Best Tent Camping near Padre Island National Seashore

Imagine parking your temporary home 10 feet away from

the ocean. That’s padre island national seashore. No, there aren’t hookups in the place where we stayed, but getting to wake up with the sun and step right into the water was worth the heat and humidity at night. Make sure you pack in lots of drinking water! This beach had the most wildlife we had seen in a while: man o wars, sand sharks, clams, plenty of seabirds. Definitely an amazing experience.

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

People friendly. Tent camping on beach.could be quite sandy. Sand will go through mosquito netting. Keep pets leashed!

Can’t say enough good things about this place. First time to Texas and was pleasantly surprised with the national park and this specific camp ground. The beach was closed for camping (September 17-21) due to high tides so I decided to stay at bird island basin. 20+ RV spots (without electric hookup so bring that generator) and a designated tent camping area on a small beach in the back of the grounds. Toilets at either side of the camp ground. Boat ramp and kayak launch 100 yards from the tent camping area. Also, if you’re a windsurfer, their is a rental shop and world class windsurfing 5 ft from your camp ground. I stayed for 5 nights and the cost was 40$ plus the 10$ park entrance fee for a weeks access. The intercoastal channel runs directly parallel to the beach and its teeming with redfish and plenty other species of saltwater fish. Showers are a 2 minute drive down the road to Malaquite beach and they also have a gift shop that sells ice (7.50 for 20 lbs). The only downside is their is no cell service until you leave the national park and the closest gas station and reasonably priced ice is 12 miles away. Also bring a canopy because their are only 3 spots with shade and they fill up fast.

Camp on a little strip of land right on the gulf. White sand, gentle waves,wildlife, sunrises, not too crowded. Primitive tent camping close to the water. Very basic but clean facilities. Sites are very close but the views make it worthwhile, though there are some other camping options in this park. Feels almost like parts of Florida. Worth shaking sand out of your sleeping bag for months...

I'm not from a coastal area so I don't know if the wind is constant, changing w/season, weather or what BUT, very strong wind while I was there! Very clean and well maintained, staff was informative and helpful. 5$ to get in, plus your site fee. Bring your own shade. There were little gazebo sleds but no guarantee you'll get one. Tent camping was right on the beach, RV camping basically a parking lot....showers under the visitor center.

This is one of two established campgrounds on Padre Island, and definitely the more desirable one. After camping on the sand in the dispersed area along the coast, for over a week, a gale force warning inspired us to move into this paved campground, which offered a bit more protection. 

It’s not much more than a glorified parking lot, but it has direct beach access to the north end of the national seashore and some amenities. Some sites have grills, others don’t. All seemed to have picnic tables. Showers (only cold water) and bathrooms are relatively clean, but a little outdated. There are just 3 tent sites on the far north end and they are some of the nicest spots!

Glorious views of the ocean, lovely sunsets over the dunes, and some of the most amazing shells and sea creatures regularly wash up on the beach. Birds galore, too!  We spent a lot of time on beaches and near the ocean and have never seen this type of diversity.

On the downside, there is also a lot of storm surge trash, so bring a few bags and do your part to help clean up YOUR park.

There are no electrical hook-ups, so come prepared with your solar panel. There is ice available at the Visitor’s Center and water at the campground, but groceries/gas is about 10-12 miles away, so come prepared to chill the heck out at this beachside campground.

We spend a couple months camping at tons of parks around Texas and this was by far my favorite scenery from the site- the waves crashing :) The sites were quite close together, but the park was not very busy when we visited. They did allow tents to set up in the designated site or more near the beach which was great. The camping area is right near the dunes. For the low price of a site we were more than pleased with the facilities cleanliness. Not very primitive or private, but near the water is a BIG draw!

Make sure to fill up on gas, water and ice before heading out on the 63 miles of available beach! You can drive for hours along sparkling waves with shell laden sand, passing isolated camps and groups fishing. If you want privacy, this is it! You must take all you need The cell reception is spotty, around mile 25.5 if you walk towards the bayside you’ll get a signal best with Verizon, and at Mansfield Cut. Any Texas beach camping is not for the inexperienced... BEACHES ARE WINDY, CAMP LIKE YOU’RE IN A TORNADO! METAL POLE TENTS WITH SAND RATED STAKES, & SECURE EVERYTHING!! Solar yard lights are great to set perimeters to late night drivers. There are jellyfish, wear long pants or bring meat tenderizer for the stings!! The Turtle Patrol passes several times a day. Yes there is strewn garbage, it’s deposited every high tide from all around the world, bring a rake, garbage bag and a reality check. People do speed, pay attention. Showers, dumpsters and toilets are only at the entrance to the beach/Malaquite Visitors Center. This is our favorite place to go because of the privacy, beauty and the fishing. Nights are gorgeous with starry skies, waves, and a fire. Make the time to check this place out, sit and pretend you’re the only person on your private island, you will be hooked!

Best thing about this camping area is day use people are Not Allowed! Both tent and RV , WITH a shower right there. Well maintained area and not far from the visitors center. Enjoyed this area.

It’s windy most of the time. Perfect for windsurfing and fishing. There’s about a 50 foot waist high depth off of your campsite which is right next to the water. the wind is brutal to tents so be weary.

It’s not bad for a Texas beach campground. Very little shade, picnic areas could be a bit bigger- it’s texas a s it’s hot, shade is a must.

This spot gets 4 stars based on location, though it does have limited sites. If you prefer your space, book in advance and secure one of the few beach primitive spots where you can pick your tent pitch locale. Great location for sunset/sunrise with fun adventures close by: walk the jetty, ride a horse along the beach, or visit the Sea Turtle Rescue site further down the coast.

We’ve stayed at all the campsites along Padre Island over the years, they’re all pretty similar for views but they have different facilities. In a tent you can camp out at the beach or right next to the picnic table/parking lot. The breeze off the ocean is great. This is a very basic campground, they just have water and toilets, and it’s all very open and close quarters but you are right on the beach so it’s still nice. Not far from the main entrance but still a bit of a drive from “civilization.”

We’ve stayed at all the campsites along Padre Island over the years, they’re all pretty similar for views but they have different facilities. In a tent you can camp out at the beach or right next to the picnic table/parking lot. The breeze off the ocean is great. This is a very basic campground, they just have water and toilets, and it’s all very open and close quarters but you are right on the beach so it’s still nice. Not far from the main entrance but still a bit of a drive from “civilization.”

Spent a week in the developed campsite area of the park in December of 2015. Wonderfully maintained table, grill, and tent area. The showers left something to be desired, but I had never been beach camping - so that might be normal.

Loved that the beach was walking distance from camp, but the sites were guarded by the dunes. Really helped fend off the wind.

One of my favorite places in the park was the recreational area further inland. Beautiful sunset (see picture) and lots of crabs to catch!

What a lovely beach! I had a great time visiting last summer. There's a $5 entrance fee per person for day use. They also offer camping for both RV's ($20/night) and tents ($10/night).

We got there pretty early in the day, and were able to secure one of the little hut/gazebo things for our belongings. If you see one of them available, grab it! It's nice to have a shady spot to retreat to. The beach was very clean, and much less crowded than I was expecting.

There are porta potties and outdoor showers by the beach, and indoor facilities closer to the road.

This is a great RV park with very close access to the beach in Port Aransas and the wonderful gulf coast in Texas. The host and maintenance crew were wonderful and were very helpful with everything we needed at the park and the beach was fantastic! Highly recommended!

Being that this is Texas, it's super hot all day and all night long. It's worse when there is no shade to shield you. Although the breeze is great off of the water, shade would be nice. The area is clean, the beach is clean, and it is about what you can expect from a Corpus Christi beach area camp site. Nothing special, just enough.

We had planned to spend 3 nights here at the beginning of a months-long road trip and loved it so much that we ended up staying 8 nights! Nice, long, level concrete pads, well-maintained hookups, good laundry facilities and rec hall. Super friendly and helpful staff and it's beautiful to boot. Would definitely stay here again when we're back on the Texas coast.

you are camping right on the beach. you will wake up to the sounds of the ocean, and gorgeous sunrises. since you are right on the beach, bring baby powder to remove sand from your skin. the restrooms here (prior to the hurricane) were not great. the campground has been closed since the hurricane, but they are building new restrooms and they are looking really nice! I’ve seen amazing sea life on this beach including: sea turtles, stingrays, starfish, and blue crabs. I’ve also had a great time shelling on these beaches. you can’t have public display of alcohol because it’s a Texas state park- so it’s not a party spot. however, if you are looking for a peaceful, quiet place to build a campfire and watch the waves roll in, this is your spot.

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.