To explore Texas was a geography lesson and a sense of freedom for me. When I thought of the state of Texas what came to mind were cities like Houston, Dallas, then cattle and open ranch land. Beautiful beaches were not anywhere on that list. I could not have been more wrong. One beauty of travelling is I learn new things!
Texas has 367 miles of beaches and 234 miles are protected by 7 seven barrier islands. The calm waters behind the islands is where Texas’ rivers mix in with the ocean, creating estuaries where both fresh and saltwater mix.
The seven barrier islands are Galveston Island, Follet’s Island, Matagorda Island, San José Island, Mustang Island, Padre Island, and Brazos Island.
I enjoyed exploring the coast of Florida so decided I would continue and explore Texas coastline as well. I also heard there was free camping on many of the beaches which was a positive for my budget as well as exploring.
Am I in Danger?
My Texas beach adventure started on Boliver Peninsula at Crystal Beach just across the Mississippi border. I arrived late in the day and was not sure of the best place to park so decided on a beach that was fairly close to the main road. Later that night I was woken to a major rain storm and wind shaking my van.
The rain had been pounding down for a couple hours and I was getting nervous. It was pitch black and I couldn’t see a thing outside. Was the tide getting close to me? Would I get stuck in the sand? Was I in danger?
Freaking out a bit, at 230 am I decided to drive out of my spot on the beach and head to the nearest place I could stop. That was a 24 hour gas station a few miles down the road and they said it was okay to park in there for the rest of the night.
The next day I explored the area and realized I had been totally safe where I had parked. Still feeling a bit nervous I found an area with a dozen or so other campers. I decided I would be safe there. The beach was massive with solid sand where regular cars were driving up and down just like any highway.
It was cool and cloudy but the area was really beautiful so I stayed for 3 days walking the beach and relaxing. The water was not emerald green like Florida but a muddy brown, which I was told is the normal colour due to the Gulf of Mexico tides.
More coastline as I Explore Texas
My cell service would be good one day but not the next so I decided to move on as I needed to do a little bit of work. I also needed groceries, water and my battery needed charging so I decided to head to Galveston Island which was a short free ferry ride away.
Galveston Island is about 50 miles southeast of Houston and is very popular area for snowbirds to spend the winter months. All I could find were paid RV sites which are out of my budget. I finally decided to stay at a state park campsite for $20 USD ($28 CAN). This was actually a good deal as I charged my battery, filled my water tank and took a shower.
The only downside was the spots were so close that I felt elbow to elbow with my neighbours. Basically all I had was a cement pad just big enough for the van and a picnic table. Not my preferred way to camp, but good for one night to stock up.
As I Explore Texas Further…
I traveled further west stopping off at Freeport Beach and Surfside Beach. These were popular with campers staying on the beach. Everyone parked a respectful distance from each other which gave us all space but made it more difficult to meet people.
I spent my fews days walking the beaches and hunting for shells, finding too many beautiful ones. My shell collection was increasing.
Then I drove a little further west to explore San Jose Island and Mustang Island. I stopped off at Aransas Beach on Mustang Island. This was a stunningly huge white sandy beach just over 6 miles long. Unfortunately the whole day was foggy so I could not see the ocean views.
This was the busiest beach I have been on so far, there were hundreds of other campers along the 6 miles of beach. I would love to come back here on a sunny day to experience the expansiveness. I would have stayed longer but the weather was calling for fog, cloud and rain all week so I decided to head out.
Padre Islands
Padre Island is the world’s largest barrier island, with a length of 113 miles (182 km). North and South Padre Islands were formed after the creation of the Port Mansfield Channel which split Padre Island into two. The upper portion of North Padre Island is in the district of the city of Corpus Christi, another hot spot for snowbirds. I only explored this area for an afternoon as the fog and rain was heavy.
You cannot drive from North Padre Island to South Padre Island directly so I drove inland from Corpus Christi to South Padre Island which is 119 mile. I am slow I guess as it took me nearly 4 hours to travel from one to the other. I contemplated whether or not to go since the weather was predicted to be bad but decided since I was this close I had to go see the south island.
Texas has a tropical island?
South Padre Island is a tropical island. It is 34 miles long with beautiful white sand and clear emerald water and is one of the world’s most exquisite barrier islands. The beaches are supposedly more scenic and isolated than those on the North end of the Padre Island National Seashore.
Driving across the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway from Port Isabel all I could see were high rise hotels, casinos, shops and apartments. The beaches were hidden by the buildings and there were only a few access points which had paid parking. There were no places to camp other than expensive RV sites. This was definitely a tourist spot, reminded me of Miami and Key West in Florida.
Where is the white sand and emerald water?
I didn’t see any white sandy beaches or emerald water. Perhaps it was the time of year or the weather but I was disappointed. I drove to the north end of the island in the hope of finding some nice beach access.
I did find a spot to park along the side of the road at the very end of the island. Not a parking lot, just pulled off the road along with several other cars. I did walk the sand dunes, which were massive and beautiful. I am glad I came to South Padre Island just to say I have been here but not really the kind of place I enjoy.
Will I be back to Explore Texas more?
As I explore Texas beaches I found unspoiled areas that had a sense of wildness to them that I loved. These lovely hard packed beaches make a perfect spot to park, pull out my camping chair, listen to the waves and wind while watching the tide go in and out.
My time along the Texas coastline was idyllic when the sun was shining, but with the wildness and unpredictability of the weather there were scary times as well. Quite the adventure either way. I will definitely come back to explore Texas beaches again as there is so much more to see and the free beach camping is definitely a bonus.
Where I stayed as I Explore Texas
- Jan 4/23 Walmart Gulfport, Mississippi
- Jan 5 Walmart New Iberia, Louisiana
- Jan 6 Cracker Barrel Beaumont, Texas
- Jan 7 Boliver Beach / Gas station moved at 230am due to storm
- Jan 8 – Jan 11 Boliver Peninsula
- Jan 12 Galveston Island State Park, Galveston Island
- Jan 13 Freeport Beach, Texas
- Jan 14, 15 Surfside Beach, Texas
- Jan 16 Walmart Port Lavaca, Texas
- Jan 17 Port Aransas Beach, Mustang Island, Texas
- Jan 18 Walmart Brownsville, near South Padre Island, Texas
- Jan 19 Falcon County Park, Texas
- Jan 20 San Angelo, Texas
I really enjoy your writing Cath. Informative, descriptive, entertaining. Well done!!!!
Thanks so much!! I am please you enjoy my posts.