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It took 20 years of development, including weathering a flood and a World War, but in 1956 the community of Huntsville, Texas, finally got their own state park. Located just 10 miles south of town, in the Sam Houston National Forest, this 2,000-acre park of pine and hardwood forest is situated around man-made Lake Raven. Today, locals and visitors alike flock to Huntsville State Park for its hiking trails, water recreation and prolific wildlife. With so many outdoor activities to choose from, a good first stop is the park’s Nature Center. Here you can get information about the local flora and fauna, including the more than 250 species of birds, plus a variety of mammals and alligators, that make the park their home.
Campers at Huntsville State Park have access to 160 tent and RV campsites in three camp areas near the shore of Lake Raven: Prairie Branch, Raven Hill and Coloneh. Full- and partial-hookup RV sites are available, and can accommodate vehicles/trailers up to 60 feet. All sites are equipped with picnic tables, grills, and lantern posts, and drinking water faucets are shared between sites; some sites are ADA accessible. Each camp area provides flush restrooms, showers, playgrounds, picnic areas near the lake, fishing piers, and boat launches. There is a dump station located in the Raven Hill camp area. The park also has two camping cabins for rent. Campsite rates range from $15–$25/night, plus park entrance fee; cabins are $60/night, plus entrance fee.
When you’re ready to play on the water, head down to the lakeshore where you can take a dip in the designated swim area, rent a canoe or kayak (or put in your own) for paddling around the lake, or cast a line for crappie, perch and largemouth bass. A shop near the Prairie Branch day-use area has groceries, ice, fishing supplies and beverages. If you’re up for some roaming or wildlife watching, pick up a trail map and birding guide and go explore more than 20 miles of multiuse paths and nature walks. From the park’s bird blind, you can scan for a variety of songbirds and waterfowl. The park also offers ranger-led nature programs, and there are Junior Ranger activities for the kids.
Huntsville State Park is one of my favorite places! I go here to hike and fish as often as I can. The trails are well maintained, the park is always clean, restrooms are always clean, and the staff are very friendly. There are tons of picnic sites and restrooms throughout the park. There is so much wildlife and beautiful nature to see here. ❤️
One of the nicest parks in this part of Texas! Very spread out and many clean shared facilities, hot showers. The big pines offer a sweet reprieve from the hot Texas sun. Paddle boating and fishing. Lots of sun perch. We love it here.
Fantastic park located less than an hour's drive away from Houston.
I got the chance to visit this beautiful place in late February and it was such a joy. The weather was perfect and the park was an excellent place to spend an afternoon. The grounds were clean, quiet and well kept. Definitely a must visit if you enjoy spending time in nature.
I hope I get to go there again sometime!
Came hiking here the day after new years with my 6yo for his first ever hike. The trails were nice and easy for beginners, and the old school playground was nice and still going strong after I’d guess at least 30 years since it was built. My only complaint was since we went on a Tuesday apparently they don’t sell travel patches/pins/hiking medallions in the park entrance office, only the gift shop over by the beach, but because it was a weekday, no one was working the gift shop, so we weren’t able to get the souvenirs we’d planned on to commemorate our goal of hitting as many state parks as possible this year. In the future, they should make sure to sell more souvenirs in the entry shop if they don’t have enough staff to run the gift shop all week.
We stayed 4 nights at this Beautiful Park in the Prairie Branch section. The Lake was Gorgeous! Huge trees providing tons of shade with great walking/biking trails. All the roads and camp pads appeared to have fairly fresh pavement. Uncovered park benches and fire pits were available for all. No septic hook ups that I saw but a convenient dump station was around the corner. 30/50 amp plug-ins with water were abundant. The Park Hosts were all friendly and helpful. Restrooms with showers were clean and maintained. Small playground with slide and swings for the kids. No gator sightings in December but squirrels EVERYWHERE kept us entertained. It was really quiet and peaceful during the weekdays and even though the weekend brought lots of new campers and visitors, it was still very peaceful. Be Sure to research the size of your campsite before booking!! We picked a 63' back in site (148) and it was perfect for our 33' and 2500 truck. Many sites are Small and Very uneven so look at pics and read as much as possible when planning a trip. Anything over 35'... You're going to struggle parking in 80% of the sites IMO.
