Check out our video about Lake Livingston State Park on YouTube!
We recently spent the weekend at Lake Livingston State Park. It sure was hot, but we’ve got a great video for you today!
About the Park
Lake Livingston is about an hour North of Houston and is one of the largest lakes in the state of Texas. It’s located on the Trinity River and has lots of outdoor activities available for those wanting to get out of the city. Fishing, hiking, swimming, boating, camping, birding, and so much more! Be sure to follow Lake Livingston State Park on Facebook. Ranger Joel often posts updates, program schedules, and more.
We’re heading to Lake Livingston with our travel trailer, but other camping options include tent camping, screened shelters, and group camp sites. We did get a bit of a later start than planned, so we arrived after dark and I don’t have any video of us arriving or setting up.
Hiking
There are lots of great hiking trails around Lake Livingston State Park. There were a couple of bridges out that haven’t been repaired since the area experienced some flooding, and we found one of those dead ends on our hike. We didn’t go as far as we wanted because all of us were too hot, Marley included!
Boating, Fishing, Observation Tower, Camp Store
Lake Livingston State Park has a great camp store right next to the lake. When we stopped by the park ranger was doing a talk on reptiles and fed one of the snakes in front of the audience. I’m not a snake fan, so I just listened from a distance!
Don’t miss the observation tower! We meant to come back when it was cooler to get video from up top… but decided to save it for our next trip when it’s cooler!
The park has a very nice enclosed fish cleaning area. No need to worry about birds harassing you. Lake Livingston is known for its white bass population, but you’ll also find catfish, crappie and perch.
There are plenty of docks for your small watercraft. There are three boat ramps, and you can rent double kayaks on site. There are lots of fishing spots so bring your tackle and pole! As long as you are fishing from the shore or pier inside a Texas State Park, no fishing license is required and you’re limited to two poles. But if you’re fishing from a boat, you’ll need a license.
Campground
We were at site #____ in the Hercules loop. The bathhouse was nearby, but not too close. I don’t have any video of it because every time I went, there was someone else using the facilities. They were typical campground facilities, nicely kept but they’ve been there a while, if you know what I mean.
The sites were nice and level site with concrete pads, picnic tables and grills or fire rings. Since the county was under a burn ban due to the drought, there weren’t any campfires going this weekend.
There is lots of shade thanks to the huge trees on this side of the campground. Be sure to check the photos of your site before booking because some sites that were lakefront on the other side had no trees or shade at all. But if you’re in the Hercules Loop, you’ll have plenty of shade!
Here’s a Texas Tip for ya: If you want your RV’s air conditioning to survive in Texas’ 104 degree heat, you’re going to need to help it with some shade!
Overall we loved our stay at Lake Livingston State Park and will definitely be back for a longer (and hopefully cooler) stay.