#Padre island national seashore camping plus

September to November is a good time to visit, when it is still usually warm enough for swimming but not nearly as hot or crowded as summer. Hurricane season (June-Oct) is the rainiest time of the year and also has the highest surf. Only occasionally does the temperature drop below 40☏ (4☌), and a freeze is extremely rare. Winters are mild, with highs from the 50s to the 70s (teens to the 20s Celsius), and lows in the 40s and 50s (single digits to the teens Celsius). Sea breezes in late afternoon and evening help moderate the heat. When to Go - Summer is the busiest time here, although it is generally hot (highs in the 90s/30s Celsius) and very humid. Although driving off-road is permitted on some sections of beach, the dunes, grasslands, and tidal flats are closed to all vehicles. Pets must be leashed and are not permitted on the swimming beach in front of the visitor center. Regulations here are much like those at other National Park Service properties, which essentially require that visitors not disturb wildlife or damage the site's natural features and facilities. In addition, there is a $5 user fee at Bird Island Basin. The visitor center is open from 8:30am to 6pm Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend, and from 8:30am to 4:30pm the rest of the year (closed Dec 25), and the store is usually open similar hours.įees & Regulations - Entry for up to 7 days costs $10 per vehicle (good for 7 days) or $5 per individual on foot or bike. 361/949-9368) sells camping and fishing supplies and gift items, and rents chairs, umbrellas, body boards, and other beach toys. In the same complex, Padre Island Park Company (tel. The visitor center complex, along Park Road 22 at Malaquite Beach, has an observation deck, a bookstore, and a variety of exhibits, including one on the endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle. 361/949-8068 The Park Service also maintains a recorded beach- and road-condition information line (tel. Visitor Information - For information, contact Padre Island National Seashore, P.O. 358 (South Padre Island Dr.) southeast across the JFK Causeway to Padre Island, and follow Park Road 22 south to the national seashore. Although we were only a short walk to the beach, we were not camping ON the beach… so that is where we are going today.Getting There - From Corpus Christi take Tex. I really do not want to experience a sting from a jelly-fish.Īlthough we enjoyed two days there, it was not what I wanted from Padre Island. Jelly-fish are common enough here to keep a close eye where you step, both in and out of the water. He was large enough to eat, but ugly enough to leave alone. I did run across a one-eyed crab while jogging, who ran circles around me to keep me in sight. She wants nothing to do with the water though.īirds and crabs are everywhere, although the crabs are a bit shy at times. She hops around like a little girl for a few minutes before tiring herself out.

#Padre island national seashore camping plus

The plus side is that the sand compacts so tightly that you can drive a heavy RV right onto it with minimal risk of digging in and getting beached.

It makes for a very comfortable bare foot walk but it isn’t so easy to dig a hole.

Unlike the Pacific beaches that I am accustomed too with their sand-like sand, or even Cancun with it’s seashell-like sand, Padre Island’s sand is more like wet-flour very fine and dough-like when wet. Poor Belle had to pee on the asphalt to prevent some really awkward pain in all the wrong places. When we arrived on Tuesday we went straight to the main RV camping area where there are bathrooms, luke-warm showers, and ‘civilized’ camping near the beach.However, the thorny bushes were a major problem with Belle and our camp rugs collecting hundreds of these little suckers every day. The plan, for years now, was to camp on the beach… literally, right on the sand while enjoying the warm winter temperatures and the Gulf of Mexico waters. It is the turn-around point after nearly 3100 miles traveled from Colorado… 2000 from Mom’s house in California. Although the Formula 1 event was the reason we are in Texas, Padre Island is the furthest point East (and South) we will travel. Padre Island has been the pinnacle of this trip.