It is one of the original Virginia state parks built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Douthat State Park opened on 15 June 1936 as one of six original state parks in Virginia, all built with the men and resources of the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The site of the park was originally almost completely covered by forests; all of the original cabins, campsites, trails, roads, and even the entirety of Douthat Lake were created by the CCC work crews.

Approximately 600 men from the Civilian Conservation Corps developed and constructed the majority of the modern-day park between 1933 and 1942.

[5] Whispering Pines Campground, a newer campground designed specifically to accommodate RV's, was added to the park in the 2010s after the private RV campground formerly occupying the land closed and sold the land to the Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation.