Brushy Creek Lake Park

Type: Trail	Rating: (2.93)
Difficulty: (1.32)	Solitude: (1.75)
Length: 1.75 Miles	Elevation Gain: 75 Feet
ADAAccessible: N/A	Interpretive Guide: No
Dogs Allowed: Yes	Bikes Allowed: Yes
Cost: Free	More Information: More Info
City: Cedar Park	County: Williamson

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Larger Map

(Click on map for larger view)
Maptech® USGS Topographic Series™, ©Maptech®, Inc. 603-433-8500, www.maptech.com/topo Copyright 2000 Maptech, Inc.

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 trail winds along Brushy Creek Lake's shoreline.

The more interesting terrain can be found in the small loops on the western side of the park. Here the trail surface is mulch and the vegetation closes in. It's not a rough experience by any means, but these small loops provide the only real possibility of achieving any solitude in the park.

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.

A view of the lake from one of the "nature" trail loops. Fishing is popular here. (Photo by Austin Explorer)	The nature trails provide just about the only shade and solitude in the park. (Photo by Austin Explorer)	This little surprise awaits those who venture onto the park's lesser used trails. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
Adults, teens, and children alike are immediately drawn to the small, but fun--and FREE--water playscape at Brushy Creek Park. (Photo by xoxolat)	My little girl, Ilona, and her boyfriend, Ted. Screaming & splashing at the "water park." (Photo by xoxolat)

Logs

Have you visited this location? What did you think of it? Submit your own log entry to let others know of your experiences and to keep track of your adventures.

User: Daniel N - 10/17/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 2.50 Miles Duration: 45 minutes

Interesting maze, too many people
User: epowell - 9/27/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 2.50 Miles Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes

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.

Very easy partially paved and somewhat scenic
User: Daniel N - 9/15/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 1.75 Miles Duration: N/A

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.

It's ok.
User: chiricana - 4/25/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 1.75 Miles Duration: 1 hour

Quick getaway
User: Dickgreenie - 6/13/2008 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 1.75 Miles Duration: N/A

Watch out for the little kids at the water park

Ran This on a Monday Morning
User: bspross - 5/12/2008 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 2.50 Miles Duration: 20 minutes

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.

A sweet bonus
User: xoxolat - 5/29/2007 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 1.75 Miles Duration: N/A
My family is often at this park and I've done this little trail a lot of times already. (I finally did the Regional Trail yesterday, so I thought I would add my two cents for this one.)

This park is truly family-oriented. There is a LOT do to--paddling, picnicing, nature trail, etc.

Of course, my child's favorite is the free water playscape. It's become increasingly crowded since it opened--and word of it has spread to parents all over this area. The weekends are particularly crowded, so we sneak in a few hours during the week around noontime.

The nature trail is a nice walk for everyone, but don't expect much solitude. Just as the park is packed, so is the trail...but nice nevertheless!

Nice walk by the lake
User: spacecitygirl - 1/31/2007 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 1.75 Miles Duration: N/A
I have hiked this trail a few times. I went back last Sunday to check it out again. The trail is fairly level throughout. It starts by the parking area. There are several covered shelters that can be rented or used, first come, first served, for picnics and parties. There is also a kids' splash area, with built-in sprinklers. Next to the kids' area are the restrooms and water fountains. The trail is kind of circular. It leads you from a wooded area, out toward the lake, where there's a canoe launch. It extends down the north side of the lake, and loops back around to the wooded area. The trail is mostly cinder, with a few patches of concrete. On the far west side of the park, there is a more rustic trail, that is made out of wood chips and dirt. There were quite a few people out on Sunday afternoon, and many of them had their dogs with them. This is a popular spot for fishing, kite flying, and bringing dogs.

User: morris_stevens - 9/1/2006 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 1.75 Miles Duration: N/A
This is my first logged hike in the Austin Explorer website. I hiked this just this early evening while on the way home from work. Easy to get to the trailhead from the parking lot. In just under a half hour I saw one of the best sunsets of the summer, a family of geese, an egret, a scissortail, a mockingbird flying across the creek at full speed. I took the labyrinth trail and walked the entire labyrinth to great pleasure and calm. I saw one fisherman, two couples, a labrador and two small dogs. I will return often during the week for a quick hike and reflection.

Beautiful Scenery
User: rnlott - 3/13/2006 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: N/A
This hike was easy with pretty views of the lake. There were several types of waterfowl and other birds. Noise from Parmer Lane was distracting.

Adjunct to Regional Trail
User: Riff Raff - 2/4/2006 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 1.50 Miles Duration: N/A
Walked this area again, but this time as an afterthought at the Western end of the Brushy Creek Regional Trail. Turns out that the regional trail runs into the Lake Park over the dam at the Northeast corner of the park from the Avery Ranch area (where the golf course is).

Decent lakeside walk
User: Riff Raff - 12/29/2005 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 1.25 Miles Duration: N/A
Not entirely sure what I think of this park just yet. All the trails are on the north side of the lake, as the south side is occupied by a golf course. This park apparently connects with the Brushy Creek Regional Trail, but I couldn't really tell exactly where that connection was. There are a lot of different side trails and connecting trails on the western side of the park, which don't seem to be used as much. At one point there I smelled the distinct aroma of rotting flesh and discovered a deer carcass on the side of the trail, so I'm not sure how good the maintenance normally is either. It looked like there was a side trail heading under the Parmer Lane overpass, which I don't believe is part of the park proper. At any rate, I'll likely come back here at least once to explore a bit more. It's also very close to the Williamson County Regional Park.

Cute little lake
User: figment - 10/1/2005 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 1.50 Miles Duration: N/A
There's a nice little lake here. The trails are exposed to the sun, so go on a cloudy or cool day. It looks like a rough or unofficial trail continues to the west (maybe under Parmer?), but I didn't want to follow it.

Nice little park with surprises here and there
User: Austin Explorer - 2/20/2005 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 1.75 Miles Duration: N/A
Most of the trails are crushed granite, but a couple of "nature" trail loops are mulched and provide a tiny bit of solitude. One of the nature trails includes a rock maze that's pretty interesting.