Living Along the Brushy Creek Trail: What It’s Really Like to Have the Greenbelt in Your Backyard

Trail access sounds amazing on a listing. But is backing to the Brushy Creek trail system actually as good as it sounds?

For a lot of buyers, seeing the words “backs to greenbelt” or “steps from Brushy Creek Regional Trail” instantly gets their attention.

And it makes sense.

Instead of driving somewhere to walk, run or ride, you may be able to leave your house and be on a trail within minutes. In some pockets of Brushy Creek, trails wind behind residential streets, connect neighborhood parks and eventually feed into the larger Brushy Creek Regional Trail.

But there is another side to trail-adjacent living that doesn't always make it into the listing description.

How private is the backyard?

Can people on the trail see your house?

Will cyclists pass behind your fence?

What wildlife should you expect?

And does backing to a greenbelt actually affect what buyers will pay?

Let's get into it.

First, How Big Is the Brushy Creek Trail System?

The Brushy Creek Regional Trail is currently approximately 7.75 miles long and mostly concrete. Williamson County says more than six continuous miles run from just west of Great Oaks Drive through the Brushy Creek corridor to Twin Lakes Park in Cedar Park. Another recent section west of Chisholm Trail Road provides an additional roughly one-mile out-and-back route.

And that is only the regional trail.

Brushy Creek MUD maintains an additional network of neighborhood greenbelts and trails connecting areas such as Cat Hollow, Woods of Brushy Creek, Sendero Springs, Brushy Creek North and the Community Park area.

So when a listing says “near Brushy Creek Trail,” it may mean several different things.

A home might back directly toward the regional trail.

It might back to a smaller neighborhood greenbelt.

Or it may be several streets away from a local trail that eventually connects into the larger system.

Those are three very different experiences.

Photo credit required: Viktor Lapinskii / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Which Brushy Creek Areas Have the Best Trail Connections?

Here's where things get interesting.

You don't necessarily need to back directly to the regional trail to have excellent access.

Some of the strongest opportunities are in neighborhoods connected to Brushy Creek MUD's smaller greenbelt network.

Cat Hollow

Cat Hollow has one of the more recognizable trail-and-park setups in the area.

The Community Park Greenbelt connects through this portion of Brushy Creek and has access points around O'Connor Drive, Liberty Walk Drive and Great Oaks Drive. Cat Hollow Park itself sits at 8320 O'Connor Drive.

For a buyer who actually plans to use the trail regularly, I'd pay close attention to the interior streets around the greenbelt connections, not just whether the listing says Cat Hollow.

A home a few houses from an entrance may provide nearly the same convenience as one backing directly to the trail—with potentially more backyard separation.

Woods of Brushy Creek

Woods of Brushy Creek has its own greenbelt connection through the Woods Greenbelt, also called Ephraim Trail, with access around Ephraim Road.

This is exactly why it's worth studying a trail map when buying here.

You may find one property where the backyard faces another row of homes and another, only a few streets away, positioned beside or near wooded open space.

Same subdivision.

Completely different setting.

Great Oaks & the Community Park Area

Brushy Creek Community Park at 16318 Great Oaks Drive is particularly important because Brushy Creek MUD identifies it as a Williamson County Regional Trailhead.

That makes the surrounding Great Oaks area one of the places I'd investigate if convenient access to longer walks or bike rides is high on the wish list.

The trick is deciding how close you actually want to be.

Close enough to walk to the trail?

Great.

Directly backing to a busy access point?

That's something I'd evaluate in person before deciding.

Sendero Springs

Sendero Springs has several local trail connections.

The Sendero Springs Greenbelt is accessible around Pasada Lane, while the Wildcat Trail and Great Oaks Median Trail add additional routes through this portion of Brushy Creek.

The Great Oaks Median Trail itself runs approximately 0.9 mile and connects with several other trails in the Sendero Springs network. Brushy Creek MUD describes it as bicycle-friendly and notes oak, cedar and cedar elm trees along the route.

This is another place where you can have strong trail access without necessarily having people moving directly behind your backyard.

Creekside, Hairy Man Road & Brushy Creek Road

If you want the feeling of being genuinely close to the creek corridor, the stretch around Creekside Park, Hairy Man Road and Brushy Creek Road deserves attention.

Creekside Park at 4300 Brushy Creek Road connects directly to the trail toward Cedar Park, while Shirley McDonald Park at 4390 Brushy Creek Road is another regional-trail access point.

This portion of the area gives you some of the most recognizable Brushy Creek scenery: mature trees, creek crossings, greenbelt and direct access toward the longer regional route.

It also means I'd investigate drainage, flood mapping and elevation carefully for an individual property if the home is genuinely creek-adjacent.

Where Can You Actually Get Onto the Regional Trail?

You don't need to own a trail-adjacent house to use the trail constantly.

Some of the most practical access points are connected to parks with parking, restrooms or other amenities.

Williamson County's trail information shows the regional route connecting these parks as it follows Brushy Creek toward Cedar Park. A Cedar Park trail map places the segments at roughly 1 mile from the trail beginning to Creekside Park, 1.5 miles from Creekside to Champion Park, 1.25 miles from Champion to Brushy Creek Lake Park, 0.75 mile to Brushy Creek Sports Park and another 2.25 miles to Twin Lakes Park.

That makes it possible to build anything from a short evening walk to a significantly longer ride without leaving the trail corridor.

Photo credit required: G. Lamar / CC BY 2.0.

What Is Biking the Brushy Creek Trail Actually Like?

This is one of the area's stronger recreational features.

The main Brushy Creek Regional Trail is mostly concrete, making it accessible for a wide range of bicycles. The regional route connects parks, residential communities and recreation areas across Cedar Park and Round Rock.

But don't assume every connecting trail has the same surface.

Brushy Creek MUD's neighborhood system includes combinations of paved, crushed-granite and gravel trails. For example, the Great Oaks Median Trail combines crushed granite and paved sections, while other local routes have gravel surfaces.

That difference can matter depending on whether you're riding a road bike, hybrid, mountain bike or simply cruising around the neighborhood.

For longer rides, the park connections make the regional trail especially useful because you can stop for restrooms or extend the ride through multiple sections rather than circling one neighborhood repeatedly.

Jogging & Walking: The Convenience Factor Is Real

This might actually be where living near the trail becomes most noticeable.

There is a big difference between thinking:

"I should go for a walk."

and being able to step outside and reach a trail without getting into the car.

Williamson County specifically describes the Brushy Creek Regional Trail as designed for walking, jogging and biking, with the route running through natural areas and connecting multiple parks.

The neighborhood trails add shorter options.

So you don't necessarily need to commit to a six-mile outing.

You can take a neighborhood greenbelt for a shorter loop one day and hop onto the regional system when you want to go farther.

That's one of the biggest distinctions between simply having a park nearby and living within an interconnected trail network.

But What About Privacy?

Here's the part sellers don't always put in the marketing remarks.

Backing to a trail does not automatically mean backing to private green space.

Yes, you may have trees or open space behind your home instead of another backyard.

But depending on the lot, you may also have walkers, runners, cyclists and dog walkers passing behind the property.

Sometimes the trail is far enough away—or separated by enough vegetation—that you barely notice it.

Other times it can run much closer to the rear fence.

That's why I would never judge a trail-adjacent lot from the listing photographs alone.

Go stand in the backyard.

Then find the trail.

Walk behind the property.

Look back toward the house.

Can you see the patio?

Can you see upstairs windows?

Is there heavy vegetation between the trail and fence?

How busy is that particular section at the time you'd normally be home?

Those details determine whether “backs to trail” feels private or exposed.

Greenbelt Lot vs. Trail Lot: They Are NOT the Same Thing

This distinction is important.

A greenbelt lot may back toward preserved vegetation or open space without having a public path immediately behind it.

A trail-adjacent lot may have a public walking and biking route within that green space.

And a creek lot can introduce another set of considerations entirely.

All three might appear in marketing language as some version of “backs to greenbelt.”

I wouldn't treat them the same.

Before paying extra for one, figure out exactly what is behind the fence and who has access to it.

Let's Talk About Wildlife

When you live around this much green space, you're sharing it.

Brushy Creek MUD specifically advises residents that wildlife observed in district parks and greenbelts includes deer, raccoons, coyotes, opossums and several species of snakes.

Cedar Park also reports squirrels, songbirds, bats, occasional foxes, coyotes and bobcats, as well as turtles and pollinators in its parks and green spaces.

So a home facing greenbelt can mean some pretty fantastic backyard sightings.

It can also mean securing pet food, trash and anything else that might attract animals.

Living beside natural space means appreciating that it is, in fact, natural space.

Does a Trail or Greenbelt Lot Usually Cost More?

Sometimes.

But please don't apply a blanket percentage to every Brushy Creek property.

Research conducted on greenways in Austin found that adjacency to a greenbelt was associated with higher sale prices in two of three neighborhoods studied, while direct physical access had a positive effect in one location but no statistically meaningful effect in the other two.

Another Texas study, using roughly 10,000 sales in the San Antonio area, found different market premiums depending on whether a property was near a trail, greenbelt or trail-with-greenbelt combination.

More recently, NAR's 2026 Community and Transportation Preference Survey found that 89% of respondents considered sidewalks and places to walk important when deciding where to live, and 82% said easy walking access to shops and parks was important. Sixty-three percent said they would pay more to live somewhere with convenient walking access to parks, shops and restaurants.

But none of that tells us what one particular Brushy Creek buyer will pay for one particular backyard.

For an actual listing, I'd compare recent sales.

Trail lot versus interior lot.

Greenbelt versus non-greenbelt.

Similar age.

Similar size.

Similar condition.

Then look at how buyers actually responded.

Because a beautiful wooded buffer behind the home can attract one kind of response.

A busy path immediately against the fence can produce another.

Before Paying More for a Trail Lot, Check These Things

Here is the checklist I'd use before deciding whether that lot deserves the premium:

1. Walk behind the property. Don't stop at viewing the backyard from inside the fence.

2. Visit more than once. Morning, evening and weekend activity can look completely different.

3. Identify the trail. Regional trail, MUD greenbelt trail, neighborhood connector or informal path?

4. Measure the separation. Trees and fifty feet of green space feel different from pavement directly behind the fence.

5. Check flood information. Particularly when the property is close to Brushy Creek itself.

6. Review easements and the survey. Understand where the property ends and public or utility areas begin.

7. Look at rear-fence condition and restrictions. Especially if privacy improvements are important to you.

8. Research comparable sales. Don't assume every greenbelt lot receives the same buyer response.

One More Thing: The Trail Is Still Growing

Brushy Creek Regional Trail isn't a finished story.

Williamson County currently has additional trail projects underway or in planning. A proposed extension from Hairy Man Road toward Sam Bass Road would add approximately 1.5 miles of 10-foot-wide concrete trail. Design is complete, federal permitting was received in May 2026, and additional transportation funding was awarded in June 2026, although the county says there is not yet an established construction timeline.

Other future connections are being explored toward Southwest Regional Park, Lakeline Park and farther east.

That matters if you're buying nearby.

A property that isn't particularly close to a trail connection today could have a very different relationship to the trail system later.

It's another reason to research planned infrastructure—not just what's visible when you tour the house.

So, Would I Buy a Home Backing to the Brushy Creek Trail?

I wouldn't automatically say yes.

But I'd absolutely pay attention when one hits the market.

The right trail or greenbelt lot can provide something that's difficult to recreate: mature trees, open space behind the home and easy access to miles of outdoor recreation.

The wrong one—for your preferences—might feel too exposed or too active.

The sweet spot may actually be one or two houses away from the trail.

You get the access.

You can walk or bike there in minutes.

But your backyard stays more removed from the activity.

Then again, for someone who wants to open the back gate and immediately hit the trail?

The direct trail lot may be exactly the point.

That's why buying along Brushy Creek is less about whether trail access is “good” or “bad” and more about understanding exactly what kind of trail access you're buying.

Thinking About Living Near the Brushy Creek Trail?

At Hoyden Homes, we can help you compare more than the house itself.

We can look at where the lot sits, what is actually behind it, how the property connects to the trail system, nearby competition and how comparable greenbelt or trail-adjacent homes have performed in the market.

Because in Brushy Creek, sometimes the thing that makes you love the house isn't inside the house at all.

It's what's waiting outside the back gate.