After the city of Pflugerville saw a 14% increase in visitors throughout its park system last year, officials are making plans for more improvements to trails, playgrounds and other amenities.

The gist

Shane Mize, director of parks and recreation, updated Pflugerville City Council on July 25 on recent developments happening within the department. As the city’s parks have seen increases in visitors in the past year, he has expectations for continued growth as staff have been working on upgrades to all of the facilities. Among the most recent improvements was the installation of a new fitness court at Gilleland Creek Park, located at 700 Railroad Ave., Pflugerville.

Using grant money from the Pflugerville Community Development Corp., the court was designed to provide a full-body workout in seven minutes by rotating through seven exercise zones. Visitors will find a QR code to help guide their workout and get access to outdoor fitness challenges.

By the numbers




Lake Pflugerville and 1849 Park have seen some of the largest increases in visitors in recent years, as Pflugerville’s overall park system is on pace to have more than 1 million guests in fiscal year 2023. The growth in annual visits looks like this:

Lake Pflugerville visitors:
  • FY 2018-2019: 166,900
  • FY 2019-2020: 91,100
  • FY 2020-2021: 172,000
  • FY 2021-2022: 191,500
  • Projected FY 2022-2023: 227,700
1849 Park visitors:
  • FY 2018-2019: 44,400
  • FY 2019-2020: 39,500
  • FY 2020-2021:105,100
  • FY 2021-2022: 148,400
  • Projected FY 2022-2023: 163,500
Pflugerville park system visitors:
  • FY 2018-2019: 883,530
  • FY 2019-2020: 600,750
  • FY 2020-2021: 828,590
  • FY 2021-2022: 960,970
  • Projected FY 2022-2023: about 1.01 million
What they’re saying

“I think when you have a staff that’s working really hard and you have a community that does not have an appetite to go outside the city limits and would prefer to see what’s offered internally first, I think you see the attendance grow,” Mize said.

Also on the agenda




Council approved a resolution proclaiming Pflugerville the Trail Capital of Texas. More than 56 miles have been dedicated to trails so far, while parks staff have plans to increase connectivity in the future.

Other projects

Multiple projects are in the works for Pflugerville’s parks, including:
  • Multicourt and public art at Stone Hill Park
  • Gilleland Creek pavilion renovation
  • NFL Play 60 playground course at Cambridge Heights Park
  • Playground and adult exercise stations on the south side of Lake Pflugerville
  • Shade and playground at Heritage Park