Lake Livingston

We spent four nights here in December 2025, on our Texas winter trip (Episode 6). We were in site 91 in the Hercules Club loop and paid $70.00 for four nights, with our Texas State Parks Pass. Our full field report is still being written, so here is what to know about the place itself.

The short version

Lake Livingston State Park covers 635 acres on the southeastern edge of Lake Livingston in Polk County, in the East Texas Pineywoods about an hour north of Houston. The lake, an impoundment of the Trinity River, is one of the largest reservoirs in Texas and supplies water to Houston and other East Texas cities.

A little history

• The Alabama and Coushatta tribes, who settled here at the invitation of the Spanish, live on tribal lands nearby today.
• After the Civil War, railroads brought a logging boom, and timber is still the area's main product.
• Texas Parks and Wildlife opened the park in 1977.

What it is known for

• Fishing, especially for white bass, plus crappie, catfish and bass. There are three boat ramps, two fish cleaning stations, a fishing pier and 2.5 miles of shoreline.
• Trails through loblolly pine and hardwoods, including the Trinity Trace Trail, which connects all the campsites.
• An observation tower with views of Pine Island, the lake's largest island.
• Bald eagles nest around the lake and are seen most often in fall and winter.

Camping

• Full hookup sites in four loops: Piney Shores (22 lake view sites with 20, 30 and 50 amp service), Yaupon (37), Red Oak (12) and Pin Oak (4), the last three with 50 amp service.
• Water and electric sites in the Hercules Club and Pin Oak loops, and a tent-only loop with water nearby.
• Ten screened shelters and group sites. The park map shows a dump station.

Good to know

• Friday or Saturday reservations require a two-night minimum. Spring through fall is busiest.
• There is an entrance fee. Alligators live in the area.