Padre Island National Seashore

Padre Island & Padre Island National Seashore

Visit our other Texas Coast page featuring Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Rockport/Fulton and Goose Island State Park. Traveling south and west in Texas from Copano Bay, you encounter the beautiful city of Corpus Christi with gleaming seaside hotels and condos. Padre Island is a series of barrier islands stretching for 110+ miles to the south and west in Texas. Many miles of Gulf barrier islands are contained within Padre Island National Seashore. This gem of a National Seashore is administered by the US National Park Service. Padre Island island stretches southwest from Corpus Christi to Port Isabel and the border with Mexico. The national seashore has an area of almost 133,000 acres. This is a land of white sand dunes, gulls and terns, shell beaches, grasslands and inter coastal bays and marshes. The south Texas coast is a major central flyway for bird migrations. Padre Island, along with most of south Texas, is a birder's paradise. Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay separate the island from the mainland. Fishing these waters can result in good catches regardless of the fishing method. Light-line anglers catch flounder, speckled trout, redfish, and other species. Kayaking is gaining increasing popularity in this area.

Padre Map

From Corpus Christi proceed 25 miles south to the park entrance via JFK Causeway. NPS requires a $10 entrance permit that is good for 7 days. Primitive campsites are available at the Malaquite Beach area and indeed camping on the coast side of Padre Island is free. Camping is not allowed in the dunes or grasslands areas. Park rangers will issue trash bags for you to bring out your litter. Motels are available along the highway leading to Padre Island National Seashore. You may drive along the beach in 2- wheel drive vehicles up to the 5-mile post marker, but only in 4-wheel drive vehicles from that point on.

Padre Island Fun Activities

For folks that enjoy walking along the beach, shelling, and solitude, Padre is a perfect place, almost paradise. Above I mentioned the excellent fishing in Laguna Madre. Many folks enjoy kiting along the beach or wind sailing in the bay. For those of us that enjoy wildlife, Padre is rated five stars. Over 350 species of birds can be seen at one time or another. Mammals include coyotes, kangaroo rats, jackrabbits, and rodent and bat species. Whatever you do, don't mess with the sea turtles that come here to nest from mid-April to August. Disturbing these turtles (Kemp's Ridley and loggerheads) is

punishable by a hefty federal fine and just plain rude from the turtles' point of view. Copious opportunity exists for swimming, hiking, boating, camping or just plain fooling around. You need to use commonsense whatever you do, especially the further you travel down the beach. Take suntan lotion, plenty of water, snacks, and a first aid kit. If you travel past the 5-mile post, you may get stuck in wet sand and may need planks, a shovel, and a considerable degree of patience to get moving again. Stop at the Malaquite Visitor Center for information. The visitor center is open from 9-4 7 days a week with extended hours during the summer.

To contact park officials directly write P.O. Box 181300, Corpus Christi, Texas 78480-1300 or call 361-949-8068. Visit Padre Island National Seashore Website.

South Padre Island/Port Isabel

You can't reach South Padre Island by walking or driving down the beach. The northern and southern portions of the barrier island are separated by Mansfield Channel. Do It In Texas's next in its' series of pages of the Texas Coast will cover that region.

Don't forget to check out our other coastal page that covers the area just north of Corpus. You can access the Rockport/Aransas Pass page here.

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