Searching for a dispersed camping spot near Austwell? Here you'll find a diverse selection of places to camp, including remote dispersed camping to boondocking, and everything in-between. You're sure to find the perfect dispersed campsite for your Texas excursion.
Be aware of the tides and high tide line when choosing a beach campsite. Strong winds or storms can significantly elevate tides and create hazardous conditions along the Gulf Coast.
In Port ‘A’, it’s all about fun in the sun and sand! The beaches of Mustang Island are fantastically unique. There are eighteen miles of uninterrupted public shoreline, open for street legal vehicles and all things beachy! The warm Gulf waters and soft Texas sand are the perfect backdrop for a day full of beach, recreational activities, and nights highlighted with moonlight strolls. Parking a car on the beach requires a $12 annual sticker that can be purchased at City Hall (710 W. Avenue A), our local grocery store Family Center IGA, from local convenience stores or from vendors located on the beach. The sticker allows the vehicle to park along the beach from the City Limit at Lantana Dr near Horace Cladwell Pier through Port Aransas Beach to the Kleberg County line (south of Bob Hall Pier) making it valid in Port Aransas and Corpus Christi. 58. An additional $40.00 permit is required for Port Aransas camping. Small campfires 3 ft. x 3ft. are allowed on the beach.
Free camping is available on Magnolia Beach for 14 nights. It is one of the best beaches on the Texas Gulf coast that offers free RV camping! Port Lavaca and Magnolia Beach is located in the Matagorda Bay.
Traveler
Right by the gulf and on shell and coral covered beach. Free camping for all types up to 14 days.
Guide
Kind of an off the beaten place but a real gem for Boondocking.
GuideWhat a great beach boondocking location! Fantastic view and hard-packed sand that made it very easy to drive on. We only stayed one night and will stay again next time we’re in the neighborhood. It was not crowded. Overall we had a really good time.
Scout
$12 you can buy a yearly Beach Parking pass and can boondock on the beach for up to three days. These beaches are incredible and the City is constantly making it look nice. You can drive and camp on the beach. Our favorite part was having a bonfire on the beach at sunset.
ScoutThis is a very beaten up part of a beach, but great for free camping! I would come here again for the camping part, not for a beautiful scenery(there's a factory right over the water on the other side which meant I did not want to swim in this), definitely not for the showers or restroom, but I would to sleep. The showers are absolutely horrendous. I told myself even if they were cold I'd use them, but these don't look to have been used in years and are DIRTY. Same as the bathroom, but those I'd have to use. It's beautiful to wake up to a beach no matter what and the best thing is that you don't need 4x4 to go here. It's hard shell beach, so there's no way you're getting stuck. Me and my friend used the outdoor shower made to wash off sand to rinse our bodies, but I wouldn't do a full wash in it. I also loved the fact that I could go to San Antonio and Houston then come back to the beach! I know it's about 2 hours away, but I definitely do not want to stay in a hot city. The best part about this place is if you keep your windows open at night a very nice breeze will keep you cool.
GuideThis is our second time to Boondock on the beach. We were at marker 25 and once again thoroughly enjoyed it. It was Labor Day weekend so it was PACKED. People will pile in on top of you, but that’s the way it is. Not enough beach for so many people. The meter maid lady will harass you endlessly, but we just ignored her and continued having fun. There is a 3 night maximum in a 21 day period. Don’t try to outsmart the meter maid. She takes pictures of license plates and writes down the departure dates. She enjoys enforcing the rules.
GuideWe are Boondocking at MM 27 there are of course no hookups but I.B Magee allows you to dump and fill your tanks for $10. People pile on top of you during the day and we got a $281 ticket for parking parallel to the beach (we thought you only had to be perpendicular at the posts). That’s all the bad. Literally it. The beach is beautiful, the breeze is so nice we didn’t even run our generator during the day, the people are so fun, and the luxury of not packing our stuff up to drive to the beach every day is wonderful. We are already planning our next trip.
GuideBeautiful views, but the weekends get very busy. I stayed the full 2 weeks and loved my time there! Free bathrooms and showers if you are willing to brave the cold water. No warm water - But it’s free! Definitely glad I stayed.
ScoutPlenty of space water is very calm not much noise especially at night definitely would go back Free 👍
TravelerAmazing water front camping-and it’s free. The town has a store 2 min away for any last minute essentials. Definitely staying here again.
GuideA mix of folks RV, car, tent camping! Some folks are definitely here for a long time.
Pros
Cons
Lots of good taco options in the town over! We enjoyed Mr. Tacos barbacoa and al pastor tacos.
ScoutAbout a mile stretch of beach parking. Free, hard packed shell beach. 15 picnic shades with tables. Outside shower, flush toilets. Can park on beach or by shades. Plenty of trash cans. Very clean. 14 day limit.
ScoutGreat setting on the beach with water at your back door. Site is ground seashells (hardpacked) for a great road surface to drive on and park your rig. There are shower/ bath houses at the east end of the camping area. Did I mention that it is FREE?!
RangerFree beach camping. There’s plenty of other campers here. And seashells everywhere!! By day there’s a seeming ugly view of an oil refinery across the water... but by night that place lights up and there’s something more whimsical about it. This was fun for a one night stop along the way.
ScoutLocated between Port Lavaca and Port O'connor, TX. A mile or so of no-fee camping. No designated sites. Hard packed sand/sea shell surface, with paved access roads. Beach is pretty clean but beach appropriate footware is required. There is a bath house with free lavatories. We were there in August 2019 and March 2020 and the inside showers (4) were locked. There is a free use outside shower. There are picnic tables covered with 4 open sided concrete shelters. There are trash barrels in front of all the shelters. The picinic shelter closest to the rest rooms is wheelchair accessable. No electric, sewer or water sites. This is a very windy place. If you tent camp, low profile strong tents are recommended. I've seen many RVs with generators, PV solar arrays and wind turbines. There are small convience stores and bait and tackle stores nearby. There is a fishing pier towards the Southern part of the beach. A few RV campgrounds in the area. It is kept pretty clean. In the warmer months the crabs like to hide in the bathrooms out of the sun. Don't be alarmed, they stay away from people. Don't miss the Camel memorial at the Southernmost entrance. There is a Geocache in the area.
GuideThis is a BEAUTIFUL beach! You camp right next to the water and can listen to the (gentle) waves all day and night. The beach is really level. There are garbage cans, showers, and pavilions with bbqs. The sand is mostly varying sizes of crushed shell so careful walking barefoot. You can watch the ships go by, the fish jump, seagulls and sandpipers running around the beach all day, I have been told, dolphins occasionally swim through. We fished, kayaked, and rode our trikes. Every one there is super friendly and it's fairly quiet. And it is completely FREE!
RangerJust chill. The place is clean, not much around and free. The beach is made up of shells, not sand, so some sort of protective shoes are needed. That aside, there is not much to do here except to relax. And that is just we wanted.
When we stayed in early April there were plenty of other campers but at least I haven't been subjected to the sound of generators. It appears everyone is here for the same reason, chill.
This is dry camping so bring everything you need. Any size rig will fit. Cell service is fair with 2 to 3 bars of Verizon 4g service.
LegendScale 1- bad, 5-Very good 70 yr olds in 17’ trailer:
We plan to return.
Overall Rating: 4
Usage during visit: Moderate
Site Privacy: Where we are, marker # 28, folks who come out for the day can and do park/ setup between the campsite and the beach. Further towards Port Aransas, barriers prevent vehicles parking such, but trailer is a bit further from surf.
Site Spacing: Camping units about 200’ apart. . Apparently, much closer in peak season.
Campground Noise 5 at night. 3 during the day. Note other folks on beach are enjoying their time in their own way during the day.
Road Noise: 4 at night w an occasional vehicle driving by . 3 during day.
Bathroom Cleanliness. 3 - chemical toilets. No TP .
Cell Service (Verizon): 0 to 2 bars
Setting: 5 surf sound all night
Weather: 4 foggy at night and early AM. Windy at times. Low 70s are day time highs for us. Short pant weather.
Solar: Great as soon as fog lifts. 3 nights and no need for generator.
Host: Police presence
Location: About 350’ from water, depending on tide . Nice.
LegendPort Aransas Beach On Rt 361 Texas near Corpus Christi. This entire area is awesome and windy :)
Worth the drive and you can easily spend a week here and not visit all of the areas.
GuideBeautiful beaches, some of the clearest water you will find in Texas. Head towards the state park for quieter crowds. Swim at your own risk! State park down the road offers tables, grills, water hook ups, showers and restrooms. Trash cans are available along the beach.
ScoutLover it. Park just feet from the water. Has restrooms. I stayed 7 days.
TravelerEasy access, easy parking on hard packed crushed shell & sand. We parked feet from the ocean, pay attention to high tide and park accordingly. We were there in mid November so too chilly to swim but still mid 70s so beautiful weather for fishing and hanging out. We caught a huge flounder for dinner. There's a 14 day stay limit although I'm pretty sure there are some who stay longer. Restrooms and showers available- bring your flip flops for the shower! Good place to collect shells and memories ❤️ IG @_GoWanderWithUs
GuideDuring fair weather this beach is great! It's hard pack, natural she'll sand, easy to drive on and we'll kept. However, we experienced a cold front this week (Thanksgiving week 2020) that was very difficult. The wind was treacherous coming off the bay, the surf was angry. It was not the beaches fault of course, but from what I have heard it's pretty common here.
TravelerThe other reviews were very promising, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere of peace and relaxation. I live in north Houston, and it took us about 3 hours to get there, on a Friday afternoon. Since we went in the wintertime, there weren’t that many people, but the people we met were very nice and welcoming. I highly recommend the burgers and breakfast tacos from the one stop shop up the road from the beach. Can’t wait to come back soon when the weather gets warmer!
RangerMagnolia Beach is a mid-nineteenth century beach front community that offers authentic charm because it has not been gentrified. No high říše condos or pretentious sea side mansions, and no casinos or fancy resorts. There is a large inland estuary for birding and an elevated walk way with an observation deck leading into it. An interesting early history of the originál settlement Has been documented on about 20 plaques sited in the area of the estuary walkway.
There are a number of options for where to park your rig, but all are waterfront and on the beach. The further down the beach side road you drive, the less congested sites become. There are dumpsters but that’s it.
GuideWe have been here 3 days and staying 2 more. Have showers and restrooms but we haven't used them. Nice quiet time on the water
LegendSome places are just best discovered than read about, and Magnolia Beach is one such place. We came for a night, and stayed for a week. This place just might win the award for the most chilled-out camping area on the continent– but it would have to muster enough enthusiasm to enter the contest. Rather, all enthusiasm here is geared toward fishin’ and sittin’.
Drive through the small village into an unassuming beachside residential neighborhood and out onto the beach itself, where there is room to park nearly 100 RV’s. Most tent campers set up at one of the picnic pavilions where there is a bit more beach grass. The bathroom building has flush toilets, warm-ish showers (individual stalls), and external beachside rinse off showers.
Since the area does not charge a dime for your stay of up to 14 days, it is super important to take care of the place, i.e. don’t ruin it for everyone. So, bring plenty of drinking water, and carry away all your rubbish. The area does have trashcans, but not a large collection dumpster.
There is one convenience store/ take away restaurant with the usual suspects of chips, and beer–you can get a pizza to take back with you to the beach. The closest town with grocery stores, and other services is Port Lavaca, about 12 miles away. There is another similar camping area just down the road toward Indianola which has a similar set up if you find Magnolia Beach too noisy or crowded.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Austwell, Texas, where you can enjoy the great outdoors without the hassle of crowded campgrounds. With stunning coastal views and a variety of activities, this area is perfect for those looking to escape into nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Austwell, TX?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Austwell, TX is Magnolia Beach with a 4.3-star rating from 21 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Austwell, TX?
TheDyrt.com has all 3 dispersed camping locations near Austwell, TX, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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