Best Dispersed Camping near Padre Island National Seashore

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.

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.

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.

Padre Island is an awesome place to camp on the beach. The sites here are primitive campsites, so you need to bring your own water and food. I prefer this style of camping, so it works for me!

I would definitely recommend this spot to anyone down in that area.

This is a free-for-all camping area where you can set up wherever you want but there’s no water and not even toilets...hence it’s called “primitive.” Lovely breezes, wave crashing to lull you to sleep, shore birds, everything... But there are also a lot of dune buggies though, which can be annoying.

This is one of a few campgrounds here that are “primitive” style meaning you have to bring your own water and just maybe there’s a vault toilet. Camping is free since they don’t provide you with any services. It’s a great place to camp but all our tents collapsed in the wind so you should bring a nicer tent. Wildflowers were lovely.

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.

We have been here multiple times for spring break and it's very nice, there is free beach camping which we have not done since it's so windy, but also campgrounds, this one is on the ocean side as a pose to the other campground which is on kind of a canal. The campground is protected by dunes but still pretty windy, the majority of the sites are for RVs however all the way at the end by the community fire pit are a few tent sites which have a walkway to the beach right there, a bit far from the bathroom though, but it has showers. There is also a visitor center about a mile away and town is around 15 miles and has everything you need but groceries so stop before you get on the island.

Scale 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.

Beautiful 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.

We've spent many winter months around the Corpus Christi, Texas area and visit South Beach frequently. Plenty to do; fishing, sunbathing, bird watching, photography, and on some evenings after dark you can spot deer and coyote come out of the sand dunes to feed on seaweed and fish remains. We prefer to camp at nearby Malequite campground for $5 a night with water, bathrooms and showers. The visitor's center has some supplies.

This is PRIMITIVE (even 1 mile down there’s no luxuries)= bring plenty of H20, food, GAS, supplies and a 4wd for the farther down areas. Having some understanding of beach camping will serve you well! The wind can easily blow over fiberglass pole tents (metal is best w/sandbag type weights & sand tent stakes, you will thank me!), the tide can sneak up and bury your tires while you sleep, read the beach and park accordingly. A shovel for a level sleeping area, dig out or unfortunately removing the occasional trash is a good idea. Come prepared to go without cell service and resort to communicating with one another! Any style portable toilet is necessary! I use a Nemo pressure shower to stay clean and sane. Pack it in, pack it out. Dumpster/toilets at beach entrance. The beach is a road, beware of speeding vacationers @ all hours. The Malaquite visitors center has showers and a park store. Rates are amazing for the experience trade off! Pay at the booth at the entrance or at the toilet/dumpster area (honor system). A great place to enjoy the beauty of the Texas coast!

Great Spot! Glad O stayed for a night.

Pull up, pick your spot, set up camp and enjoy. I suggest bringing fresh water to rinse off. Make sure you look at the beach to make sure you're not in reach of the tide. Those are probably the 2 most important things.

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!

We showed up late while the tide was up which was a little unsettling, but we were assured it was at high as it gets. A little ways up the road was a RV lot with bathrooms and showers. Left shortly after sunrise.

I took my daughters here so we could camp on the beach and enjoy the stars. We camped on the first come, first served side with so many others. Since tents and RVs can share the same space, it tends to be a bit noisier with all the generators. The wildlife hunting was great. Ghost crabs will be rubbing up against your tent all night. We did happen to be there for the release of some sea turtles which was the highlight. Get there early for a good spot and makes sure to have a portable shade and sunscreen.

The largest barrier island in the world known for sheltering sea turtles. Make sure if you camp on the 50 miles of beach to bring long stakes to hold down your shade and tent - and camp way back to keep from waking up wet. Actual sites are great and have plugins as well.

Amazing coast and camping. Marred only by the speeding trucks and park personnel whose main job appears to be making sure the beach is clear for trucks to continue speeding.

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.

Large paved lot. Tables set up to be behind your rv. Kind of a strange setup. Showers and baths were clean. Laundry on site. Somewhat protected by dunes. No view of water. Pretty cheap and good access to beach. Don't forget to buy a parking pass if you are going to drive on the beach.

The campground is mostly suitable for travel trailers or vehicles rather than tents. It is large and paved, good amenities, good access to the beach. The beach spans the entire gulf coast if you are interested in walking from Florida to Mexico. I come here often and love to stay out on the beach.

Hope you are well practiced in setting up a tent in windy conditions :) Awesome , clean area to camp ON the beach. This area is prior to the Padre Island gate where you pay 10$ access fee. BUT, it's good for 7 days. You need to be aware of the weather of course.