Matagorda Bay Nature Park

Reserved 68 nights prior to arriving. Campground had 78% occupancy during our 3 night stay. 

PROS Able to clearly hear the ocean roar from all campground 59 FHU sites 

Campsite concrete pad level and in good condition 

Park roadways good condition with no speed bumps and easy to maneuver 

Lantern pole at some sites 

Some sites have two sewer connections 

Picnic table located on oversized concrete pad 

Combo lock on toilet/shower entrance doors 

Toilet/shower facility very nice

Laundromat on site with 3 washers and 3 dryers.$4.25 

Wood campfire allowed in off-ground fire pit with screen cover you provide and placed away from any grass 

Fairly good dark sky viewing as campground street lights are limited 

2 large wooden Colorado River fishing piers which are lighted from dusk to dawn 

Putt-putt golf$10 

Bagged ice machine across road from Park 

2 bars VERIZON signal 

CONS 

Toilet/shower door combination changed during our stay and was not notified and had no access until we tracked down park personnel 

Dog poop in the mens handicap stall Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday so obviously no one monitoring toilet facility

$6 reservation fee for self made on-line reservation 

10 campsites were reutilized to build elevated beach cabanas 

Park quiet hours not enforced 

No park officials or host cruising patrolling campground

No entrance gate locked overnight. Lots of fishermen cruising through campground

No shade what so ever. Some sites had a pergola over their concrete picnic table; Our site had no table covering. Brisk ocean"breezes", made it impossible to deploy our trailer awning

No privacy from any other campsite

Sites fairly close to each other

No campsite campfire pits

No on-site firewood sales

Concrete picnic table unmovable No ocean"view" from any of the campsites

No camp store in Park. Closest H‑E‑B, Walmart and Tractor Supply in Bay City. No grocery stores in Matagorda but there is a Dollar General store. Park WIFI poor; could only connect at toilet/shower facility

No playground, basketball or tennis courts

No pool or splash pad

Great spot for bird watching and fishing! The staff is incredible nice. Full hookups on flat concrete drives. Really nice and provided a beautiful sunset! The beach is within walking distance.

Had a wonderful time. The view to drink coffee to in the morning was priceless. The mosquitoes at night were insane.

Clean park with nice amenities. Great location. Easy beach access.

This location is absolutely awesome.  Right where the Colorado River flows into the Gulf of Mexico.  The fishing is awesome and the sunsets are spectacular!  There isn't any shade, so I think it's best to go in the fall or spring.  We had a full hookup site on the Colorado River, and it was huge and pretty.  Thank goodness we had our Clam screenroom  with us, because the mosquitos got really bad at times.  An easy hike to the mouth of the Gulf and also a nice, pretty hike to the beach.  There are a lot of prickly thorns, so need to be careful walking dogs, as they tend to pick up thorns easily.

Great location at the junction of the Colorado River and the Gulf of Mexico. Clean and spacious lots, not over crowded. Nature center with interactive exhibits, gift shop, snacks, mini golf and 5 minute walk to beach. Great sunset viewing.

This park is located inside the Matagorda Nature Preserve and located directly on the ICW with a beautiful view from pretty much every camp site. The sites have electric and water hookups and their is a restroom located directly in the middle of the ground. Their is a self-service ice machine right across the street and that a plus because their is virtually nowhere to buy ice on the island and the closest convenient store is about 15 minutes away. It’s 27$ a night to camp and they allow tents and RVs which is pretty cool. I set my tent up in the grass and enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the water. The public beach access is about 5 miles away and it’s a pretty nice beach but you need 4 wheel drive to access. Showers are a little outdated and their is absolutely no shade at all but other than that it’s a beautiful little spot.

My family and I really enjoyed this park. Every lot has a concrete slab as well as a picnic table area! They don’t have a grille area that we saw but there are some at the pavilion, we brought our own. Close to the beach which made it easy to take a break to allow my toddler to take a nap. My only complaint is that the showers could use some updating and cleaning. I refused to allow the kids or myself in the camper with all the sand on us so we showered in the park showers. Due to all the salt in the air all the bathroom locks are corroded and the women’s wouldn’t work so they had the bathroom door propped open for anyone to come in which made me uncomfortable while showering. If you book early enough you can reserve a lot right on the water wish is awesome! We will camp there again! (:

This is an awesome beach to visit becoming more popular over the years but still great. Miles and miles of beaches to drive on and enjoy, plus tons of small ponds on the other side of the dunes. The small ponds contain numerous small fish and hermit crabs. But if the surf is what you want this beach is one of the best surfing beaches in Texas and also has great surf fishing or just fish the mouth of the Colorado river. This beach is one of the best.