The 1280.7-acre Lake Whitney State Park was acquired in 1954 by a Department of the Army lease and opened in May 1965; the state has control until 2003. The park is along the east shore of Lake Whitney west of Hillsboro in Hill County, and after the changing of the lake level, totals 955 acres.

The park is located on Lake Whitney near ruins of Towash, an early Texas settlement inundated by Lake Whitney. Towash Village was named for the chief of Hainai Indians, who moved into the area in 1835.

The park is located in the Grand Prairie subregion of the Black land Prairie natural region. It has open disturbed tallgrass prairie remnants with scattered groves of live oak and a small area of post oak/blackjack oak woodland. In the spring, bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, and over 40 species of wildflowers cover the roadside and landscape. Common animals include white-tailed deer, raccoons, and squirrels with fox, coyote, and bobcat occasionally being spotted. 194 species of birds have been spotted, including wild turkeys and bald eagles.