The park was very busy for the Thanksgiving weekend crowd but it was beautiful nonetheless. The lake is in fantastic condition, the park was clean and we met some very nice people who were there for the day as well. the fish were not super active and the ones we caught were relatively small but that is not uncommon for this time of year period the sun was hot but the water was very cold.Park staff was kind and helpful and we had a blast! We hope to get back there soon!

Wonderful park, great hiking and biking. One of the best treasures of Texas! Plus it has the plumpest squirrels youve ever seen

A quick 45 minute drive north from FM 1960. I stick to the hiking trails, which are gently-rolling and wooded. Weekends are busy with cyclists. I prefer the 7-mile loop around Lake Raven. Look closely at the signposts, there are one or two spots where the turn is easy to miss and youll find yourself on the longer CCC Trail. Youll get a good workout, its the closest trail system to Houston that has hills.

Well kept State park with Hikes suitable for teenage kids to 5 years old. The place offers amazing views and vistas. Best was the sounds of Woodpecker in the forest. My 8 and 5 year olds were very excited to hear it in one of the trail. Must visit for every age

This is a great park to go camping in. Awesome bike trails, decent bathroom facilities, lots of interesting wildlife. Pay close attention to the rules about alligators and be careful with your coolers in regards to furry thieves. Possums and racoons take the night shift for eating anything tasty in your coolers, and squirrels the size of cats take the day shift. Dog friendly, but be mindful of your surroundings.

Always fun to go to Huntsville State park. The lake is always pleasant, and this time we tried some bike riding. I dont suggest going around the lake if you are pulling kids in a trailer behind your bike. It was fun, but a lot of work. The first grader did most of it like a champ.

This place is HAUNTED! My kids heard growling all night, snares, and rushing through the low bushes. We had to pack up and leave early because we were all so afraid! I saw dark shadows by the lake and heard chanting and weird screeching sounds. Yes i was sober! And i was very afraid. This was our 4th time camping there and had NEVER experienced anything like that before! If 2020 couldn’t get any crazier! Needless to say we ARE NOT going back!

Loved the park. Went fishing, the piers are nice and clean. Park staff is very friendly and excellent in explaining things.Our fire ring was not that well maintained, but it could be just that spot. We still did manage to grill some beef tenderloins fairly well. The kids loved it, and we plan to revisit shortly!

Went for a lovely day hike recently. The trails are well marked, plenty of parking, and bathrooms were clean. I also asked a park worker for advice on starting out on the trail and he was kind and helpful. Nice park and close to home! There were a couple areas to rest (bench overlooking the lake) about midway around the loop trail. Most of the trail is shaded by the trees.

Beautiful park!!!!Campsites are great which offers restrooms and showers near by (HOT AND COLD WATER). Nice trails, many day use areas for relaxing or doing some fishing. You will see lots wildlife all over the park, including gators, deer & rabbits. Plenty of tall beautiful trees for shade. Recommend visiting for the day or staying overnight!!!

Absolutely beautiful! I took part of Prairie Branch Loop and crossed onto Chinquapin trail, which was closed at the dam so I had to turn around. I wound up hiking around 14 miles because of the closer and I was NOT prepared! Kind hikers offered me a bottle of water when I ran out. Most people had masks except for the camping area where lots of families were.All in all it was a great day! Shout out to Bullet who gave me a ride back to my car after I got off the trail.

Hit the hiking trail for our 28th anniversary. Huntsville State Park was wonderful. We took the shorter trails after arriving later in the day and was not disappointed. Theses trails are an easy walk passing through the pines and along the lake. We saw many families but it didnt feel crowded.We hope to come back and take a better look around and take the longer trails. The trail we were on connected to a bike trail taking you into the national forest and looked very interesting. So many trails, so little time. :)

Beautiful park! Can’t wait to go back. Lovely deep wooded trails, shaded campsites, pure bliss. We were worried that the trails would be nothing but mud as it was raining prior to and heavily at our arrival. But no such problem. In the 14 or so miles we hiked, think we saw one or two easily avoidable puddles. Word of warning for trailer campers: the sites are not at all level, be sure you are well stocked with leveling blocks!I noticed a negative review based on situations due to COVID. Be sure to check the Texas State Parks site for closures and such before visiting!

Paddle boats are CLOSED because of covid. Our kids were really looking forward to it and it was a big disappointment. Also, park is not well maintained. There are lots of giant spiderwebs outside restrooms, benches and playgrounds. We could not use any of it. Our kids couldn’t use the playgrounds as they were full of spiders and other insects. I understand you are in a forest but areas like these should be cleaned for people to use. Our campsite didn’t have a tent area or leveled pad, so our tent was pitched which made out sleeping bags slide all night ...trees are big tall and beautiful.

Great state park with large camper sites. Good hiking and swim beach. If you are arriving late, make sure you call ahead for the gate code because it locks pretty early. The lake is calm and perfect for a canoe or kayak.

Beautiful state park. Very well maintained. Lots of gorgeous hiking trails. Love the pines!

Not my ideal scenery, but Im giving five stars taking into account that its located in Central TX. Plenty of hiking trails, and some of them even intersect with the Lone Star Trail and other national park trails. Lake and beach area are nice. I visit every time Im in town.

A great state park, really clean facilities and the camping spots are not on top of each other. Highly recommend a hike day or fishing trip, at least.

Definitely a beautiful park with a huge lake and plenty of room to run around. Cant wait to go back to camp and enjoy the trails it has to offer.

I absolutely love this park. Camped there countless times and take as many people as I can. Great hiking and biking trails. Very long trails as well so you can go on a short or long hike. Lake raven is big enough to fish and kayak on. Swimming area helps in the summer. Big Ol gators swimming around so keep an eye out !! Love this park !!

Absolutely loved the beauty of Huntsville SP. I only wish the RV spots were more level. We can handle a little bit unlevel, but it was quite a slope! Restrooms and all areas very well maintained. Watch for gators, lol.

Halloween was an extraordinarily beautiful fall day in Huntsville State Park! Trees had fall foliage, breezy, cool, sunny day! Why cant cyclists stay off the Chinkapin trail and use the Perimeter trail exclusively? They do not yield to anyone and use excessive speed. Truly dangerous to hikers!!!

So peaceful and relaxing! Only a short drive from the city. A family favorite for sure!

Beautiful park!! The trees are so tall!! Cute squirrels and alligator too

Great park! Lake, fishing, trails, wildlife...Raven Lodge is a beautiful and was available for rentals. A lot of weddings happened here pre-covid (you had to reserve the rental the second it became available, a year ahead of the event), now Im not sure.Covid operation: park is open and active. Use online reservation system (Texas State parks have done a great job on it!) to get your entrance pass ahead of time. Park is commonly filled to capacity, and entrance would be denied to anyone without prior reservation. Dont waste your trip - plan ahead.Over all Rangers are doing great job!

A great way to escape the hustle and bustle of life. Staff is always friendly. Park is always clean. Love coming here & venturing around the trails & nature.

I loved camping here! The sites are mostly nice. If you go during the week then you will more likely be able to space yourself out from other campers. The front office staff was kind and helped me adjust my camping site so I wasnt right on top of another camper! For simple, clean, and fun camping, you must visit Huntsville State Park!

Awesome place. Their little netted shacks definitely set it apart from the rest. Just make sure to reserve the day pass before you go!

This park is about 45 minutes to an hour from Houston Texas and it’s well Worth the scenic drive! The park staff are very friendly. All reservations are made online now that convid 19 is in full swing, but as soon as you make your way inside the beautiful park, it is teaming with wildlife that hasn’t skipped a beat. You hear birds and see fish jump up out of the water to eat the bugs as they fly over the water! We saw a family of deer and racoons, squirrels, other forms of life along the trail.We decided to take the second to longest trail, the Chinquapin Trail which is 6.8 miles. It will take the average hiker about 2 hours to hike and gives them amazing views of the lake! The trail is a relatively flat trail with very subtle elevation gains. Imagine putting a treadmill on an incline of 2 or 3. It’s kinda what the gains feel like.The trail is mostly shaded. The only sunny parts is when you make your way to the lake.

Beautiful, quiet state park. Nice and dark campsites, cool breeze coming off the water. Great place for family camping.

Reservations at Huntsville SP have been a sanity-saver during these viral times! Make your reservations online in the appropriate way for completely trouble-free check-in. The staff at the gate are friendly too. Love this place!

Weve lived in Houston over 5 years and have just found this place. It was a great place for a quick get away weekend. As others have said it is packed on weekends but very nice during the week. Electric hookup sites are the most generous weve encountered in regards to space. And beautifully tree covered. The spots are quite unlevel and can be a challenge for larger trailers and RVs. Need to come prepared with plenty of leveling blocks. That said, it wasnt a problem for us in our simple bumper pull cargo trailer conversion. Trails were nice, could be marked better, but the free maps were accurate and with a little common sense it would be hard to get lost. Hosts were very nice and welcoming and check in process was simple. Only knock was that only 2 out of the 4 shower rooms had working lights. Didnt cause any waits for us but definitely needs to be corrected. Very nice park. Coming from Houston, it was nice to have a bit of elevation change, although those from places with actual elevation wont appreciate it as much.

Clean park, great trails, plenty of restrooms / showers with hot water and good pressure. I will definitely return.

This is such a great state park! I didnt know such a fun place was so close to Houston. We saw lots of wildlife and really enjoyed the shelter campsite and the canoe rentals. We did not have a chance to use the hiking trails but even after a day on the canoe we still left some of the lake undiscovered.

Nice camping trip. Went on the chinquapin trail about 9 miles long took us 4 hours of walking. Becarful on the trails we spotted 2 snakes. Deer,rabbit. Have restrooms,showers.

This is a really beautiful, heavily wooded park with gently rolling hills on trails that are easy to roam. Ive been camping this park since I was a kid - over fifty years or so. Its not a long drive from Houston. The staff is friendly, and the bathrooms are clean.

We had a Great! day!!! Got a day pass online..the night before. Glad I did..they were out of day passes when I arrived. So, I would do that again..Reservations a must. Makes it so easy!!

Great place to take the family, or go by yourself for some quality outdoors fun. Only an hour drive from Houston. There are some decent hiking trails and a big lake to kayak, fish or swim. We did see an alligator while we were out there so keep an eye out when youre by the water.

Nice park with a lush forest. Easy trails, and you can get some distance in. I recommend the Chinquapin Trail. I made a few detours off the trail so I could hike along more of the lakeside, and was able to get a solid 8 miles in. Total elevation gain of 436 over 8 miles. The most incline was 75 feet over a one-mile distance, so it’s pretty flat and easy. The distance and maybe the many tree roots crossing the trails bump it up to a “moderate” level. 98% of it is shaded, but it gets boring after a while. I think I just saw too many pine forests on my trip to this neck of the woods.Even if you don’t do the whole trail, you HAVE to find your way to the earthen dam for an awesome and picturesque lake view.The signs say they have alligators in the park, but I didn’t spot a single one.They have a swimming area (why, if they have gators???) in the day use area, pedal boats, canoes, and kayaks for rent. Also, picnic tables, and grills in the day use area.

Beautiful park. Well maintained. Very nice hiking trails. Go online and get a reservation before you go.

So beautiful. Had a great time and will be back!

We spent the Labor Day weekend camping and it was Perfect for getting away from the Covid Madness and everyday stresses! Huntsville State Park is Absolutely Beautiful! All the rentals were closed due to Covid but we enjoyed our camping spot as it was next to a Pier. The Beach Area was open but very packed...we stayed away from that. For the most part you dont have to wear a mask except for when going into buildings such as restrooms, Main check in etc...so dont forget to bring your masks. I highly recommend this Park!

We have camped and hiked, and played in Lake Raven, many times between 1988 and 2020. Good times. Helpful staff. Clean restrooms.

Had a really fun time here. Well maintained facilities, pretty lake, clean campsites.

Awesome, spacious campsite and well kept trails of varying distance to offer all sorts of options. One of my favorite Texas parks I have visited for the clean and quiet nature of it all.

Extremely clean and well maintained park. Showers and bathrooms available. Camping spots are spacious with plenty of tree cover and options for spots near the lake in the area without hookups. Each spot had a concrete table, fire rings, and place to hang trash. Lots of great hiking trail options around the park. Firewood is also available on site.

Clean, quiet and well maintained. Staff of rangers at check in were helpful and worked diligently to check people in quickly. Will go back.

What a great day to come to the park! Its a well groomed facility in a beautiful, natural setting.

I loved it! Even though it was super busy Holiday Sunday, my son and I had a nice outing walking the trails. There is a lake with a rental office where one can rent boats, or maybe you would prefer swimming, if so use only the designated area because there are supposed to be alligator in the area. There are screened structures for overnight camping, many tables with BBQ pits and hydrants nearby with running water. Be sure to bring funds since there is an entrance fee, seniors and Veterans get a discount. There is also the possibility of securing an access card, but you must have your letter of eligibility in order to prove your disability rating.

Great trails, lake and even a place to go swimming.

Iv never seen a bent pine tree in my 63 years until today laying in my tent. Love this place. Gators and all. The park Rangers are all so nice.

Nice state park with hiking around a lake. Boating and fishing as well

Nice place to bring kids all aged, for fishing is a good place dogs are welcome

Had a great time fishing today. Highly recommend reserving your park pass online. Would of been a better time if covid19 hadnt prevented the paddle boats and canoe rentals. Very clean and well maintained grounds and enjoyable for the whole family.

This place is peaceful and beautiful.You can have beautiful spiritual moments in this place.

Wonderful place to go with the family. Clean showers and restrooms. The water is beautiful. Beware the crocs!

Fantastic all around state park. Camping, RVing, biking, running, boating, swimming, everything to be done here. There is a small park near the swimming area for the little kids. Rental area is currently closed due to Covid-19. Bathrooms at this state park leave some room for improvement. These are the oldest and most out of shape bathrooms I have yet to see at any Texas State Park I have visited.

Great facilities. Picnic tables. Swimming area in the lake. Small store. Bathrooms. Lots of beautiful nature trails.

The park staff was helpful and courteous and the facilities were clean and in working order.

It was lovely. The weather perfect. Some of the signage at trail crossroads was a little confusing but most were clearly marked.

Great park. Beautiful and safe. Great place for families and all campers

You can fish swim camp in tents or shelters I love bringing our bikes its a great place to spend the day!!...Noticed some live here awhile !!

5 star ️ for area5 star ️ for state park police2 star ️ for gate because of heavy traffic, very poor management.3 star ️ because they don’t have enough dumb for trash.Overall, it’s a good place for camping ️ and safe.

I loved how open the park is and the variety of trails. Plus being able to fish, canoe, camp and swim are only pluses. There is a $7.00 charger per person but thats not bad. Good environment to take the family too.

Went with a friend to swim with her two small kids and our two dogs. We were focused on the little ones and didnt see the signs stating no pets in the swimming area. A park employee came up to us as we were getting out of the water with our dogs and kids to go to our table. He told us pets were not allowed and we stated nicely oh we are sorry we didnt know we are getting out now. He was very rude at that point and started lecturing us about all the signs in the park. It was unnecessary as we had already apologized and told him we were leaving. Would have been a wonderful experience if the employee had been courteous. We both invested in park passes but are now not sure because we dont want to return to a place with rude employees.

Great Park! Had to cut my trip short due to Hurricane Beta coming ashore. Spent 3 nights of my scheduled 9 nights . Will be back for sure.

Nice State Park close to the big city, but with enough distance to enjoy nature. Adequate amenities, but needs shorter trails for day visitors to walk. Nice bike trails of 5-7 miles.

Lots of parking and trails with nice views by the lake. Good stuff for only being 45 minuted away from the 4th largest city in the US!

Great first time! Spaced out pretty good for social distancing.

This was one of the nicer parks that I have been to so far. The picnic areas were very clean and the lake area itself was great. We will be definitely be returning to do some fishing with the kids.

Nice place to for hiking, camping and picnic.

Decent campsites. There are showers and toilets at several locations around the campgrounds. The staff seems friendly.

It was a great place for the family to spend the day!!! Great swimming and fishing!!! Come spend the day.

Was nice although didnt like how the people were feeding the vultures and someone put liter in the lake felt was very rude as I love Mother Earth. Other than that was clean and relaxing

I love visiting state parks, even my local one. Staff is very friendly and helpful. My experience here is always good.

My family stayed at Huntsville state park for one night. Normally we are RVers but on this occasion we stayed to attend a wedding.We stayed in a cabin for the night that was as expected for a cabin, beats hotel room rates! The park itself was MASSIVE compared to most, there was plenty of room to move around but not many people staying. There were a large amount of picnic tables in the day use area, lots of restrooms, playgrounds, and trails!We didnt get much time here but it is definately on our list of places to return at our leisure and definately spend more time when we have our mountain bikes. This also looks like a great place to bring the kayaks! Park hosts were all friendly and very nice.I have come to find that every park has its own special critter unique to the park. This park has the friendly and appears to be WELL fed squirrels! As soon as we parked they came running to say hello and welcome, even invited themselves into our cabin to see what all we had. If only they carried luggage!

I really like this state park. The lake swimming area is very nice and the park attendants were very informative. I would go as early as possible to get a nice picnic area and just spend the day relaxing. They do have places to fish and boat access.

Great place to spend the day swimming, fishing and just taking a walk.Relaxing day with nothing but nature

My favorite state park in Texas! Clean facilities, gorgeous scenery, amazing trails, and awesome staff.

Not a very large swim spot, but Im sure they were trying to preserve the nature state. But with just a few kids there, an adult cant find a private corner to chill in the water. But overall a beautiful park

We rented a canoe and explored peaceful Lake Raven. The no-wake rule makes it a perfect place for renting a kayak (one and two person available), paddleboat, or aluminum canoe. Birds of many varieties inhabit the area, turtles abound, and the scenery soothes the soul.The park also provides plentiful picnic tables, barbecue pits, a playground, and general open tree-covered areas spread along the scenic lakeside.Camping, hiking, biking, and just immersing yourself in nature are all available at this very affordable day-trip (or overnight camping) destination.We paid $7 per adult for a day pass, and $15 for an hour canoe rental. That proved ample time to visit some truly beautiful spots unreachable by foot.There may be a bit of a wait to enter the park during peak periods, as the patient and friendly rangers check in each vehicle ahead of you, but it is definitely worth your time!

Quiet and peaceful park on a Sunday in early November. We used our Texas State Park pass for the entrance fee. The park wasnt too busy on a sunny warm afternoon. There were slight glimpses of fall color in the trees. My husband and 11-yr-old son went mountain biking and enjoyed the soft trails due to a bed of pine needles. I took my kayak out in the lake for a 3-mile paddle that covered the shoreline perimeter of most of the lake. There were several small boats out fishing in spots. I noticed some folks camping along the shore, and others were fishing from the shore. I could not believe how quiet the park was. Very peaceful. I did notice that you could rent paddle boats and canoes - there were a couple of those out in the water as well near the swim area. Saw lots of birds and turtles sunning themselves - didnt come across any gators, but I also stayed away from coves and lily pad areas close to shore. We enjoyed ice cream bars and popsicles that we purchased from the snack bar when we were through. I highly recommend the park for an adventure.

Awesome place to camp, kayak and fish.

Beautiful state park, good hiking trails. September 25th 2020 it made a good day for a very lovely hike :)

I liked the park, lots of hiking trails, was out there biking and really enjoyed the area. Right now all access is done through a reservation system on their website. Be careful when reserving a day its easy to change your date without realizing it.

The screened in shelters are a great way to camp. The showers are decent, shelters right near the lake, running water and outlets/RV hookups on site. I will keep getting the state park pass and coming back every year. Miles of trails nearby for hiking, biking, or running.

Beautiful place! Great staff, masks enforced.

One of our favorite state parks in Texas. Park host was incredibly helpful and the trails are great!

Great hiking trails! It was very peaceful and well maintained while still respecting the natural beauty of the forest.A great place for a hike and a picnic.

So many childhood memories made here, and now again for the next generation

Beautiful park. Plenty of parking, Lots of trails, trees, picnic tables and screened areas to keep bugs away. The staff there is friendly. There also is a little park store for drinks and snacks. A huge lake for canoes and small boats. Also an area where you can swim (nets are placed to keep alligators away). A great place for a family day, or a romantic getaway if you enjoy outdoors.

Love camping here with my family. Its so peaceful.

We went camping here for the weekend and we enjoyed it a lot. Restrooms were clean but I didnt use the showers. Playground areas for the kids. Campsites were well maintained. Our group had prepaid and I came in later than most but I had no issues getting in or registering my car. 2 cars allowed per campsite. Would definitely go back again.

Long trails for the more outgoing and shorter ones who just want to get away.

The trails are great and the restrooms were nice as well. Weather was great too

Squirrels are tamed. Alligators less so. Sites are nice. Fishing...to be determined.

Great place for family. Make online or phone reservations! $ 7 per person.

Camped here on Thanksgiving at site #64. Park is beautiful and the staff was friendly. There were many empty sites eventhough it showed fully booked online. The park listed a 2 tent limit but many campsites had more than 2 tents pitched. They have kayak, canoes, and paddle boats for rent at $15/h. I wouldnt recommend the paddle boats unless its your leg day! Its a workout and they wouldnt let us change it out for canoe even though there were plenty of canoes to rent. This is the reason for the 1 star deduction. Theres firewood on site. There are gators in the park but we didnt see any until the last night. Bathrooms were cleaned and hosed down daily which led to high humidity in the bathroom, so dont forget shower shoes!

Gorgeous campgrounds with awesome hiking! Just beware of the gators if you decide to go near/in the water!

Quite with a great place to camp and go fishing. The scenery is beautiful. The sunsets are the best as it sets behind a groves of trees.