Best Tent Camping near Corpus Christi, TX

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

We camped in the RV area, which has electrical hook ups and water but you have to drive to the dump station. There are nearby bathrooms which are newly renovated and nice, although occasionally people using them to clean off from visiting the beach will make a big mess. Not just sand, but swim diapers and bathing suit tags and that sort of thing. The janitors clean every morning but it’s disappointing when people leave a big mess. Nothing against the park, only against the visitors. There are men and women’s bathrooms, family bathrooms/unisex bathrooms, as well as showers just outside the bathrooms.

Each RV spot is paved and comes with a picnic table and wooden pergola, also a grill for charcoal. We did notice quite a few burr plants so if you have dogs, you might have a problem later in the season when the burr seeds are dry.

You can walk to the beach or drive to the beach. There is tent and primitive RV camping on the beach if you wish, we did see people doing that. We visited around Easter Sunday and it was not too crowded, lots of picnic tables and plenty of space to have fun. We brought along a couple of mesh litter bags and were easily able to fill them up with random garbage that Washington to the beach, it was very satisfying to do that and there are dumpsters and trash cans conveniently located once you’re done with that.

It’s a short drive to Port Aransas or the other way to the edge of Corpus Christi, lots of restaurants and art galleries and all kinds of area attractions. Visit Snoopy’s under the bridge and eat on the deck. You can also take your RV on the ferry boat between Port A and Aransas Pass if you wish. It’s free.

Definitely visit, and go to the beach, and pick up a bag of litter.

Goose Island SP is a great little hidden gem of a park on the Texas Gulf Coast.  The camping area is small, but they've arranged the spots very well, with good vegetation between each spot that hides your spot from your neighbor.  They offer both 30 amp and 50 amp service, water, fire ring, table on cement pad and nice flat spots.  Good day use spots and excellent boat ramp with a fish cleaning table.  Yes there are bugs, but this is in the middle of reclaimed wetlands, so be prepared!  This is their world and we must adapt.  The bay-side camping area is the island part of the park and is still being renovated (as of Aug 2020), but according to park staff, they should be open by Nov 2020.  There is also a brand new, huge pier with boat access and fishing that will be open soon.  Near-by there is "The Big Tree", purported the oldest tree in Texas (1000-2000 years old!) and Rockport beach and all the other Texas coast attractions.   Highly recommend and we will be returning soon.

We have family that lives in Flower Bluff (basically Corpus Christi) and Mustang Island is just 15 miles from Flower Bluff. We usually do Thanksgiving at their house so it is convenient for us to stay here. It is a nice clean beach with some great fishing spots. (Fishing is free and legal in state Texas state parks without a license.)

The beach is away from the touristy areas of Corpus! They do have RV hookups up from the beach, but they have primitive camping directly on the beach with a permit, which is what we do. It is only a short walk to the bathrooms and covered picnic tables. It is just 5 dollars to get in, or free if you have a State Park pass. There is also a little store in the park with snacks and stuff but nothing to fancy. Also bathrooms are port-a-potties, but hey! it's the beach!

You can swim, fish, kayak or hike! The hiking trails are nice, just not a whole lot of shade. Very easy trails nothing to extreme, but great for kids! They also have a wonderful paddling trail along the coastline , so don't forget the kayak!

There is lots to do around the park as well. If you have kids, which is our main concern when going new places, there are a lot of educational attractions. There is an aquarium in Corpus. Don't expect Sea World, it is smaller, but just as fun. There is also the USS Lexington which is my little boy's favorite! You can go inside and tour the ship, plus there are airplanes parked on the top!! We also saw some Sea turtles being releases back into the wild so make sure you check for events around you!!

I’ve been to about 10 different campgrounds this year on several different states. Goose island state park is by far the best. This time we stayed in the wooded area. I didn’t think I would like it (I loved the waterfront sites) but I loved it. The sites are a good distance apart and have new paved driveways that are very level. There is a pole for hanging lightning and a campfire pit. There is electricity and water. We are in site 115 and I have cell service which makes me very happy. I don’t think the site numbers 200’s have cell service as they are father in. It’s quiet and dark at night. The site has woods and trees behind so it’s very private. It can hold a pretty big rig. Ours is only 26 ft but it can hold much bigger. This site is fabulous. The weather is great and there are tons of things to do in the area. Book it! We are coming back.