This review is for hiking- there are two short hiking trails. I'd you are coming to hike, don't. You will get through them in 20 minutes. Luckily for us we did have kids who were complaining of being tired by the midway point of it, so it is perfect for families. But if you are an avid hiker who hikes for miles and miles, this is not the spot. We did go to the beach to look around, but didn't get in as it is winter right now and was at 30-50 degree weather. It is a beautiful place, very clean and well kept. If you are coming in with family, this is perfect, but if you want to hike, this is not your spot. read more

Wanted to get out of Fort Worth for a mental health day. This particular state park was a little over an hour away. As soon as I drove into the front entrance, I stopped in the office in order to print the day pass I purchased online yesterday. All three ladies were extremely friendly and helpful. They showed me the key highlights of the park on the map. Then I shopped their merchandise in the park store. The trails were very well maintained and laid out. Each path was clearly visible so as not to get lost or off the marked walkway. I even spent some time in one of the day use areas to read this month's issue of Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. What a way to finish enjoying such a wonderful park. Please check out! read more

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Absolutely gorgeous!! Paved tv spot, picnic table and fire pit. Spacious and clean campsites. Restrooms and showers are ok- lots of bugs. Great place to stop for a few nights. read more

Lake Whitney State Park - View from the campsite. - Parks Near Me - Whitney, Texas

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Lake Whitney State Park is larger than expected. If you want a day out at the lake, it's perfect and doesn't disappoint. My main draw to Texas State Parks is the hiking. Lake Whitney has two, one mile trails, which doesn't offer much for actually hiking, because they are so short. It's the reason I personally docked a star. However, I understand that not all Texas State Park's focus on hiking. It's a very nice resource, if you live in the area. read more

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This is a beautiful state park with great campsites and good boat ramp. What I don't like about all Tx state parks is that even when you have an annual pass, you have to go in wait through line to get a sticker for your window. For this reason, I will not renew a pass again. Corps parks are so much easier. You just put your hang tag on your mirror and drive in and that's where I go now. I bought an annual pass last year to state parks and I think I've been there twice including the day I bought my pass, so that was basically just a donation to the state lol. In the future, should there not be a corps park available then I'll go wait in line, which can be considerable in length due to the cut back and employees, and go to a state park again. This is not highly likely! read more

If you ever find yourself in TX I SO recommend this park. Whether you have a trailer a tent or none you can rent their shelters. They have them right on the lake so gorgeous so quiet dark skies. It was absolutely fantastic. Come here with your group, come here with your whole family. Have a family reunion I don't care do it all. Staff was super accommodating. I ended up extending my stay and they were able to switch my campsite so that I only had to move one time and then I could see my new campsite from that location. read more

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First time staying here Tent camped Stayed at Roadrunner loop, thought I needed electricity but did not use it. Will go back but will stay at Lakeview Camping area No trailers with lights and no street lights,,,, like to star gaze,,, helps with out the added lights Park is clean!!!!! Hiked both trails, more for exercise Saw one deer!!!! Rangers are great!!! read more

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This is a really nice park. Most of the staff are really nice. We don't like that they allow fishing in the swimming area even though there are signs that say no fishing in the swimming by area. Staff drives way too fast through the camping loops. Also most campers do as well. No idea why people think that's ok when there are so many kids. read more

Nice Park big park spread out. We stayed in the full hookups area "horseshoe Loop" in site 28. Nice roomy sites & clean. Great staff, friendly & informative. Nice Lake, we swam but did not do any fishing on our stay. Easy hikes, 2 trails & much longer hikes on the roads. There are ruins of a Towash settlement inside the Park. read more

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Came out from San Antonio for a fun weekend. This is such an amazing park. Lots of space to camp and really clean. Great little beach a fun fishing area. Lots of wildlife so be aware if you have your pet. Saw a snake and scorpion. Went fishing and caught a catfish and some striped bass. Can't wait to come back!' read more

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Lake Whitney State Park is a pretty good state park, if I was a fisherman. It wasn't very busy but for hikers, this really isn't the best with only 2 trails. read more

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One of the friendly towns of Texas Peaceful pleasant of course you're going to have a couple of jackasses but no town is complete without. read more

First time at Lake Whitney August 2-3, 2022. Peaceful and quiet--exactly what I needed. It's nice to glamp and run into town just 6 minutes away to get groceries at Brookshire Bros., General Dollar, or Family Dollar. We forgot our fan for the trailer and found a perfect little high velocity fan at Family Dollar. I really like that the full hook ups are pull throughs. They are roomy and private even when other glampers are next to you. That's rare in state parks. read more

This is a review for camping. We went camping with friends over Thanksgiving weekend (so we could safely socialize during the pandemic while remaining outdoors the whole time), and the park wasn't crowded at all. It wasn't the weather for water sports, obviously, but it was still quite nice to be near the lake, and it's a very relaxing place to camp. We stayed at a campsite with water but without electric. The campsites are quite close together, so there's not really any privacy, and I think it would feel crowded if the park were full - I'd be most likely to return for camping in the off season. There are only a couple of short (around a mile) easy trails at Lake Whitney, so I don't recommend coming here if your main aim is to hike all day. But if you want a movement break while camping/lounging/relaxing, this is a great option. The Two Bridges trail is delightful - shady and relaxing and not too tough with lovely wooded and lake views. The Towash Forest trail is misnamed: it's a trail through a unshaded plain with long grass and lots of grasshoppers that feels more swampy than foresty. It's fun, but just know what you're getting into! Check the map when you book your site - we had delightful lake views! Note for Covid-times: unlike the other state park I camped at (Lake Mineral Wells), everyone at Lake Whitney was following good Covid-19 protocols: all other guests we saw in public areas and indoor restrooms had masks, and the bathrooms kept their windows open with a fan running for ventilation. (However, this could be because we visited on Thanksgiving, and folks who are diligent and take Covid seriously were likelier to be camping on Thanksgiving, instead of gathering indoors with families.) If you're planning on visiting multiple state parks (or even visiting this park multiple times!), I highly recommend getting the Texas State Parks pass. For $70, you get free admission for a year for you and whoever is in your car. Since day passes are $7 per person, this means that the pass pays for itself after 5 visits with a friend/10 solo visits. With the parks pass, you also get half off the camping fees for each night after your first night! read more

Great summer and winter camping. This is a big park, lots of walking and cycling possible within the park. Boat ramp is excellent and the lake is huge. There are several camping sections, only 1 has full hookups, the others range from electric and water to water only tent camping. read more

It is very beautiful and above all clean, excellent place to rest, everything is very good, we had an incredible time! read more

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This was our second camping trip at Lake Whitney State Park. We absolutely love coming here! The staff is so friendly and there are plenty things to do! We reserved a screened shelter and were pleased to find that they had been recently re-built. Apparently Whitney had quite a bit of flooding and the shelters were under water. Instead of just patching them, the tote them down and started fresh! The new shelters are beautiful! While we were there our children decided to take part in becoming Junior Park Rangers. They loved it and learned a lot about the history of the park and the rules and regulations. They got to take an oath and received certificates and "official" Junior Park Ranger badges. We will definitely be back! read more

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Lake Whitney isn't one of the flashier lakes in Texas. In fact, it's pretty plain. And if you're the type who needs dozens of activities to fill your camping time, Whitney isn't the lake for you. But I don't care about all that. Lake Whitney is one of my favorite places to camp because of its ability to just be a lake. Even during the busiest camping season, Whitney never seems to be as full as the rest of the lakes in the area. We can almost always get a shelter right up to the weekend we want to camp and all of the sites are spread out enough that you're not camping right on top of someone else. The Rangers are always friendly and helpful and it's obvious that they truly love their jobs. It's always interesting to talk to them for a bit and get an inside look into what's happening around the park. They're really good about patrolling the area and making sure no one is getting out of hand. The Whitney Rangers are also the best we've seen about enforcing the quiet time (10pm-6am). Yes, we're old. This matters. The hospitality crew does a great job of keeping the restrooms clean and stocked with TP and soap (the soap is truly an extravagant plus). Not all the restrooms have showers and not all the showers have heaters but the ones that do are warm enough to shower on the coldest of nights. Entrance fees are $5/pp/day, campsites range from $10-$24 (primitive to water/electric/sewer hookups)/night and shelters are $30/night. The park office sells firewood ($5.60/bundle-about 3-4 pieces of wood) and ice but the town of Whitney is close enough for a store run, if you need it. Pro tip: Buy an annual Parks Pass for $70. You get 4 vouchers for 1/2 off your second night of camping (not good on holiday weekends), waived entrance fees and a 10% discount at the park store. We saved $35 on our first camping weekend of the year and only need one more weekend to pay for the card. If you find yourself in need of help after hours, call 254-694-3793 and you'll be connected with a Ranger's cell phone. This especially comes in handy if you've found yourself locked out of the park after 10:00pm. (they also give you the code to the gate on the back of your registration paper for your windshield) Lake Whitney is just a lake. And sometimes that's all you need. read more

We stayed here over Easter weekend and booked about a month in advance. There were 10 of us, I alone have 4 children ranging from 11-2 years old. We were at site 121 directly across from the bathrooms. The camp sites were great! Well maintained and beautifully spaced, we definitely felt like we could play music and relax without bothering any neighbors! Almost every site had a good amount of shade and plenty of spots to hang hammocks! Bathrooms were great! Clean and regularly checked on by maintenance! Showers too! The hillside where we were was a little difficult to get down to the water but once you knew where to go it was great swimming! Neat little hiking trails and some good fishing spots as well! Everyone we encountered was courteous and friendly. All in all my family and I had a wonderful trip and we will definitely be staying here again! read more

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My favorite part of camping is the bike trails. There weren't a lot of bike trails. There was actually only one that was open but the roads were nice to ride on not too hilly and not a lot of traffic. The lake was beautiful and the campsite was nice. read more

Clean, quiet and well maintained. Would definitely visit again. Looks like it would be a lot of fun in the summer

Nice place for activities. Hiking trails are always clean. Camping spaces are nice and rarely full. Good place to SUP or kayak and take dogs to swim. Lots of deer wandering read more

Beautiful views from the site we were at. If you are in a camper DON'T reserve full hook up sites. They aren't on the water. We drove around and felt bad for the campers that had no views other than an open field. We found a ton of fossils near the water! Not very many hiking trails. The restrooms were dirty compared to other state parks..too many bugs and webs inside the stalls. The play ground only consisted of swings. We enjoyed our time fossil hunting and listening to the waves from the lake. For Spring Break, we expected more activities to be held for kids compared to other state parks. We enjoyed our time but probably won't go back since other state parks are closer for us. read more

Lake Whitney State Park - A couple of fossils Emma found by the lake. - Parks Near Me - Whitney, Texas

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LW state park is ok. The lake is clean. The roads are well kept. Staff is VERY friendly. Camp sites are flat and most are shaded. I'm torn about the sites being tent or trailer sites. While this time the camper next to us had a white noise affect coming from it I can't help but wonder "what if it made a terrible noise?!" ALSO! VERY IMPORTANT! YOU HAVE TO DRIVE TO THE RESTROOM FROM ANY AREA! Which if you aren't a frequent flyer like me than you could careless, I get that! But if you ARE than don't camp here. I won't be again. This issue ruined my stay at this park. read more

Lake Whitney State Park - Parks Near Me - Whitney, Texas

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We camped for 3 nights in our RV at site 88. The campsite itself was awesome! It had a water view with a little trail going directly to the water. The RV had some shade coverage and the lot size was big. The park is on a pretty busy lake with lots of motorized boats. Fishing is allowed without a fishing license. My husband caught a few bass and a crappie, and the lake is known for its bass. There is a cute little "beach" area open to the public that's great for swimming. We could not hear any road noise from the campsite. We did have a group of noisy neighbors who were up past midnight screaming and laughing. It's like they weren't even trying to be quiet. I filed a noise complaint in the morning, and the following evening, I noticed a significant difference in the noise level coming from that group. I assume the park employees spoke to the group and managed the situation. So, even though I wasn't thrilled with all the noise, I'm happy with the way it was handled. Negatives- There aren't many trails in this park, but I guess people don't come to the park for the trails. We brought our kayak, but the lake isn't really that kayak-friendly. The waves are a little rough and there was a lot of wind while we were there. For us, it's over a 2 hour drive to get to this park. We probably won't come back. We have parks closer to our house that can meet the same expectations. read more

Love camping at Lake Whitney. The restrooms on the 111-137 loop are brand new and super nice. Lots of the tent sites are water accessible but most have a very rocky walk down to the water. So many awesome views and fun in the water. There are only 2 trails at the campground, both of which are very short and flat and easy. They are considered hike and bike trails which means the terrain is flat, wide and has hardly any rocks. The Towash trail was closed when I went this weekend due to previous flooding. The new reservation system online is awesome! You can pick your spot before getting out there. Is only a 2 and a half hour drive from Austin and normally has way more availability than Inks or McKinney. Super friendly staff at the park headquarters. Good fishing. Not really a kayak type lake as the water is very rough. Firewood and fire starter is available at the headquarters. Lots of gas stations and little local restaurants in town less than 10 minute drive if you don't want to cook at the site. read more

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I arrived at the park for another year-end camping trip with my local RV club, the North Texas Camping Association. This was the 15th annual gathering of friends at Lake Whitney State Park. Lake Whitney is a wonderful park with great facilities. I love exploring the park and watching all the wildlife. A warm felt thank you goes out to the very accommodating park staff. read more

Lovely cedar Grove. Pools open until 8 pm daily. Quiet, pet friendly and a picnic table for each site. Definitely go here!!! I'll definitely be back. read more

First experience cliff diving and it was the extremely fun. Water was perfect and it wasn't a hassle to get back on top of the cliff. read more

Love State Park. It is hard to get a 50 amp site though as they're always booked up. Otherwise, I love this place and can stay in a 30 amp during fall and spring. read more

Lake Whitney State Park is a great place to camp! The grounds are very clean, the restrooms were in walking distance from our campsite and they were GREAT. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. There's only two " hiking " trails they were nicely kept, but I wish there was more trails. Overall, 10/10. read more

Great for swimming Remember it's a limited park with a huge huge lake Rangers were real nice and peppy Would encourage y'all to get a annual state park pass for only $70 read more

Went camping and fishing with friends and co-works. The park was clean and the restrooms to. Water levels are low need to restock the lake with fish they are sticklers for "quite" at night time 10:00 read more

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Super friendly staff, better than average bathrooms (accessible too!) plenty of areas for fishing. $5/person not car but still a nice place to spend the day. read more

Lake Whitney State Park - Parks Near Me - Whitney, Texas

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It is such a beautiful lake! We just did Day Passes, but we checked out the campsites and cabins. The lake has easy access for swimming, with a little sandy/mud entrance. Not crowded and a wonderful swimming hole for floating. We will be back and can't wait for our next visit! read more

An interesting state park that has many things of interest to offer. The lake offers beautiful beaches, fishing plus water skiing. During the 4th of July they have one of the best displays in the area that can be seen from miles. There are hiking trails and bicycle trails as well. A true " fun for the whole family " state park! read more

The best Texas State Park that we have camped in so far!!! Friendly staff, clean RV parking area. We have never had a problem with noise levels at night because they are strict about that kind of thing. Park Host are available at all times if you are staying overnight for any length of time. read more

Stayed here while we played in a baseball tournament in Whitney. We loved it! The spots are well kept and clean, the people working in the front were friendly and welcoming. We will definitely stay here again!! read more

It's a great park and we look forward spending time there each year. We've been having our family reunions there for ever it seem. Fun for everyone as we like to hike, fish , camp and swim. We will be back out there this late summer..... read more

We just returned from a great camping weekend at Lake Whitney State Park. The park was outstanding with lots of camping loops spread around the shore of the lake. The drought in central Texas is clearly evident, as the lake is barely visible around the peninsula near the Horseshoe Camping Loop and Two Bridges Trail. A unique feature of this state park is the 2000 foot paved airstrip for small aircraft, located in the middle of the park. We only got to hear a single plane take off during the entire weekend. I was actually hoping to see more so my girls could watch them takeoff and land. Adjacent to the taxiway for the airstrip is an R/C airfield, as well. Park Road 47 makes a large loop around the airfield. The road is paved and in great condition. The traffic was light since cooler weather deterred many from the lake. The road was great for riding our bikes on and made a nice 3 mile loop for our rides. All of the camping loops extend from this park road, 8 in all, including 1 loop for day use and screen shelters. Horseshoe Camping Loop, with 51 pull through sites is the only loop with sewer hook-ups. This was where we camped. The sites were pretty level side to side and generally level front to back. I could see a few campers with maybe a lego block under one side of the camper, but most sites were sufficiently level without them. The loop is heavily treed around the perimeter with a wide open meadow in the middle. The park rangers were very helpful in helping us pick out a site for our camper. Some of the sites do vary quite a bit in length, and the rangers keep a detailed description of each site, including info on when shade is present, the existence of trees that could impede awning or slide deployment as well as overall length and width of the parking pad. All the sites have a concrete picnic table and benches. Some of the sites also have a metal shade structure over the picnic area. All sites also have a fire ring. Sunset Ridge Camping Loop is another popular choice for big rigs. Water and Electric are available on this loop, but no sewer. The sites in this loop had a great view of the lake, and as the name would imply, the sunset. This loop sits probably 10 feet or more above the lake on a ridge, so it is probably better for views than for lake access. Road Runner camping loop is the only other water and electric loop. The sites here are probably best suited for smaller trailers and pop-ups, but they might do in a pinch. There are two hiking loops at Lake Whitney State Park. The first is Two Bridges Trail, an interpretive hiking trail loop. This trail is just under one mile in length. The trail could have been better marked, but the path is worn enough to follow without too much trouble. It appears that MOST people have done well to keep to the trail, although there is a clear path that is unmarked that extends from the Group Hall to the lake shore. The second trail is Towash Forest Trail. This trail is designated as a hike and bike trail. I didn't get to check this loop out, but the map indicates it is just over 1 mile, and also makes a loop. As I mentioned, we really enjoyed this State Park. For us, the only real drawback was the distance. At about 2.5 hours away, it's quite a distance for a quick, weekend camping trip. Part of this is the fact that we live in the Austin area and are surrounded by fantastic state parks, many less than an hour away. For this trip, we were meeting family, who was coming down from north Texas, so this was pretty close to meeting the middle. If this park doesn't make it on our list as a regular favorite, it will only be because we are so spoiled by closer gems. read more