Looking for the best options for tent camping near Port Bolivar? Find the best tent camping sites near Port Bolivar. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Port Bolivar's most popular destinations.
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.
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
Tents are allowed at Surfside sites but they are more difficult to get reservations then at the tent sites a couple miles from the surf. we stayed in the tent sites away from the surf. Fishing was close by. water at the sites but no electric. Electric and water at Surfside sites. Mosquitoes are worse at Surfside at night. Full hookups available with dump stations for RVs.
TravelerRV hookups, the tent camping has super beautiful facilities, there's beachfront swimming, salt and freshwater fishing, the state park spans all the way from the forth to south side of the island
The
Legend
Beautiful area, for 10.00 you can tent camp on the beach and your pass is good for the season. The RV park is great, but camping on the beach was an awesome exercise. You can also drive on this beach.
Traveler
We love camping here. The last time we camped we did so in primitive tent camping. The area was clean and everything was as it was supposed to be. Love being able to camp right on the beach.
Ranger
Nice wooded campground with a lot of camping and recreation options.Lots of day use activity. Shady camp sites! Nice basic tent camping with clean facilities. Came here to enjoy the wildlife refuges nearby so didn’t use the park too much, but it’s nice for what it is.
GuideThis campground is right on the beach, giving ready access to swimming, sunning etc. We stayed in a tent and it was very windy off the ocean. Hot and sand was everywhere! It was fun for the kids but tent camping here was not my cup of tea. Still, there are lots of things to do in the area if you have had your fill of the beach -Moody Gardens, the Strand, NASA is not far.
Guide
No frills, water/sewer/electric hookups for about 12 rigs on someone’s beach front lot. Pets allowed and drive on beach access point is on the property. You can drive on and have fires on this section of the beach….that’s something different and cool. We had plenty of food, drinks, wood with us - I’m not sure about nearby grocery availability. It’s probably too windy for tent camping, but a neat place if you have a small to medium size RV. I called the owner, paid over the phone and that was it.
ScoutCamp Mohawk is a great get away close to home for many of us. The staff is very
helpful and and kind. They have cabins, dorms, tent camping, hiking trails, stocked
ponds for fishing, playgrounds, volleyball, basketball courts, pavilions for rent with
bar b q grills, plenty of picnic tables throughout the park for convenience of park goers.
Pet friendly with waste stations around for disposal of their waste. Free for day use
To make reservations call 281-756-2319 you and the whole family will have alot
of fun and won't regret it!!!
RangerAbsolutely beautiful area with diverse environment to explore. You can stay in cabins, regular RV/tent sites with power, or out on the beach with no amenities. We stayed on the beach! Surreal beauty.
Yay: um, beach camping is always amazing.
Nay: no complaints, but if you don’t have a kayak you will be sad.
Surprise: Great kayaking trail map and recommendations from the rangers on where to go. There is hiking as well. Spend an afternoon or a week here.
LegendThis is the best place to go in Galveston, even if you aren't planning on camping. It is beautiful and the beach is so clean. My husband and I, plus our kiddo (3yo) and 2 dogs went tent camping here for 3 nights. We went in January, so there was literally NO ONE there! Lucky for us though we got to pick our site and enjoy the solitary. We have state park pass, so entry was free otherwise it it $5 dollars. We picked a site on the bay-side instead of beach-side so we had grass for the dogs. They do however have beach-side camping, RV sites, and cabins.
Note: if you do stay in the bay site, you will have to drive across a main road to the beach side if you want the waves, but there are some coves, a bayou, and a lake on the the bay-side in walking distances from the camp sites so you still get that ocean feel without the crowds.
We walked a few of the trails, but it did rain (dogs were not having it) while we were there so we didn't get to do all we wanted. We did some fishing which was nice, and my son loves just casting and reeling to his hearts content. (Fishing is free in state parks and a license is not required.) Since we went in January it was too cold to swim but we did walk the beach and it was so lovely. The best part for me is the sound of the waves and wind at night mixed with a beautiful star-lit sky!
They do sell firewood on site which is nice and there is a town just 3 miles down the road with a grocery store. Obviously the heart of Galveston is just 10 miles down the road where you can go to the shops or the historic district, but sometimes it is just nice to be on a beach and joy some quiet, which is what we did! If you do go into the tourist area of Galveston make you park on the seawall and take the trolley to the historic district downtown. The trolley is just a few dollars round-trip and you can get off and on where you like. They have some great shops and restaurants. Make sure you go to La King's Confectionery on the strand, it is so fun and cool! They make salt water taffy right in front of you and it's fun for the whole family!
The bathroom facilities were very well maintained and looked brand new. The campsites are set un in a circle with a bathroom in the middle of ever circle which is really helpful! I loved that the park was not overly crowded like the rest of the island! The rangers were helpful and kind, but I expect no less at a Texas State Park! Wonderful trip for us! We will be back!
RangerCampground Review
Galveston Island State Park is a really beautiful, peaceful stretch of land south east of Galveston (the city) straddled by Galveston Bay along its north and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. We were amazed at the number of day use patrons there were but it was Easter Weekend and about the best possible place to picnic in all of Galveston. (Day use is $5 per person, kids under 12 are free, or if you have the $70 Texas State Parks pass it gets everyone in the car into any TX State Park for a year.)
There are two areas to camp at GISP - on the Bay Side and on the Beach Side. There are 10 Bay Side Primitive Tent Campsites at $15/night and Water/Electricity Hook-Up Sites are $20/night. Beach Side only offers “Premium Camping” with Water/Electricity Hook-Ups at $25/night. IMO, the Beach side is worth the extra $5/night since you are literally steps away from the water. All sites have picnic tables with shaded cover, trash, fire pits, and nearby restroom access. Additionally, there are two really beautiful cabins you can rent at $200 or $250/night but they are booked months in advance...
A couple other things about GISP. No trees so plan on waking up with the sun cooking you in your tent (RVs outnumbered tents). There are no open alcohol containers are allowed (but I think that applies more to glass bottles) and dogs must be on leashes at all times. We saw some well-behaved dogs off their leashes along the beach but I think this is more for the safety of the animals because there are long grasses between the beach and the bay sides with venomous snakes. Galveston’s water is not my favorite and it was particularly cold this early in the season but there were tons of people swimming, boogie boarding, kayaking, and fishing along the beach (especially on piers closer to town). It’s a great place to ride bikes and Galveston has a great cultural history that is unique in Texas.
4/5
14901 FM 3005 Galveston, TX 77554
Product Reviews
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - this weekend I tested two new products, Midland USA Two Way Radios (GXT1000VP4) and Mountain House Turkey Dinner.
Let me start with the Midland Radios. They. Are. Rad. I am so excited to have these and am considering buying a second set as you can hook up additional radios and put them on the same channel. Without an FCC license you’ve got to stick to specific channels (certain ones are reserved for police, first responders, etc). These have lots of different ring tones and settings. They are water resistant (I took these into the ocean but didn’t submerge them… that makes me nervous) and they have a fantastically long range. Website says 36 mile range. I wasn’t able to test it that far but we got to 10 miles down the beach and they worked great. (We also used them in downtown Houston and were able to get about 2.5 miles away but that was with lots of big buildings and trees obstructing them - pretty impressed!). These walkie talkies came in extremely handy - whenever anyone would head back to the campsite or into town we could call back and forth. Considering the cell service on Galveston Island is pretty miserable, these were seriously great and came in so handy. (Furthermore, I cannot wait to use these puppies at music festivals this summer!!!!)
5/5
My second review is for the Mountain House Homestyle Turkey Dinner. Let me preface this with, I’ve got a particularly snobby chef husband who was very very skeptical of this just-add-water meal in a bag situation. Well. He loved it. And honestly, it tasted like Thanksgiving. Basically a stuffing with chunks of veggies and turkey. The directions on the bag could’ve been a little clearer. I think the time to re-hydrate should’ve been a bit longer as the turkey was a bit chewy and maybe a little salt? But overall, really quite good. Cooking while camping is either super fun or terrible, so this was extremely convenient and easy. I definitely plan on try some of their other products (I’ve heard the Mac & Cheese is yum).
4/5
TravelerBeach side sites for RV or tents. High winds. All close to bath houses and beach walkovers.
Bay side has two overnight loops. Tent loop has bath house, no electric, all open loop, next to great marsh view. RV loop has large public pavilion.
Quiet park
Great hiking, kayaking, private beach, ranger programs, birding, fishing.
Legend
Went camping here and got to set up our tents right on the beach. Beautiful place to camp, but don't expect ammenities! Port o potties only, no bathrooms or showers. The biggest problem however, was the mosquitoes! At dusk we had to retreat to our tents immediately or be eaten alive. So beware!
ScoutThe first time we went to the beach (just visited, no camping) we were able to kayak into the ocean and fish. The second time the waves were way too intense. We still enjoyed our time overall though. We got there early and picked a spot. The park ranger told us that wherever the tide was at 11am, that is where it would be at 1am. We placed our tent accordingly. There was a weird swarm of gnats that showed up both times we were there. Just gnats though.
We walked along the beach and watched the beautiful sunset. We sat in our chairs as it got dark and just took it all in. Big. Mistake. I felt tingling on my legs and stated that the gnats were back. I turned on my phone light to see how many there were and to my horror my legs were covered in... mosquitos. I'm not exaggerating. My legs were absolutely covered. This of course led to a freak out session in which we frantically tried to put everything away and get into the tent. I dove into the tent and zipped it closed, only to discover they were still on my legs. I slapped and slapped and by the end my legs were covered in mosquito bodies and blood. We managed to kill most of the ones that followed us inside and then we watched as our tent was covered from the outside in a thin layer of them. It was at this point that I realized I needed to pee but we just tried to go to sleep. (The next day we realized that I had 150+ mosquito bites...)
Fast forward to about 1am. Boyfriend wakes up because the rain flap has come unstaked and is flapping in the wind. He tells me he will get it so I roll over to go back to sleep. He steps outside of the tent (the mosquitos are long gone) and firmly tells me to get up... now. Annoyed by this, I ask why. The panic in his voice as he urges me to get up, right now, is enough to urge me to get up and see what is going on. I step outside and see the waves gently hitting our tent. Our kayaks are one wave away from being carried away, the back tires of my truck are in a thin layer of water, our grill is submerged and the bathroom tent is flooded. We work together and get everything moved a safe distance away. Remember that park ranger and her advice? Yeah, don't listen to them. Put your tent and gear as far back as you can.
Even with all of this we still mostly like this campground. You just need to be aware of the tide and the mosquito swarm that will come right at dark. Be in your tent before then and you will be fine. We enjoyed fishing and crabbing and just relaxing. It is cool that you can go from marsh to ocean in 5 minutes all within the same park. There are definitely better beaches out there though.
Traveler
Free camping, just send a picture of your 🆔. Plenty of room, no sites just pop your tent wherever. No electric or hookups. They do have a restroom with flush toilets. Don't forget the "OFF" tons of mosquitoes. Overall a nice place.
TravelerThe beachside campsites offer electric hookups and shaded picnic tables that are great for tent and RV camping! Keep in mind, the beach is not visible from any electric campsite- but it is a close walk to the beach and conveniently located next to a comfortable restroom with accessible private showers. The beach itself is clean/not littered and is perfect for skim boarding!
LegendPros of this campground: tents are allowed! (Unlike San Luis Pass RV campground down the road). Great fish to catch if you go for a boat ride. Proximity to the beach and water sports is also nice.
Cons: because it's a beach, the campground is flat and lacking trees, meaning the you mostly feel "out in the open", even if you have enough distance between camping sites. Also, there is a bit of a wait for shower facilities when the park is full, because all the campsites in the park share the one shower area.
ScoutWe camped here over New Years. The RV circle doesn’t have a bathroom, so we had to drive over to the tent circle each time, but those bathrooms and showers are really nice. The view on the far side of the circle as you enter is spectacular, looking over the water on the bay side. The sites are fairly close to each other, but for some reason, every third site was blocked off, which gave us more space. We had a great time and can’t wait to come back!
RangerThis is part of a huge refuge with marshes and seashores. We got a cabin (not sure if there is a tent or RV area) and it was really nice: AC, unfurnished kitchen, comfy bunkbeds, screened deck (bring your own kitchen supplies and bedding). I’m pretty sure the cabins are relatively new (as of 2014) because of a hurricane sometime in the past decade. Absolutely beautiful for a day or the weekend.
RangerOne of my Texas relatives mentioned this area to me in regards to my birdwatching. Decided I had to make the trip as I do love birds and the water. Saw at least 40 bird species (probably more but I didn't always have my binoculars handy).
Kayaks are available for about $15-20. Several paddling trails will give you a scenic trip.
Facilities at campsite itself are primitive (vault toilets). The site we had was right on the beach, and I believe the other campsites were as well.
As with most of Texas, bring mosquito repellent or prepare to be covered in bites!
Legend
This is a Chambers County Texas park. They have several and they provide a great location for enjoying the plains of Texas. This particular park is really more like a fairground area. There is a lot of concrete where you may park. There is a great playground area and green space. There are several electric and water hookups but they are NOT for campers. They are for the vendors when the county has an event. Do not park on the grass and you must be self contained. No water but there is a bathroom and it was open when we were there. You must get a permit to stay for a small fee but the camping is free and you may stay three days.
LNT
BTYFI
Travel safe
Legend
Arrived here just before a big thunderstorm rolled in.
But it was super cool to watch as the lights of Houston illuminated the sky across the bay.
Can camp for up to 3 nights maximum with $10 permit from the courthouse down the street.
No utilities, but large open camping area near fishing pier.
Cool Texas history here too!
GuideBefore Hurricane Rita, there used to be a wildlife center here. Now theres just a pier and a shack. Careful parking because the light sand will leave you stuck. Its a typical Texas beach. The summer drought has left the nature walk dry and without nature. Hopefully the recent rains will fill it back in and the gators will return.
GuideWe camped here Memorial Weekend. The primitive camping on the beach gives an amazing view. The beach sand above the tide is so firm, that even a couple 5th wheel Camping trailers had driven out to primitive spots. The spaces are spaced out really far, though, so thankfully we could not hear the generators. The primitive "sites" are really just posts along the grass before the dune line that have a trash barrel. There is no real enforcement of how close you are to the post, and no designated tent pad or fire ring. You can just dig out an area of sand for your campfire.
There are no showers or restrooms for the beach. However, there are drop toilets in the RV camping area, that you can walk or drive to. There is also an outdoor shower in the day use area along with a spigot that we used to wash dishes.
If there is a light breeze, then camping here is awesome. Unfortunately, swarms of no-see-ums appear if the wind stops. The wind stopped during the middle of our second night, and we were bitten so many times that it looked like we had poison ivy. The little bugs found a way into our tent. We actually decided to skip out at bedtime on our third night because the wind died down again. The bugs were swarming us and our citronella candles, and nothing seemed to deter them.
On the marsh side, there are several paddling trails. The ranger station rents out canoes and kayaks by the hour. We saw a few alligators on those trails. On the beach, we were able to go crabbing. The beach gets pretty crowded during the day with lots of day use people playing and fishing, but they seemed to stay closer to the start of the beach and not come very far down into our primitive area.
GuideThis was a spur-of-the-moment trip from NW Arkansas so we could dip our toes in the ocean in the middle of winter. It's unfortunate that you have to go through Port Arthur to get to the state park, but totally worth it once you get there. WARNING: the mosquitoes are serious here. We have an Aliner and although we use pool noodles to seal gaps in the A-frame's roof, they found a way in--hundreds of them. We only stayed the one night because of it. Having said that, if you have a class A/B/C camper, you should be fine. I wouldn't recommend it to tent campers even with the best bug spray...and we went in December! Clean, beautiful facilities. You can park in a site, or if you don't want/need utilities, you're allowed to camp on the beach.
GuideCampground Review
I have taken The Princesses to the coast three of the last four years for camping. We hit Galveston Island State Park and North Beach - Padre Island and had a mixed bag of struggles from sun burns to cloud bursts. I hadn’t visited Sea Rim, so that’s where we headed.
We arrived with little trouble taking a few of the back road highways to avoid going through Houston. We didn’t have to wait long to get checked it. We got to our site which had water and electricity, uncovered table, fire ring, garbage pole and plenty of flat area to place a tent. The first thing I noticed though was we were the only tent campers there. Everyone else was in RVs. The beach was a 300-meter hike over a boardwalk and was almost entirely vacant for our stay. There was a lot of wild life to see at night and the coastal waters were cool and inviting. There is lots of primitive camping if you choose to head down the beach.
The grounds are apparently being upgraded, which is a must. The only showers available were the outdoor, cold water for rinsing after being in the water. The toilets were unlit outhouses. The only concessions available for purchase are wood, ice and bug spray. Also, the temperature and humidity here didn’t seem to drop at all. It felt like a warm wet blanket all night. I’ve camped in some hot weather, but this was pretty miserable. We called it after the one night and headed to a hotel in Port Arthur.
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*****Product Review*****
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products from time to time and had brought along a pair of Mishmi Takin Kameng Mid eVent waterproof hiking boot. They are light weight, cooling and basically water proof. I didn’t wear them much here, but I have been wearing them for hikes in my neighborhood trails.
I left my foot submerged for a while and my foot was dry. The sole has a solid grip for getting over terrain and the insole give you plenty of support. The boots are a little ridged out of the box, so take a little time to break them in.
ScoutThis is a nice little park, only 14 RV hookup sites and they allow camping in tents on the beach. The sites were very close to the boardwalk that takes you over the dunes and to the beach. The nature trail over the marsh was really cool, we saw lots of alligators and birds. The beach was ok, not the nicest I've ever seen but the kids loved it. Lots of shells and treasures to be found. And very few other people around. We would have really enjoyed our stay had it not been for the mosquitoes. We had read reviews before going and thought we knew what we were in for...but there was nothing to prepare us for these mosquitoes. We covered ourselves with deet, had a bug zapper, I even fogged the area with an essential oil blend for bugs. But nothing kept them away. And it wasn't just a few...they swarmed. At one point my husband had at least 30 on him (and he usually never gets bitten)...after using Off. They were even in the pop up. I have small children, and don't like them getting eaten. We decided to leave a day early because of the mosquitoes. You couldn't even sit outside in the evening and enjoy the ocean breeze. I am from the south and have grown up with mosquitoes my entire life and I have never seen anything like these.
Tent camping near Port Bolivar, Texas, offers a unique blend of coastal beauty and outdoor adventure, perfect for those looking to escape into nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Port Bolivar, TX?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Port Bolivar, TX is Follett’s Island Beach with a 4.6-star rating from 12 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Port Bolivar, TX?
TheDyrt.com has all 5 tent camping locations near Port Bolivar, TX, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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