Stillhouse Park is a day-use area run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, on the northeast shore of Stillhouse Hollow Lake just southwest of Belton in Bell County, Texas. The lake is a 6,400-acre flood control reservoir on the Lampasas River, impounded by Stillhouse Hollow Dam in 1968, and the park sits close enough to the dam that the long earthen embankment fills the view across the water. Texas Parks and Wildlife describes the reservoir as very clear and deep, up to 107 feet, with a steep, rocky shoreline through most of the main lake.

To get there from Interstate 35 in Belton, take US 190 west to the Simmons Road exit, turn left to pass under the highway, and follow Simmons Road about three miles to the park entrance. Parking lots are spread along the park road above the shore, with the boat ramp and Stillhouse Marina at the far end past the picnic loops. The Corps lake office is on the other side of the dam at 3740 FM 1670.

The designated swim beach sits below the main picnic area, a short stretch of shoreline between two sand volleyball courts. About 38 covered picnic sites with grills line the beach area, and the Corps notes that every one of them has direct access to the water. Expect a mix of sand, gravel and limestone rock rather than a groomed sandy beach, and water shoes make a big difference. This is a deep, steep-sided reservoir, so weaker swimmers should stay near shore. The Corps allows swimming anywhere on the lake outside restricted areas but recommends the designated beaches, and it pushes life jackets hard on its Stillhouse pages.

Day use costs $5.00 per vehicle, and walk-ins pay the same $5.00 per person, collected through QR code signs posted in the park. Corps annual passes cover it, and holders of the old Golden Age and Golden Access cards, now part of the America the Beautiful program, get in free. The boat ramp opens at 6:00 am every day of the year. The swim beach and picnic areas open March 1, and the Corps park page lists them closed from October 1 through the end of February, with hours of 8:00 am to 8:00 pm during the season. The Corps swimming page gives a later closing date of December 1, so call the lake office at 254-939-2461 before an autumn trip.

Lake level decides whether the beach is usable. In 2022 and again in 2023 the Corps closed every designated swim beach on Stillhouse Hollow because of drought, and in July 2025 heavy rain on the Lampasas River pushed the lake more than 10 feet above normal and flooded five of the lake's six parks. As of early October 2026 the lake sat about 98 percent full, close to its normal pool of 622 feet. In spring and early summer the lake can smell of rotten eggs as it turns over; the Corps says the released gas is not a risk to visitors.

Beyond the beach, the park has a basketball court, flush restrooms, a four-lane boat ramp and the lake's only marina and fuel dock. Two reservable group pavilions, Island View and Tear Drop, hold up to 120 people each and rent for $120 a day through Recreation.gov. The park is also the eastern end of the Dana Peak trail system, a network of hiking, mountain bike and equestrian trails that runs west along the north shore to Dana Peak Park.