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The 183A Shared Use Path is a 7-mile paved path along the 183 Toll Road connecting travelers from Leander to Cedar Park. Open to bikers and joggers, the Mobility Authority constructed this trail as an alternative transportation source for the commmunity.
At the Cedar Park end, the trail connects with the Brushy Creek Regional Trail, a primarily crushed-stone pathway that heads east-west between Cedar Park and Round Rock. The connections of these trails serve the greater community as it links neighborhoods, shopping areas, and workplaces.
Parking available at the southern trailhead where the Bushy Creek Regional Trail intersects.
RV Campground available along Hero Way near the northern trailhead. Visit Austin KOA for more information.
This path is a great way to safely do 7 miles, either on its own or tacked on to the beautiful Brushy Creek Trail. This 183A path is in excellent shape, with a very wide concrete surface. It does require crossing the very busy Whitestone Boulevard in Cedar Park, as well as a few other less busy roads, all of which have crosswalks with signals. The majority of the time, you're paralleling the noisy turnpike, but it's far enough removed at most points that I can tune out the traffic. The path is nicely landscaped, but overall isn't very scenic -- it's still just a big sidewalk going along between the turnpike and business or residential areas, with very few adjacent trees. There are a couple nice long wood bridges that improve the vibe.
I like taking a detour from the path in Cedar Park just after crossing Whitestone, to enjoy a winding path around a couple of nice urban lakes, leading to the fun Cedar Park Sculpture Garden. Then I cut up Discovery Boulevard and go behind the HEB Center -- this route is much quieter and allows me to bypass the front of the big "Parke" shopping center along 183A, with its many busy entrances that seem a bit unsafe for a cyclist zipping by on the sidewalk.
I'll usually start towards the East end of the Brushy Creek trail (sometimes starting in Bridgewater Park), and enjoy that wonderfully scenic trail up to the turnpike, then hop on the 183A path for 7 more miles. (Or vice versa, depending on the wind direction.) Overall, I really like the 183A path and recommend it for a nice, safe ride of 7 miles or so.
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