Padre Island NSS

Rodney W. Roosevelt

Winter has its share of challenges for the outdoor minded. If you are lucky enough to live in the mountain states you can ski your way into spring and if you live far enough south you can afford to regard winter with something approaching disregard. But if you are like me, you live in a less hospitable climate and eventually the short gray days turn your thoughts increasingly to sandy beaches, margaritas, and unseasonable sunburns. Before long you find yourself spending hours at a time looking at your atlas counting the miles to warmer climes.

Now, by nature I am not a beach kind of guy but the image of sitting out on the beach reading bad novels while everyone I know was bundled up trying to stay warm won me over. Having been told by friends that Padre National Sea Shore was fun, the day after Christmas 2007 I headed south to Texas for eight days at the beach to see what there was to see. I have to say, I was enormously impressed and I have been returning since.

Padre Island National Seashore, located just outside of Corpus Christi on North Padre Island should not be confused with South Padre the island to the south. South Padre is heavily developed whereas North Padre Island, at least within the park, is hardly developed at all. The National Seashore is administered by the National Park Service. Entry into the park is $10 for 7 days, or $20 for a annual pass.(see insider tips).

Padre Island National Seashore is a barrier island stretching over 60 miles. The north end of the island is developed and contains Mustang Island State Park, another popular destination. The park, once used for grazing was designated a National Seashore in 1962. Relatively little of the park is accessible by road. Paved roads extend only as far as Bird Island campground on the intercoastal side, Malaquite Campground, the Visitor Center, and to an access point to South Beach all on the gulf side of the island. From the South Beach Access point, you can drive some distance down the beach on the sand, however, after mile six four wheel drive is recommended.

Camping
There are three camping options at Padre Island each with its own strengths and weaknesses. All three campgrounds are first come first serve. The first is Malaquite campground just north of the visitors center on the gulf. The campground is separated from the gulf by a low berm, however, many of the sites have excellent views of the water. Advantages of this campground are that you are extremely close to the gulf but out of the worst of the sand (the sand is going to get everywhere no matter what you do) and the berm acts to break some of the wind on the windy days. This campground is a fairly typical NPS campground with some exceptions. Like most NPS campgrounds, there are no hookups. Water and dump station are located just outside of the campground. Malaquite has nice flush restrooms and a shower house. Be forewarned: the water in the showers is cold. (see Insider tips). Campfires are allowed, but fire pits are not provided-you must bring your own container. Generators are allowed in the campground and are frequently in use. Each campsite has a table with a sun break cover. Fees for Malaquite are $8 a night or $4 for seniors, pay at the kiosk. We stayed several nights in this campground, and if option three hadn't been so appealing, we would have stayed the entire time there with no complaints. The campground host assured us that Malaquite rarely fills up.

Camping option number two is Bird Island campground. Bird Island is on the inter coastal side (Texas) of the island and extremely popular with the windsurfing crowd. Apparently, Bird Island is among the top destinations for wind surfers. Bird Island campground is fairly atypical for NPS campgrounds. It is essentially a gravel parking lot set right on the edge of the water. The campsites have no amenities whatsoever and are packed in tightly. The restroom is the pit type. There is a small windsurfing store there which was closed at the time of our visit. Bird Island does have two advantages. First, the price is right, $10 buys you an annual pass. Second, when the wind is strong on the gulf side, it can be much calmer at Bird Island. No dump station is available at Bird Island.

The third option is boondocking on the south beach. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of boondocking, it is the practice of self-contained camping in the wild away from established campsites. Beach camping is free but you do need a permit. Stop at the Visitors Center and get a permit for up to 14 days, then drive right out on the sand. Cars, trucks, travel trailers, and motor homes all do fine. The key is to stay on the wet, well packed sand. Once out on the beach, head south until you come to a stretch of unclaimed beach that you like and set up. It appears that there are two basic strategies for those with campers. The first is to back up toward the softer sand of the dunes. The theory being your tow vehicle stays on solid sand and if your camper gets into soft sand you can pull it out easier. The second strategy, and the one I favor, is to do a U-turn on the beach so that you end up parallel next to the dunes. This approach has several advantages. First, it keeps the camper the furthest possible distance from the water- don’t forget about the tides and storm surges. Second, this position leaves my camper door facing the water and provides an excellent view during meals. Finally, it keeps you the greatest distance from traffic on the beach. People drive up and down the beach continually and the extra space is nice. (see insider tips). On a cautionary note: as mentioned above, there are tides and storm surges can get high enough to force evacuation off the beach. The NPS is good about keeping an eye on things and many of the people out on the beach have long experience with the gulf: listen to what they say and if you see them pulling out, do likewise.

Due to my cautious nature, when we arrived, we stayed at Malaquite campground long enough to reconnoiter the beach and to get a good plan together before pulling the camper out on the sand. I also opted to get off the beach once when the water got to close for my comfort. Others stayed, but for me retreating up to Malaquite was a good plan.

When to go
Padre Island is a year round destination. I am told that after Memorial Day the park stays quiet until the snow birds arrive. We visited after Christmas through New Years. It is a spectacular way to spend New Years Eve, and it was remarkably not at all crowded then (the nearest campsite was well over ¼ mile away. Temperatures varied considerably during our visit with highs ranging from the 60s to the upper 70s, night time temperatures also varied with lows in the upper 30s to the mid 50s. Not bad since the rest of the country was in the middle of a cold snap. Since that first visit I have been there in May and early November as well, both times the weather was enjoyable. About the only time I would think twice about visiting the island would be in the summer during high season: the crowds and heat would make that time of year unpleasant for me, but each to his own.

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What to do

Birding.

Padre Island, like much of the Texas coast is a birders paradise.* During our visit we saw whooping cranes, great blue heron, pelicans, long beaked whatchacallems and a member of the falcon family the caracara.

Fishing.

I did not fish while I was there, but nearly everyone else was. Many of the campers there claim that they can catch much of their diet. You need a Texas fishing license to fish. Next time I suspect I will buy the toys to fish in the surf.

Hiking.

There is excellent hiking along the beach, however, hiking in the dunes in prohibited due to their fragile nature and due to rattlesnakes.

Beach bumming.

The majority of my effort went to this activity. Do not underestimate the importance of being prepared. Is your chair adequate for extended periods of lounging? Do you have the proper ingredients in sufficient quantity to maintain a steady flow of margaritas or other drink of choice. Ice can be had at the visitor center store, but limes or other basic necessities require a trip to town. Don’t allow yourself to become a victim, plan ahead. Choice of book is important as well: reading material should be interesting enough to keep you reading, but light enough not to interfere with margarita consumption. On my next trip I will have an umbrella rigged to my chair to provide shade