Best Dispersed Camping near Chapman Ranch, TX

Dispersed Camping Reviews near Chapman Ranch, TX

45 Reviews of 4 Chapman Ranch Campgrounds

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  Shari G.

  Legend

  Dec. 29, 2020

  South Beach — Padre Island National Seashore

  Calling All Bird Watchers & Sea Shell Hounds...

  There is a whole lot of Texas, but not a ton of public land lies therein. One exception to this is Padre Island National Seashore. With 63 miles of barrier island sand available to drive and camp on, it is impossible not to get away from it all.  And if you are a card carrying "America the Beautiful" pass holder, this place is FREE to camp!

  Once you move away from the developed roads to the seaside sand, which is easy enough to drive on even with just front-wheel drive so long as you stay on the flats, you leave behind any services, water, electricity and toilets. Bring everything you need with you and you’ll be fine. We brought our solar panel and had all the electricity we could possibly want for 8 full days.

  Park your rig just to the dune side of the highwater “roadway” and you’ll be out of the way for the many vehicles who come to fish, camp, or just explore this natural wonder. No OHV vehicles are allowed on the beach, which is considered a highway, so leave the toy-hauler behind. Opportunities to birdwatch, hike or bike along the beach, play in the surf or just lie in the sand are as numerous as the stars. We found some LTE by hiking up onto the high dunes, but just enough to call, text, or check email. 

  Within 15 miles, the small community of Padre Island offers plenty of restaurants and gas stations but cross the bridge into Corpus Christi and you’re in full-blown suburban Texas. Ice and water kiosks are everywhere so bring your quarters to fill up.

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• R

  Rob N.

  Guide

  Dec. 15, 2021

  North Beach — Padre Island National Seashore

  Great free spot

  Easy to get to and plenty of room right on the beach. There is no sign but google maps will take you right to the turn off. Ignore the sign that says entering fee area. I confirmed with Ranger that its a free area. They just ask that you fill out the slip at kiosk so they can keep track of the 14 day rule.

• R

  Richard M.

  Guide

  Jul. 9, 2016

  South Beach — Padre Island National Seashore

  Camping on the Beach

  We've camped on the beach at Padre Island National Seashore twice. The campground has always been fully booked but there is access to the beach and you can camp on the sand. It gets a little crowded on holiday weekends but there are MILES of sand so you can just drive until you find a spot that suits your fancy. I have a 2WD vehicle and was a little concerned about getting stuck. Fortunately, there were plenty of people on their beach with 4WD who were more than willing to use their toy to pull me out.

  I contemplated giving my review fewer stars because this is Texas and the beaches are not nearly as nice as those in other parts of the US. We had issues with seaweed washing up both times but the water was clean. There are no facilities on the beach but the visitors center has showers and flush toilets.

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• 

  Lynn G.

  Ranger

  Sep. 30, 2017

  North Beach — Padre Island National Seashore

  Spectacular primitive beachside camping!!

  Padre Island has a few different campground with different amenities and access. This one is great because you can choose any spot on the beach! RVs can drive out on the sand (which is honestly pretty annoying just because it ruins the vibe) and tents can choose any site. There are no facilities at this campground.

  Yay: love this park so much. Before driving out, talk to the rangers at the visitor center and make sure you understand the rules and that the weather will be safe.

  Nay: windy and sandy, but worth it. Be careful driving on the sand, you can get stuck with a sedan. We chose to park our sedan and “backpack” a half mile or so along the sand up the beach.

  Surprise: I can’t say enough about how amazing this camping experience is!

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• 

  crikeyroams ..

  Guide

  Aug. 5, 2025

  South Beach — Padre Island National Seashore

  Great Beach Camping

  PINS has always been my go to as far as Texas Overlanding goes. As someone who has traveled 99% of the country, finding a place that actually allows for on the beach camping like PINS is just about non existent.

  The down side of PINS is every time I have gone it has been overflowing with garbage. A lot of times you do need to pay attention where you are stepping.

  Overall the scenery is great, the dunes are right there and the water has always been extremely nice for Texas standards.

  To access south beach a 4x4 vehicle is required and strongly recommended!

• 

  Crystal C.

  Legend

  Jul. 15, 2018

  North Beach — Padre Island National Seashore

  Drive At Your Own Risk, beautiful views and immense potential

  When traveling to Padre Island National Seashore there are several options for finding the perfect spot to settle in. While improved camping is just an exit up for $8, those wanting to get the true beach comber off grid experience can do so at the North Beach turn off.

  We went to check out this immense 60 mike stretch of beach that is advertised as untouched and unimproved, just drive out and set up for free. It sounded great, that was until we got there in a small car.

  Depending on conditions the sand can quickly evolve from tight packed to shifty and almost like quicksand. Signs are clearly posted that driving out on the sad is indeed at your own risk and if you become stuck tow trucks can be called. What that sign does not elaborate on however is the heightened cost of those two services.

  We drove forward a bit on the sand and began to bog down quickly and thus had to call the drive off. This limited our access to the miles and miles of beach ahead. Camping was available where we are however was very congested in this area which was much closer to the initial turn off.

  While cost of camping here is free, there is a small cost of admission to the Seashore. My suggestion is taking advantage of the National Park pass which is good at any of the hundreds of national facilities for one calendar year. Cost of this is $80 per year but covers admission for up to 4 adults to landmarks and parks. This pass does not cover parking where applicable or camping.

  TIPS:

  • As there are no improved services pack a potty. While you might not need this on your trip better safe than sorry.
  • Dig a hole for your campfire but do not simply cover it to extinguish it. Make sure you fire is completely out and cooled before covering it with sand otherwise the sand will insulate the heat and could burn the next person coming to your area.

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  Angela R.

  Guide

  Jun. 9, 2024

  Port Aransas Permit Beach

  Great Stay

  We 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.

• 

  Daniel B.

  Guide

  Aug. 8, 2021

  Port Aransas Permit Beach

  Beach Bummin!

  $12 a year to camp on a beautiful and clean beach any time I want? Yes please! Just spent the weekend on the beach at Access Road 1A. Wasn’t over crowded and the beach was well maintained. Wind and rain rocked us to sleep in the RV and woke up to a cool breeze with clear sunny skies. Setting up the Friday morning before hand gave us first pick at a spot closer to the water. We will be back as often as possible.

• S

  Shane W.

  Ranger

  Mar. 23, 2025

  North Beach — Padre Island National Seashore

  Don’t listen to the permit!

  You can go quite a bit further than the pin and camp with NO permit. With that said, this is a beach with nothing around it and no facilities. Verizon is iffy. But it’s a nice place to be by the water and fish and sit and whatever.