Lake Whitney lies at the top of the Texas Hill Country, 60 miles south of Ft. Worth and about 15 miles west of Hillsboro, Texas. Bosque and Hill Counties surround Lake Whitney. Lake Whitney supports a healthy population of striped bass, along with other game species. It is popular with anglers, boaters, and people who love watersports because Lake Whitney is large enough to accommodate all of those activities.

Over 100,000 people visit Lake Whitney each year. Reservations are recommended at all Lake Whitney Parks. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department operates Lake Whitney State Park, and you can make reservations here and pay online here: https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/park_reservations/index.phtml. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) operates all the other parks at Lake Whitney. The USACE no longer accepts cash. Visitors to USACE parks can make reservations and pay online at https://www.recreation.gov/, or use a debit or credit card at the gatehouse.

Lake Whitney State Park

Lake Whitney State Park is located on the northern shores of its southern pool at 433 FM 1244, Whitney, Texas. This is a large park offering boating, camping, fishing, two hiking and biking trails, geocaching, hiking, scuba diving, skiing, and swimming. It is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for day use. The daily entrance fee is $5 for visitors aged 12 and over, and children under age 12 are free.   

The Lake Whitney State Park often fills up to capacity, so reservations are recommended for both camping and day use. You can choose from campsites with water only, water and electricity, or full hookups. This park has screened shelters, and many have a lake view. It also offers a Junior Ranger Program, a nature program, and a history program.

The Lake Whitney State Park has an airport for small aircraft. The Two Bridges Trail is 0.9-mile, easy, and has two wooden bridges. The Towash Forest Trail is 1.2-miles, easy, and great for bird watching and wildlife viewing. A wide variety of wildlife lives at Lake Whitney. Watch for armadillos, bald eagles, deer, opossums, raccoons, snakes, and wild turkeys.

There are several points of interest in the park. Big Oak is the biggest oak tree at the Lake Whitney. The Lake View Point offers a breathtaking view of Lake Whitney on a peninsula, where you can also fish. The Bass Tournament Historical Marker memorializes the first competitive bass tournament in Texas, held in 1956. The Towash Settlement has the ruins of Towash, Texas, and was named for Chief Towash of the Hainai Indian tribe.

Lofers Bend Park, East and West

The USACE manages the beautiful Lofers Bend Park, which has an east and a west park. It is located on the southeastern shores of the southern pool of Lake Whitney. It offers covered picnic tables, BBQ grills, fire rings, a playground, a volleyball court, a fitness trail, camping and RV sites, a dump station, screened shelters, group pavilions, a swim beach, a boat ramp, two trails, and restrooms with showers.

Lofers Bend West has a day use area, where the swim beach is. It is right under the dam with a walking path and observation point along the dam. There are plenty of shade trees. Lofers Bend East and West have 51 camping and RV sites with water and electric, and 23 primitive campsites. The 12.5 mile Hopewell Trail is nearby. It allows hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Visitors can choose to travel north on the trail to Kimball Bend Park or south to Lakeside Village and Powelldale Mountain.

From March 1 to September, Lofers Bend costs $3 per day to use the launching ramp and $1 per person, but no more than $4 per vehicle, per day, to use the day use and swim beach area. No fees are charged from October 1 to February 28. A $30 annual day use pass may be purchased that will allow access to these facilities without paying a fee at the gatehouse.

The park opens at 6:00 a.m. and closes at 10:00 p.m. There is a night exit that allows boaters that come in off the lake after 10:00 p.m. to exit the park. From I-35 in Hillsboro, take SH 22 west 12 miles to Whitney, Texas. Continue seven miles past Whitney, and turn right before the dam. Follow Park Road to the 4-way stop. Turn left for Lofers West or right for Lofers East.

Plowman Creek Park

Plowman Creek Park is located on the west side of the lake on FM 56, approximately one mile south of Kopperl, Texas. There are 34 campsites in Plowman Creek Park. Twenty-two sites have water and 30 amp electrical hookups. Twelve sites have water hookups only. Amenities include upright BBQ cookers, fire rings, picnic tables, a restroom with showers, a restroom with toilet facilities only, and a dump station.

Plowman Creek Park is the campsite for you and your horses. Trail users can access the 12.5-mile Hopewell Trail at Plowman Creek Park. The trailhead allows hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrian riders easy access to the trail and an option to explore one-half of the trail for shorter visits. Overnight equestrian camping is available adjacent to the trailhead. Equestrian campers can choose from ten RV campsites or primitive camping in the equestrian area.

From March 1 to September 30, water only sites are $12 per night. Electrical sites are $16 per night. From October 1 to February 28, water only sites are $10 per night. Electrical sites are $14 per night. It is $3 per day for day use or to use the boat ramp. The gates open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 10:00 p.m. There is a night exit that allows you to exit the park after hours.

McCown Valley Day Use Park

The McCown Valley Day Use Park has seven picnic sites and six beach shelters. The picnic sites have a covered table, an upright BBQ grill, and water close by. The beach shelters have a shelter and an upright BBQ grill. McCown Valley has one of the two swim beaches on Lake Whitney, two sand volleyball courts, and one restroom.

There is a fee of $1 per person, but no more than $4 per vehicle. A $30 annual day use pass may be purchased that will allow access to these facilities without paying a fee at the gatehouse. The park opens at 6:00 a.m. and closes at 10:00 p.m. The McCown Valley Day Use Park is located adjacent to McCown Valley Park off of the FM 1713 Spur, four miles west of Whitney, Texas.

McCown Valley Park

McCown Valley Park has 54 campsites. Thirty-one sites have water and 30 amp electrical hookups, 14 sites have water and 50 amp electrical hookups, and seven sites have water hookups only. Five cabins are available for overnight camping. All sites offer upright BBQ grills and a fire ring. The park has two restrooms with showers, horseshoe pits, a dump station, and a large, three-lane boat ramp.

The McCown Valley Park hosts an Equestrian Trail Riding Area, including equestrian camping. There are 29 equestrian campsites in three areas in the park. From March 1 to September 30, water only sites are $12 per night. Thirty amp electrical sites are $16 per night. Fifty amp electrical sites are $20 per night. From October 1 to February 28, water only sites are $10 per night. Thirty amp electrical sites are $14 per night. Fifty amp electrical sites are $18 per night. Cabins with 30 amp RV hookups can be reserved for $30 per night. Cabins without RV hookups are $24 per night.

From the City of Whitney, Texas, go north on FM 933 to FM 1713. Turn left on FM 1713. Continue on FM 1713 until the road forks. Stay left at the fork, because this road becomes Spur, which dead ends into the park. There are two gated entrances, and usually, the gatehouse on the right is open for all park visitors.