Best Tent Camping near Wallisville, TX

We 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.

Nice place for overnighting. Or camp for the 3 day limit. Nice clean park. Sites have concrete picnic tables. But bring a fly swatter for the mosquitoes. A couple got into my home on wheels and when I killed them they left a big bloodstain. Otherwise not a bad place. Is there is a shell gas station across the street for food and guess. They did have 2 bathroom houses only one of them was clean. No showers. There were water spickets all over the place. I don't know if it's potable or not. It was dry camping so I already came prepared. You do need a permit for 3 day stay limit. You can obtain one by going on the website and calling and talk to Brandy she will email you one. This is a County park.

This is a small hidden state park that has rustic beauty. 25 campsites with electric and water, that can be used for campers or tents (tent pads at each site). We camped with a 27 ft camper, with barely enough room. Slightly unlevel, needed 2 blocks on left side. Each site has a tent pad, table, and firepit. There is a dump station. Extremely clean shower and bath house. Several hiking and biking trails, as well as a small beach area, kayaking, fishing, gazebo and playground. A nature center was on site which has activities for families on the weekends! Walk in tent camping without electric and water available. Our site #4 was only 16 dollars a night. Park rangers and camp hosts were knowledgeable and kind.

Campground 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.

https://youtu.be/uRwihvuiveg

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.

There are two area's for camping in the park. The Bay Side is about 1.5 miles from the beach and about 150 yards from the restrooms/showers. The other is Beach side and is located close to the beach. Both offer electric and water hookups for campers. This restrooms and showers are clean. Park staff are very friendly and helpful. Each site has a shaded picnic table. The park offers beautiful beaches and hiking trails. Take a hike through wetlands lot's of wild life to see. Great place for those who are into birding. Park offers swimming, fishing, kayaking/ boating, hiking. Lot's do do for all ages.

The Mosquito Coast Dec 2022•  We had RV campground reservations for 3 nights but left after one because of the mosquitoes. I had read reviews and came prepared with Thermacell repellent and DEET spray but were overwhelmed by the mosquitoes. My Labrador had mosquitoes swarming him. The campground and park is surrounded by a marsh. The mosquitoes are not bad on the beach where there is a breeze. The park rangers are very nice and the campground itself is nice with spacious flat spots with electric and water hook ups. A dump station is available. Verizon coverage is poor. About half the RV spots were used however I only saw one other camper outside of their RV while we were there. I guess everyone else stayed inside their RV because of the mosquitoes. If you are a first time beach camper to the Texas Gulf Coast, try boondocking on the beach here or further down the Bolivar Peninsula near Crystal Beach. You need to be away from the marsh where the breeze keeps the mosquitoes away.