Explore Lake Livingston State Park: A Nature Lover's Paradise
By: Christopher Long
Revised by: Laurie E. Jasinski
Published: March 1, 1995
Updated: October 14, 2025
Lake Livingston State Park is on the shores of Lake Livingston off Farm Road 3126, about seven miles southwest of Livingston in Polk County. The 635-acre park was built by the Trinity River Authority in the 1960s. The state acquired the land for the park in 1972 and 1973, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department opened the state park in 1977. The heavily wooded terrain supports a wide variety of wildlife, ranging from raccoons and opossums to warblers and other woodland birds. Bald eagles nest in the area. The lake offers crappie, catfish, and varieties of bass, especially white bass, for anglers. Park facilities include a park store, picnicking areas, hiking trails, three boat ramps, a marina, a bathhouse, and a beach for swimmers. A total of more than 140 campsites are in the park as well as ten screened shelters. Many amenities, including the fishing pier, interpretive center, group hall, and a number of the screened shelters, are wheelchair accessible.
Bibliography:
Lake Livingston State Park, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/lake-livingston), accessed October 13, 2025. Ray Miller, Texas Parks (Houston: Cordovan, 1984).
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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Christopher Long Revised by Laurie E. Jasinski, “Lake Livingston State Park,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/lake-livingston-state-recreation-area.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
TID:
GKL14
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- March 1, 1995
- October 14, 2025
