Malaquite Campground — Padre Island National Seashore

We spent 4 days in early April. Arrived on Sunday and there were plenty of open sites. There us room for any size rig and there are a few generators running but the are shut down at night.

The best part is the beach. Vehicles are not allowed on the beach so you don't have the constant parade of cars and trucks. You can enjoy miles of beach walking without exhaust fumes.

This time of year is turtle season. Sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. There are rangers out watching for turtle. Bird watching is fantastic. The pelicans are amazing fliers.

Been able to park in a safe area just few feets from the beach is priceless. There is no electric or water so be prepared, only cold water shower but incredible sunsets and sunrises

This is one of two established campgrounds on Padre Island, and definitely the more desirable one. After camping on the sand in the dispersed area along the coast, for over a week, a gale force warning inspired us to move into this paved campground, which offered a bit more protection. 

It’s not much more than a glorified parking lot, but it has direct beach access to the north end of the national seashore and some amenities. Some sites have grills, others don’t. All seemed to have picnic tables. Showers (only cold water) and bathrooms are relatively clean, but a little outdated. There are just 3 tent sites on the far north end and they are some of the nicest spots!

Glorious views of the ocean, lovely sunsets over the dunes, and some of the most amazing shells and sea creatures regularly wash up on the beach. Birds galore, too!  We spent a lot of time on beaches and near the ocean and have never seen this type of diversity.

On the downside, there is also a lot of storm surge trash, so bring a few bags and do your part to help clean up YOUR park.

There are no electrical hook-ups, so come prepared with your solar panel. There is ice available at the Visitor’s Center and water at the campground, but groceries/gas is about 10-12 miles away, so come prepared to chill the heck out at this beachside campground.

This campground was very nice, just a hop from the beach and very well kept. It had bathrooms and cold showers. It was pretty busy while we were there, but everyone was great about respecting social distancing.

Imagine parking your temporary home 10 feet away from

the ocean. That’s padre island national seashore. No, there aren’t hookups in the place where we stayed, but getting to wake up with the sun and step right into the water was worth the heat and humidity at night. Make sure you pack in lots of drinking water! This beach had the most wildlife we had seen in a while: man o wars, sand sharks, clams, plenty of seabirds. Definitely an amazing experience.

Just outside of Corpus Christi in a slightly more remote stretch of Texas coast rests Padre Island National Seashore, a beachfront land preserve operated by the United States Park System that offered a variety of camping and recreation options.

Amongst those, Malaquite Beach Campground, a small but nice facility less than a quarter mile up the beach from the visitors center. This campground boasts around 50 campsites, many featuring a picnic table, BBQ and shade structure.

No reservations can be made so the facility is a first come first come Campground which uses a camping kiosk or account for availability. Campsites are $8 per night and do include handicap options.

While the individual sites do not offer amenities such as running water or electricity, there is a nice bathroom and shower facility located mid-camp. These showers are free and boast cold water showers, something you will more than crave in the humid Texas air.

Campsites are located amongst the grassy dunes about 200 yards from the coastal waters but upon paying you can park in your designated site and set up your tent anywhere within the area including beachside.

We arrived late in the evening just before sunset. Following sunset Campground is very dark, no security lights to disrupt the coastal star views so it can be a bit tricky to navigate. Do not forget a flashlight if you are camping here for sure!

The humidity of the coast was intense so it made for a bit of a hot evening camping though the breeze passing through the tent was very helpful. Make sure your have a fully venting tent when camping here to keep cooler at night and pack lightweight items for sleeping.

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All in all I would give Malaquite Campground 4 of 5 Bunnies. The facilities were clean, Campground host was helpful and location was ideal for beach combing away from some of the crowds. I do suggest this to be a weekday excursion however as they did mention because of the low cost it does fill up quickly on weekends.

The only downside, lighting is sparse at night which makes it a bit difficult to navigate the grounds. Again for safety remember to bring a flashlight! And this campsite is very windy, nothing you can do about this though because it is nature, but that can make for difficulty in setting up or using bbqs.

For a video of the campsite and a little more about Malaquite Beach check out this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFW9mi4iE2Y&t=8s

Ocean wind, seagulls and sunshine! These camping sites are in a great location! Close enough to town but far enough away that you feel secluded. The beach is just past the sand dunes from your site. Hearing the waves at night is quite peaceful.

They have flush toilets and hot showers on the grounds. A standing grill, picnic table and a wooden canopy on every camp site.

This camp ground is a first come first serve. So that means it is full by Friday more often then not. If you plan on going there plan on arriving on Thursday midday, in order to get a spot.

We’ve stayed at all the campsites along Padre Island over the years, they’re all pretty similar for views but they have different facilities. In a tent you can camp out at the beach or right next to the picnic table/parking lot. The breeze off the ocean is great. This is a very basic campground, they just have water and toilets, and it’s all very open and close quarters but you are right on the beach so it’s still nice. Not far from the main entrance but still a bit of a drive from “civilization.”

Best thing about this camping area is day use people are Not Allowed! Both tent and RV , WITH a shower right there. Well maintained area and not far from the visitors center. Enjoyed this area.

This beach is nice, it does have a lot of jellyfish but that is to be expected. The "campground's" are actually pretty nice and I cannot wait to come back again!

We spend a couple months camping at tons of parks around Texas and this was by far my favorite scenery from the site- the waves crashing :) The sites were quite close together, but the park was not very busy when we visited. They did allow tents to set up in the designated site or more near the beach which was great. The camping area is right near the dunes. For the low price of a site we were more than pleased with the facilities cleanliness. Not very primitive or private, but near the water is a BIG draw!