Searching for a dispersed campsite near El Lago? Find the best information on dispersed campgrounds near El Lago, including photos, reviews, and tips. Whether you're looking for a quiet location in the trees or wide open spaces, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect dispersed campsite.
Follett's Island is the 13-mile stretch of public access beach along the Gulf of Mexico that protects Christmas Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway from severe weather, and provides the community with free entertainment and relaxation. Visitors of Follett's Island enjoy fishing, swimming, and camping along the beach year round. The beach is available via public access entrances along Bluewater Highway, or CR 257.
From miles of sandy beaches, pristine bays and bayous, to bottomland hardwood forests, come experience the diverse and beautiful landscapes that Brazoria County has to offer. Also, there's great fishing, camping, paddling, and birding - all of which you can find within Brazoria County Parks.
Included in our park system are 10 parks, 23 miles of sandy beaches, 21 boat ramps, two RV campgrounds, historical homes, interpretive centers, day use facilities, playgrounds, horseshoe and volleyball pits, and picnic areas. We also offer meeting room, cabin, dormitory, pavilion, and chapel rentals.
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.
Traveler
Half mile stretch at end of access road to left is nice beach with dunes and free dispersed camping. Other sections require permit (on line or in person). Watch tides and weather, but really easy safe beach with big views. There are of course oil tankers visible and so not a pristine natural area. Adjacent to a preserve. Excellent.
GuideParked on beach with nobody else in sight. Hard to beat free camping on the beach.
Guide
Super pretty. It is the true meaning of dispersed camping, so zero established sites. Plenty of room to go out and turn around with a big rig, and the sand is very hard packed so I wouldn’t be too worried about sinking as long as you hug a little closer to the shoreline versus the grass. There’s a parking lot before the beach that’s asphalt and seems to be fair game. The drive out to the beach is well established and well marked, so it’s easy to find. We went in November so it dropped to 40’ in the night; be prepared for colder temperatures.
Ranger
Hard packed sand. Tide is safely far from the rig. Boondocking and waking up to the ocean sound is amazing. Take a walk with a garbage bag and help pick up liter left by others
LegendThe Flatts-Bolivar Peninsula or Crystal Beach is all sort of the same thing. There are 27 miles of sand facing the Gulf of Mexico that you are able to drive on and to camp. Make sure you park high enough that you are above the tide line. You will find all sizes and types of rigs. If you are going to camp you will need to obtain a Bolivar Beach Parking Sticker. The sticker is only $10.00. You can purchase by mail with a self addressed envelope with a check or money order to Bolivar Beach Parking Sticker, PO Box 1679, Crystal Beach, TX 71650 or purchase in person at most stores, real estate agencies on Bolivar or Chamber of Commerce. If you have ATV's or golf cart you will need stickers for those. Stickers are good for one calendar year. There are trash cans and some port a pots. You may have a fire.
Please do not leave trash, take care of the beach and the privilege of free camping on the beach.
LNT
BTYFI
Travel safe
LegendBolivar Beech: A nice experience during the week. However, there is lots of activity on the sunny weekends. I have heard that it is very crowded with campers during spring break and in the summer. Also, there is a gated community being built behind the section of beach near Retilion Rd. I spoke with two city officials with Nuisance Abatement. There is talk of instituting a 2 week limit.
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 4 - would be a 5 but for heavy usage of day users during sunny weekends. Many are great. Few are not. One child came behind our camper and helped herself to our collection of shells while her mom watched. Careful of your belongings.
Price 2023: $10 to the right of Rettilon Rd. Free to the left of Rettilon Rd.
Security: None
Usage during visit: Campers: Light this time of year
Site Privacy: None
Site Spacing: Plenty of room to spread out and most campers do.
‘Pad’ surface: Sand
Reservations: No
Campground Noise: Noisy on weekends. Quiet, for the most part at night, but for the occasional party persons.
Road Noise: None
Through Traffic in campground: Lots of folks driving the beach on the sunny weekends. Minimal during the week.
Dispersed Camping .
Potable Water Available: Bring what you need.
Generators: Allowed.
Bathroom: One pit toilet in our area, at the beach end of Rettilon Rd . It is very full after the weekend. Bring your own TP. It runs out.
Showers: No
Cell Service (AT&T): 2 to 3 bars
Setting: Beach, dispersed
Recent Weather: S50s at night and 60s during the day.
Solar: Great
Host: No
Rig Size: Largest.
TravelerClass B camping. Had beach mostly to ourselves. Primitive camping with no amenities. Just what we were looking for.
Clean and plenty of room. Good cell services. Not much in the area so pack your pantry in advance.
RangerSaturday, March 20,2021 Surfside Beach Access Road #4 Third day here. Temp 72°, light breeze, bright sun.
A couple of other camping rigs in the distance early this morning along with two část fishermen with pickups at water’s edge. My dogs ran free.
I moved up here from Access Road #1 two days ago to get away from people and noise congestion and was successful.
Any vehicle can drive on the upper beach and there is light traffic during the day from beach day users. Late Last night, there were kids doing wheelies in their pick ups and a very loud ATV blasted by around 2:00 AM so if this kind of thing keeps you awake you’ve been forewarned.
You won’t find camping amenities here, just sun, sand, and surf rolling in with waves big enough for light surfing. Apparently, the fishing is pretty good, too.
The Freeport beaches are popular, but clean (I picked up one small bag of trash from around my site. The County came through this morning with a clean up detail of four.) The beach is wide and there are very small Dunes on the up side to camp against. No chance of water encroaching on your campsite.
Love it here.
ScoutFree beach camping between access 3 and 5. Stayed here end of December. Nice temperatures and great view on the gulf. A lot of space. Some campers but a lot privacy. Sand is not soft so no 4x4 required. You have to he self sustained since there is nothing here...just you and the gulf.
TravelerFree beach camping, No reservations needed! We went on a weekend late July 2021, NO PROBLEM finding space. Recommend some type of canopy or awning, Texas Sun is HOT! Plan ahead, stores are few and far between. NO amenities, water, showers or hookups of any kind. Tmobile Cell service wasn't the best. Generator usage is allowed, but you barely could hear any due to all the space between campers & the WAVES SOUNDING SO AMAZING! Sunrise was beautiful! I'll go again!
Pros: Amazing View, Lots of Space, No harassment, Ice Cream & Food Trucks pass throughout the day (if you have a sweet tooth), beach sand is compacted so you shouldn't get stuck, several beach access roads to enter from. Camp fires 🔥 are permitted & I found firewood laying around.
Cons: North part of island has LOTS of debris, dead trees, branches, etc. No trash cans or porta pottys either (we didn't mind that, but be prepared to take your trash with & have a bucket for your business, lol). A goofball left all their trash scattered when they departed after their 3 hr beach adventure. Most everyone was mindful of leaving things clean. MORE trash cans could help.
LegendThis place is EXCELLENT! From Galveston take the ferry across it's really convenient and free! We took our 26ft Class C RV on the ferry no problem. Pick a spot of the beach and just set up camp! The sand is very compacted and easily drivable. We saw all types of vehicles from golf carts to massive class A rigs.
When we were there is was not busy and there are only a few other campers. People come and go to use the beach to fish or play and cars will occasionally pass by your camp but it it not bad because you are literally yards from the water!
There are garbage cans set up up and down the beach which is miles long.
Bring water and pack out as much as you can and try not to fill up the garbage can you may be next to because there is quite a bit of litter on the beach. We picked up liter daily when we stayed. Mostly old garbage that has washed up from the ocean. Very peaceful and relaxing place to stay and will definitely be coming back here.
There are no bathrooms so you’ll need to be self contained. Good cell reception with ATT and Verizon
GuideYou get what you pay for, but it’s still not bad. I would definitely come again. Flat packed sand makes it easy to drive any type of vehicle on the beach. There are no fees for driving on the beach, and no fees to camp over night.
It’s tricky to find because there are only two access roads and you have to drive one way on the beach, so don’t miss the small sign that says free beach access road. There is not much info on the county website either on the address just a “general idea” on how to get here. But if you are down for a little driving adventure to find it, it’s pretty chill.
There are porta potties every couple hundred feet and trash cans every few feet. So there are plenty of trash cans but the beach is a bit dirty.
Pets allowed, on leash. I brought my small dog Yoshi with me in this camping trip.
I have Verizon and have 3 bars LTE.
You can have small fires on the beach but only if there isn’t a burn ban, which right now I’m pretty there is so I didn’t bring anything with me.
Nice surprise is that there is an ice cream truck that goes by every now and then. Some people may not like it, but I think it’s nice.
ScoutGreat place to stay in the beach in Texas.
Legend
Rollover Pass, Texas was first used by smugglers that would transfer their loot between the Gulf and Galveston Bay. Their loot was normally packed into the large wooden barrels and they rolled their loot from one side of the bay to the other. So Rollover Pass was very fitting. Now Rollover Pass is mainly used by locals for fishing. Large sand parking lot where they can park, fish, camp, and spend the weekend. There are porta pots and trash containers and you will find the same lots on both sides of the highway. The property is privately owned. There are no signs stating that you may camp but it has been accepted policy for some time. Sand is hard packed.
LNT
BTYFI
Travel safe
TravelerGreat time fishing here
GuideLet the ocean put you to sleep. We stayed in November, the temps were perfect to a little cool. We're about 17k pounds and had no issues driving and setting up on the sand. It is pretty, there are shells everywhere, and, not many others camped here at this time.
GuideCheck the weather! I was there the night of a tornado watch. 70 mile an hour winds and heavy rain. Got alerts on my phone but I had about 6 drinks and did not want to risk those problems, so I braved the storm. Very humbling experience. To be fair, the weather was clear when I started the 500 mile journey to this spot.Weather the other days was great during sunlight. Bring a shovel if you want to start a fire and please be cautious about the winds blowing in. I could very easily see an unsupervised fire causing a devastating event. Nothing better than waking up to the ocean sounds or hearing them with a fire. Bring firewood if you enjoy fires. It's 10 dollars a bundle in town. Unless you wanna drive 50 miles. Great place, a bit of trash but, if you're able. Do your part with some gloves and fill a bag. I filled a bag in about 20 minutes. Would recommend to anyone, and I will be staying there anytime I can get a week to stay. Tide didn't come up closer than 15 yards to the the dunes,, even during a crazy storm.. Safe travels!
TravelerWe spent 2 weeks here during the winter. It’s a really quiet spot with a few other RV’s here and there in the beach. We have AT&T and cell service was excellent. Weather was good while we were here although it got pretty windy a few nights. Tents may be difficult. We were in a 26’ travel trailer so it didn’t bother us much. Sand is easy to drive on. Note that the location that this app links you to isn’t correct. If you take 87 almost to the tip of the peninsula (towards the ferry) and turn onto rettilion rd. you’ll arrive at the beach.
ScoutWe camp overnight and it wasn’t much people probably because is been raining every day but the 2 days we stay didn’t rain at all, so it was nice weather and wasn’t hot.
GuideThe wide open Beach is of theirs have said 27 miles long and the water is cold right now but it's still pretty nice, one local person pointed out that you should know the number of the garbage barrel you are near each one has a different number so people can get to you in an emergency or she said they also deliver but you have to know your garbage barrel number. There's lots of space so no reason to park on top of each other so to speak but it's good to hang with other people just remember not everybody wants company haha overall I think with 27 miles you should be able to find something that works for you very chill good place
GuideWhen I started on my journey, I knew I wanted to spend some considerable time on the beach and Crystal Beach didn't disappoint.
I picked up the $10 beach parking pass and spent about two weeks there the first time.
You do want to make sure you set up on the north side of the beach although that does mean you will deal with the traffic from people driving on the beach and others setting up and blocking your view.
I have seen the tide come almost to the front of my fence. (That I set up for my pups)
You can get propane at Parkers Lumber and almost everything else at the Big Store.
TravelerMe and my fiancé went to Bolivar Flats to camp out with our friends and had a really awesome time!
ScoutSo honestly I didn't choose a good weekend to do my first camping trip here (memorial weekend) but that didn't impact the trip at all. It also helped that we've stayed here a few times and knew the area well enough. There were a lot of people but they were all polite and there were accessible bathrooms (port-o-pottys). The police patrolled often and the ice cream trucks did too which helped on such a hot weekend but the nice breeze off the water was amazing. The dogs had a fantastic time as well. Sunrise on the beach made the whole experience.
TravelerFabulous night’s sleep and morning swim and cup of joe! The stars were excellent at night and the sea breeze made for amazing sleeping weather. The morning brought warm sun which allowed for a pleasant frolic in the ocean after waking.
Plenty of space for privacy, very quiet. Sand is very packed and we had no trouble getting in and out. $2 toll if coming from Galveston, so if you come in from the west, this can be avoided.
GuideVery nice strip of beach. Very easy to access regardless of car type you have, won’t get stuck in sand. This is a 13 mile Long Beach, so amenities may be far and few. Didn’t have any at the spot I stayed. There are multiple beach access points and you can drive right on and drive where you need to get privacy. There was no trash where I stayed and no debris. There is a sand and grass barrier between the beach and the main road. Water is about 100-150 feet from top of beach. Being November, the temperature was mild and there weren’t that many bugs nor people. Lots of gas stations and stores along the way. No need to pay or get permit besides a $2 toll when coming from the East through Galveston.
RangerWe camped out on the beach for three days at a few different locations and had no problems other than soft sand at one of the access roads (check before you drive into the sand) Minimal traffic in September and the beach was still cleaned of seaweed and debris daily due to the hurricane and higher tides - but we only had water touch our tires one night. Overall, great spot! Just pick your driving lanes and parking spots carefully without 4x4
GuideWe drove our 32ft class C (with tow dolly attached) on the beach without any issue getting in or out, and we saw multiple 2 wheel drive vehicles drive allllll the way down the beach. The sand is compact basically all the way throughout the entire beach. The weather was cloudy when we were there but the potential for a beautiful sunrise on the beach is there. There weren’t a lot of people on the beach during the week, but the weekend was slammed with all sorts of trucks and cars parked on the beach. Some small businesses drove by selling goods from their vehicles, like ice cream trucks and flags.
Oh! And you know the scenes in movies where they have a campfire on the beach? But no beach ever allows a campfire? They allow them here!
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near El Lago, Texas, where nature meets adventure. With stunning beaches and a variety of outdoor activities, this area offers a perfect escape for camping enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near El Lago, TX?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near El Lago, TX is Bolivar Flats Dispersed Camping with a 4.7-star rating from 14 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near El Lago, TX?
TheDyrt.com has all 8 dispersed camping locations near El Lago, TX, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
