Brushy Creek Lake Park (sprinkler park and playground)

On a rather warm yesterday afternoon, I packed up the kids, sunscreen, towels and headed out to Brushy Creek Lake Park in Cedar Park, about 1/2 mile from Parmer and Brushy Creek to cool off in the sprinklers.  We arrived around 3 pm on a Wednesday afternoon, and there were quite a few families there.  Unfortunately there were also a lot of teenagers, done with their finals and school.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love teenagers.  I taught teenagers, but teenagers and my children (under 4) co-splashing just felt strange.  The girls were giggling in front of the boys, and my ever observant preschooler wanted to know why the girls were “acting silly with the big boys.”  Nevertheless, we had a good time splashing.

The great thing about the Brushy Creek sprinkler park is that it is large, about twice the size of Robin Bledsoe in Leander.  That helps to absorb the larger crowds.  There is also a larger variety of big and small water fixtures, but the big fixtures can look like geysers from the perspective of children under 3 feet tall so this park might be intimidating for more timid children.  The bad thing about this sprinkler park is that it is not entirely enclosed.  There is a stretch of metal fencing to keep the kids isolated away from the parking lot, but unlike Robin Bledsoe, there is also a very large opening where the children can see the adjoining playground and make a beeline for it.  (I have witnessed on many occasions parents chasing their kids barefoot on slippery concrete as the little ones made a jail break towards the slides.)  The other drawback of Brushy Creek is that it seems each time that we have been here, there is inevitably something that goes wrong with the sprinklers.  They do not turn on consistently when the button is pushed to activate the water, and though it does not take long for park maintenance to come turn the water back on, it nevertheless tests my kids’ patience as they await the glory of the water.

Brushy Creek Lake Park is still a fantastic, open park with a lake view and hiking trails.  The playground structure is one of my favorites for preschoolers, even though it is tall.  Once a child climbs up to the top, there is no way to fall off except at the openings for slides.  It is entirely enclosed with bars that are adequately spaced.  There are not enough swings to accommodate the number of children who want to swing.  Three of the swings are the sling type for older kids, and there is one toddler/infant bucket swing.  One of the sling swings is set up as high as the infant bucket, ridiculously high to be safe for a small child, and my guess would be that it once was an infant bucket swing that was replaced with an older child’s swing without lengthening the chains.

The park has some pavilions and plenty of picnic tables and benches that can be reserved through the City of Cedar Park reservation system for pools, park pavilions, etc..  It is a clean park and has plenty of parking.  It is unfortunately many times crowded.

Brushy Creek Lake Park
3300 Brushy Creek Rd
Cedar Park, TX 78613

Related posts:

1. Olson Meadow Park on Brushy Creek Rd
2. Robin Bledsoe Sprinkler Park
3. Mason Creek Park and Robin Bledsoe Park playground (Leander)
4. Brushy Creek Sports Park (Cedar Park)
5. Metz Sprinkler Park and Playground review