Lake Livingston State Park
LAKE LIVINGSTON STATE PARK
LAKE LIVINGSTON STATE PARK
There is an abundance of state parks near Houston, but this has to be one of our favorites.
About an hour north of the city, you can find the tranquil shores and spectacular sunsets of Lake Livingston.
It’s the second-largest lake in the state, so there’s tons of space to boat, fish, swim, kayak, and stand-up paddleboard.
On land, enjoy hiking along quiet, wooded trails, searching for geocaches, and sampling reds and whites at one of the area’s many wineries.
And if one day just doesn’t feel like enough time to relax, there are dozens of overnight options, from campgrounds to cozy lakefront cabins.
Lake Livingston State Park contains 635.5 acres along Lake Livingston a 84,800-acre reservoir. It's located near the ghost town of Swartwout, a steamboat landing on the Trinity River in the 1830s and 1850s and the meeting place of Polk County's first commissioners court before voters selected Livingston as county seat.
Native emergent plants are limited to the upper areas of the reservoir and in the backs of coves and embayments. The floating exotic water hyacinth is found throughout the reservoir. Lake Livingston is a notable white bass fishery. White bass are plentiful and grow to large sizes. The catfish fishery is dominated by blue catfish. Largemouth bass, striped bass, and crappie are less abundant but good catches are possible in areas of the reservoir where habitat is available.
Flora/Fauna:
Park vegetation includes pine-oak woodlands, dominated by loblolly pine and water oak. Typical wildlife of the pineywoods includes an occasional white-tailed deer, mallard duck, raccoon, armadillo, swamp rabbit, or squirrel. Popular fish include crappie, perch, catfish, and bass.
Activities:
* Camping
* Picnicking
* Swimming pool (Memorial Day to Labor Day)
* Mountain biking
* Nature study
* Fishing
* Boating
* Day use equestrian is now available: Visitors use the horses provided by Lake Livingston stables and are not allowed to bring their own horses.