Lake Whitney State Park
State park in Hill County, in the Prairies and Lakes region. Established 1965. 817 acres by TPWD boundary data.
Lake Whitney State Park sits on the 23,500-acre lake between Waco and Dallas–Fort Worth. You can swim, ski, boat, and fish for largemouth, striped and white bass and blue catfish. Ashore there are prairie trails with spring wildflowers, and screened shelters with lake views. Bald eagles and wild turkeys have been seen in the park.
Things to do
Fish
There's a boat ramp and a fish cleaning shelter, and the park loans fishing gear. A youth fishing tournament is held the first Saturday in June.
Walk the prairie
All trails are open to hikers and bikers. Stop at the Big Oak at headquarters and the view from Lake View Point.
Trails
Trails listed by TPWD, with its own distances and ratings.
| Trail | Distance | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Two Bridges Trail | 0.9 mi | Easy |
| Towash Forest Trail | 1.2 mi | Easy |
Source: TPWD trail list. TPWD doesn’t list trail surfaces. Printable trail map (PDF).
Camping
Choose campsites with water only, water and electricity, or full hookups, or a screened shelter, many with a lake view.
| Site type | Sites | Sleeps | Per night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Hookup CampsitesFull hookup | 43 | 8 | $24 |
| Campsites with ElectricityWater and electric | 31 | 8 | $20 |
| Campsites with WaterTent sites with water | 63 | 8 | $14 |
| Screened SheltersScreened shelters | 27 | 8 | $30 |
| CabinsCabins | 4 | $50 |
Nightly rates are on top of the daily entrance fee. Book a site with Texas State Parks reservations, or call (512) 389-8900.
Visiting with dogs
Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Like every Texas state park, they can't go into park buildings or designated swimming areas.
Swimming
Swimming is allowed in designated areas. There are no lifeguards at Texas state parks.
Best time to go
- Busy season
- March through October
- Night sky
- Bortle 4.5
TPWD lists March through October as the busy season and says the park often reaches capacity.
Averages and busy season from TPWD. The Bortle scale runs from 1 (darkest sky) to 9 (inner city).
Getting there
Whitney, TX 76692
(254) 694-3793
Open in OpenStreetMap (31.9312, -97.3568)
| From | Approx. drive | Straight line |
|---|---|---|
| Waco | 1 hr 9 min | 28 mi |
| Fort Worth | 1 hr 28 min | 59 mi |
| Dallas | 1 hr 33 min | 69 mi |
| Austin | 2 hr 44 min | 115 mi |
| Tyler | 2 hr 51 min | 123 mi |
| The Woodlands | 3 hr 54 min | 163 mi |
Nearby parks
- Meridian State Park
- Cleburne State Park
- Dinosaur Valley State Park
- Mother Neff State Park
- Cedar Hill State Park
Straight-line distance. See every park in the Prairies and Lakes.
Questions people ask
Can you swim at Lake Whitney State Park?
Yes. There are no lifeguards.
How far is Lake Whitney State Park from Waco?
About an hour and 10 minutes by car, based on OpenStreetMap routing.
Photo credits
- Day Use Area Lake Whitney SP Texas 2024.jpg by Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0.
- Buttonbush Lake Whitney SP Texas 2024.jpg by Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0.
Sources
Last checked October 14, 2026. Fees, hours and rules change; the official TPWD page for Lake Whitney has current alerts and closures.
- TPWD: Lake Whitney State Park, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD state parks map (amenities, contact), retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD GIS: Texas State Parks Public Areas, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Bortle ratings by region, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Lake Whitney State Park campsites, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Lake Whitney State Park screened shelters, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Lake Whitney State Park cabins and lodging, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Lake Whitney State Park trails, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Lake Whitney State Park history, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: state park rules (pets, swimming), retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD GIS: Texas State Parks Boundaries (area computed from boundary), retrieved October 14, 2026
- Wikipedia: List of Texas state parks, retrieved October 14, 2026
- OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data (approximate drive times), retrieved October 14, 2026
- Wikimedia Commons (photos), retrieved October 14, 2026