Lake Livingston State Park Campground

Love staying at Livingston. It is close enough to Houston that we can have a quick get away, but still be away from things that you can enjoy. The park is very well maintained, and the trails are good. A lot of people fish the lake, but I haven’t had a lot of luck - that doesn’t mean anything, though 🤣

Clean, plenty of spaces, tents and RV’s. Nice fire pit. Nice lake view and water fun!

Well maintained, friendly staff, awesomely hot showers, pretty lake.

Can hear cars from the road outside the park :(

All the RV pads are nice concrete pads, with ample space between sites. Piney Shores is the best loop with full hookups and nice view of the lake.

The spots are a good distance from each other and have lots of trees

Nice park with some nice, short, well maintained trails. Not much to do in town, a few shops.

Enjoyed our time here

This was a great park for family camping. The campsites were fairly large and all the campsites together weren’t very noisy with everyone being around. The restrooms and showers were clean there is only two showers on each side male and female there is no family shower or a parent shower/restroom. The park is spread out so do explore they do have an archery range so definitely check out the events they have going out on before you go and be sure to register. The fishing pier is really nice and clean they do not have any fishing pole holders however their marina store is very nice they do have some things and activities for kids they do have bait and they do have a few necessities that you would need for camping as well. The only downside for when we were there the mosquitoes for some reason were really bad at campsite however when we were closer to water they were fine and spray didn’t help.

Fairly spaced out, nice and relaxed. Southern hospitality really played out when some neighbors gave us their extra firewood. Mosquitoes were terrible due to the rain, among the worst I’ve seen as far as mosquitoes go. Well maintained restrooms as well.

We arrived 151 days after making our on-line reservations for the very busy Memorial Day weekend in Piney Shore Loop campground. This was our fourth camping adventure at Lake Livingston State Park in the Piney Shore Loop. 

Pros EXTREMELY quiet during the Memorial Day weekend. Even tho not backed up to 

lake, nice view of lake from Site#55. Double concrete pad as it is an accessible campsite. Very level concrete pad; no need to do any type of leveling. Nice early morning shade onto Site#55 Very good privacy from neighbor Site#54 and Site behind#48 Park ranger drive-thru about every four hours Restroom/showers good working condition, clean, ample hand soap and toilet paper. Recently paved park roads very nice upgrade Mosquitoes were drawn to those who strung lots of lights throughout their site, so many did not use those lights which resulted in good dark conditions for night sky viewing. 1-2 bars AT&T cell service. Lowes, Walmart and small HEB close by n the town of Livingston Cons. Campers requiring mobility assistance may find this campsite very challenging, even tho it does have a double wide concrete pad. Site#55 labeled as accessible but is very accessible unfriendly as it is not close to campground toilet shower facilities, fire ring is up a gravel hill on driver side of camper. Piney Shore Loop sewer hook up required 20 feet of stinky slinky. No privacy from Site#56. No privacy from the campground road. Picnic table in mud hole nearly the size of the table and very unleveled with one end higher than the other end. Unable to move picnic table as it is chained to concrete pylon. Picnic table not wheelchair accessible. No afternoon-to-evening shade what-so-ever. Site#56 campers permitted their dog to run without a leash. No park WIFI

We camped for 3 nights in March in our travel trailer. The site was large and had a nice concrete pad. We were at site 117 in Pin Oak Loop. Our site was very large and lots of trees but did have some low spots that held water. The bathrooms were decent. The trails were clean and accessed easy from our campsite. The kids loved riding bikes on trails as well as around our loop. Didn’t have much luck fishing due to winds. Small park but very clean with lots of nature.

Really wonderful trails, historic tower, decent playground and its under construction for some really cool things coming soon! Be careful about lake access from the newest camping loop, private property gets in the way...

We really enjoyed this park with multiple trails and places for the kids to play

Love this state park. Well maintained, lots of room, several rv sites on the water. We will return.

We camped for 3 nights in March in our camper. This state park is small but very clean with trails, water activities, and more. Sites had very nice concrete pads. We stayed at site 117 in Pin Oak loop. The site was large and backed to woods. There were some low spots that held water. Our kids loved riding the trails and our loop with other kids. Didn’t have any luck fishing due to winds but enjoyed hikes and trail riding. Trailheads start in this loop. We would camp here again.

The campground is heavily wooded and the campsites are well spaced. We stayed only night but would definitely consider staying here again.

This camp ground pretty much checks every box for us. There’s full hook ups for a low price. The sites are spaced apart with lots of trees. The trails are wide and well kept. The lake is huge. There’s even “self service” kayak rentals. And a swing set and slide built well enough for adults! We were here in February and it was maybe half full or less. Very quiet. Dog friendly. Mild weather. Really nice place!

There is a “board walk trail” that is quite literally a board walk through the forest. It’s just a 1 mile loop and has a few benches and attractions, and this would be an excellent handicap option. It was a beautiful walk, even in the winter.

Can't wait to get back

We love this state park and it's one of our favorites! This was our third time camping here in the Piney Shores Loop. We arrived on Memorial Day for four nights with reservations made 54 days prior. We weren’t loving Piney Shores#52 back-in campsite much due to: Steep drop-off of the concert pad and the narrow roadway making backing in challenging, but not impossible for our 27ft trailer.  Any larger rigs might not be able to swing it.

The dirt area around the picnic table, fire pit and lantern pole was a huge MUD hole! What a mess due to daily rains. 

No concrete pad under the picnic table, so your feet were in the MUD hole! HINT– Park Maintenance needs to apply some medium size gravel around the table and fire pit. 

Picnic table (chained to the ground) and fire pit were right next to each other. WHO DESIGNS THESES CAMPSITES?? 

Power interruptions, albeit short. Very glad we had our power surge protector. 

We loved: 

Very level concrete pad requiring no additional leveling efforts. 

Huge campsite along the lakefront with access to launch kayak/canoe or even swim(which we didn’t). 

Gorgeous sunsets over the lake. It was wonderful to sit at the fire facing the lake and watch the sunsets. 

The squirrels that ate from our fingertips! It was also really amusing to find the squirrels VERY friendly. They just hoped up onto our laps and took peanuts in the shell from our fingertips! 

Super quiet as only 6 full hook up campsites were occupied due to COVID operating restrictions.

Very clean park with friendly staff.  Construction was going on but that will only improve the park when finished.  Trails are a little close to the roads but you can still see some wildlife.  Lake is beautiful and you have lots of recreation options.

Nice spot north of Houston surrounded by trees. Lots of them. It was nice and quiet and very dark at night. Swimming at the lake was way better than Lake Conroe! Recommend having a life jacket when swimming. Highly recommend camping here.

We have stayed here several times with family, some in tents and some in pop up trailers. The bathrooms are old, Texas is supposed to be getting new bathrooms in all state park facilities but had not gotten to this one as of our last visit. Park is larger, best to do with bikes if possible. Limited lake access but good fishing spots abound. Tower to climb, trails to hike, firewood to burn...

Tent site we stayed at was great.  Well shaded and not too close to other camper sites

We love this State Park close to home and a Beautiful Park with great views of the lake

Lake Livingston State Park is one of our regular visits. During the school year it is hard to head out on a Friday, drive 2-3 hours and then setup in the dark for a weekend camping trip. Lake Livingston is just over an hour from our house and has lots to offer. They recently rebuilt one of the camping loops to where now this is one of the few state parks in Texas that have Full Hookups. Not all loops have Full Hookups but a couple do.

Like most state parks in Texas the sites here are large and offer a lot of shade. Each site will have a table and a fire ring. There are tons of hiking trails and geocaches throughout the park. It is also close to shops in town so that if you forget something you are only about 15 minutes from a Walmart. There is a shop on site that has most of the essentials.

Beautiful site overlooking the lake. My only wish would have been cleaner bathrooms.

This place is magical. My family and I have been coming here for the past 5 years, and it never gets old. There are so many great things about this place. The hiking is amazing- the views are breathtaking. One of the most popular things to do here though is to fish. One of the reasons is because Lake Livingston is one of the largest lakes in the State. This park is just an hour away from Houston, which is great. We have made a long weekend out of staying here, and then traveling to Houston to do some site-seeing and eating, and then head back home. You can do so many different water activities because the lake is so big. We bring our boat and fish, tube, and water ski. We have a blast. I also love bringing my stand up paddle board and do a ride in the early in the morning. There are so many beautiful birds to see in the morning on the water, I love it. There is also store nearby that you can rent kayaks and canoes to take on the water, not sure how much they are to rent, though. I look forward to coming here every year, and it seems like I experience something new every time! Again, this place is pure magic.

Lake Livingston State Park is a fantastic state park for water activities. The fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking and paddle boarding is all fantastic.

Campsites: The sites were all well maintained with the best spots being in Piney Shores & Red Oak. We were in spot #69. It had a great view but lacked in flat playing space for young children and hammock trees.

Trails: There were a few trails in the park, none of which were all that long. The main Trinity Trace Trail was flat dirt, good for young bikers. Though trails are short, they connect so you could do a few trails for a longer run/hike if you so desired.

Bathrooms: Each campground loop has one bathroom and shower. They can be a bit of a walk if you don’t have a close site. They appear to be older but maintained and cleaned well enough.

Park Specific Activities: Getting on the water was awesome, it’s the largest lake in Texas, so lots to explore. Fishing was fantastic. We caught bass, perch and catfish and lots of them! Getting in the lake left some to be desired. The bottom has many large rocks, tree stumps and is very mossy. Swimming can be fun but a little dangerous and slippery. The duck pond and frog pond are nothing to get excited about. We saw no birds in the bird blind and the frog pond is so small you almost can’t see it. We did hear a frog though.

Other: Connected to the park store they had a small educational space for young kids with a functioning beehive. The kids (ages 2-6) loved it. The park store is not open Mondays and Tuesdays. Kayak, canoe and paddle board rentals were only Thursday to Sunday 8:30-3:30. $10-20/rental. The pool was not functioning when we went in August 2018. They have a small amphitheater and near by a room available for rent which can have 50 guests. It was air conditioned and had nice hardwood floors.

In Summary: We would absolutely recommend it for water activities and relaxation. It’s a beautiful spot! We wouldn’t recommend it for just birding or hiking but the park as a whole is great.

This campground has nice, well maintained sites surrounded by pine forest. RV sites have electric and water hookups and some also have sewer connections. There’s also a central dump station. Most sites are shady and the waterfront sites have wonderful lake views. No parking is allowed on the grass, but there is overflow parking in most areas. The park has several restrooms with flush toilets and showers There are three boat ramps, a fish cleaning station and a park store that sells the basics including ice and worms for bait. The rangers also offer special programs and exhibits in the store. There’s a separate swimming area, but no swimming beach. Alcohol is allowed but must not be visible and the 20 mph speed limit is maintained by state police. There are also nice hiking trails and paved roads. Horseback riding is no longer available in this park.

This state park has beautiful views of the lake and is very clean and maintained. We had a great visit and they had friendly staff!