natural trail system better than it was.
The city of Cedar Park said construction of the Brushy Creek North Fork Trail will be completed this fall. For safety purposes, people are urged to avoid the area while construction is underway.
