Getting there: From RR 620, heading north towards Round Rock, turn left on Parmer Lane and head northwest. Turn right on Brushy Creek Road and look for the park entrance on the right.
The Hike: Brushy Creek Lake Park is one of Cedar Park's newest, so new that I happened upon it by accident as I was finishing up a hike along the Brushy Creek Regional Trail. Nestled behind the dam that created Brushy Creek Lake (really a pond), the park is ringed by the trail along all sides and with a few cross trails. The majority of the trails contain surfaces of crushed granite.
The northern loop also contains an interesting feature that caught me by surprise. Was it a rare geological formation? Crop circles to signal aliens? No, it's a maze constructed in a clearing along the trail. The outline of the maze is made of lines of rock, no more than a few inches high. The entire maze is contained in a circle with an entry and exit point. I didn't have the time to try the maze out though it struck me as a neat addition to the park. Click on the topo map above for a larger view that shows the maze's location.
In total there are about 1.75 miles of trail. It's a fine place for a shorter stroll and one could always continue on to the Brushy Creek Regional Trail for more mileage. You'll want to look elsewhere for a serious hike.
Park itself not too exciting but you can rent kayaks by the hour. We took the extension west past the cap metro track, which has boulder beneath it that were intended for the capitol bldg but never made it there. trail apparently goes all the way to US 183 past the tollroad. Better as a bike trail than a hiking trail.
A Labyrith Trial, Bridges and covered observation stands along with picnic tables, playground, spray park and kayak rentals. This park has a lot to offer just not solitude.
This was a fun park to explore, but there were a lot of people out. We ended up walking the regional trail for about a mile, after looping around the park.
Brushy Creek is an easy walking trail surrounding what I assume is a very picturesque pond. The rains over the weekend caused waters to rise substaintially so that many of the trails are under water. But even with that the park and trails make a very nice family hike and the spray park and playground are great for the kids. The trails tie into the Brushy Creek Regional Trail.
Watch out for the little kids at the water park
This trail is pretty good to run on. It is a loop and I ran it twice trying to get the distance at the end of a 12 mile run. It was early on a Monday so there weren't many people out, but I bet it is extremely crowded especially since there is a water park in the park.