Explore Lake Whitney State Park: A Nature Lover's Paradise
By: Karen Yancy
Revised by: Laurie E. Jasinski
Published: 1976
Updated: October 13, 2025
Lake Whitney State Park is located on Farm Road 1244 thirty-five miles north of Waco and four miles southwest of Whitney in western Hill County. This 775-acre park is on the eastern shoreline of Lake Whitney. Construction of the Whitney Dam and Reservoir was completed in 1951, and land for the park was initially leased from the Department of the Army in 1954. The park opened in 1965 and lies in the geologic region called the Grand Prairie and is near the Eastern Cross Timbers. Adjacent to Lake Whitney State Park are the inundated ruins of Towash, an early Texas settlement commemorated by a marker in the park. Live oak, post oak, cedar, cottonwood, and hackberry trees can be found in the park. Wildlife include skunks, deer, raccoons, opossums, rabbits, armadillos, foxes, and a wide variety of birds. The lake offers varieties of bass and is known for its record-size blue catfish. Park facilities include a landing strip, trails, boat ramps, a group hall, and picnic areas. The park has twenty-seven screened shelters and more than 130 campsites. Recreational activities include hiking, biking, swimming, fishing, bird-watching, and water skiing.
Bibliography:
Dallas Morning News, February 18, 1973. Lake Whitney State Park, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/lake-whitney), accessed October 12, 2025.
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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Karen Yancy Revised by Laurie E. Jasinski, “Lake Whitney State Park,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/lake-whitney-state-recreation-area.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
TID:
GKL05
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- 1976
- October 13, 2025
