Bolivar Flats Free Beach
County Park
Write a Review Rettilon Rd. Bolivar Peninsula, TX 77650 Official WebsiteGPS: 29.3838, -94.7224
Overview of Bolivar Flats Free Beach
Be aware of the tides and high tide line when choosing a beach campsite. Strong winds or storms can significantly elevate tides and create hazardous conditions along the Gulf Coast.
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving on sandy beaches.
Learn more: Boondocking 101
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by Mike on 2/8/2021
Longest RV Reported: 38 feet (Fifth Wheel)
Reported by The Home on our Backs on 1/29/2018
Elevation 0 ft / 0 m
Max Stay 3
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Bolivar Flats Free Beach
Ellie asked on 11/28/2020
Do you think 4 wheel drive is necessary? We have a 2 wheel drive f350 dually pulling a 34 ft fifth wheel.
Amanda asked on 9/30/2020
When do the tides fully engulf the beach? Wondering what season I am unable to camp at Bolivar Flats Beach?
Thank ...
beeslyy asked on 5/27/2020
May be a silly question 🙃 can my Toyota car drive on and park on this beach? I only see trucks in the photos.
Reviews of Bolivar Flats Free Beach 23 people have reviewed this location.
“Great beach camping”
Reviewed 2/8/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 7 |
Site Number: | between marker 3 & 4 |
What a great place to park on the beach and chill. Getting there was easy and scenic driving past Crystal Beach and all the colorful stilt homes. Did check out Crystal Beach and it's not as nice a beach and a little busier with people and rigs. Bolivar Flats seems to be one long beach; cant tell the difference is between the permit p... more
What a great place to park on the beach and chill. Getting there was easy and scenic driving past Crystal Beach and all the colorful stilt homes. Did check out Crystal Beach and it's not as nice a beach and a little busier with people and rigs. Bolivar Flats seems to be one long beach; cant tell the difference is between the permit portion and free area. Maybe it's which direction you turn onto the beach. The beach is definitely hard pack, no issues driving a rig on it. Not many rigs here, it's quiet and private with the occasional vehicle driving past. Saw a few families and fisherman making a day of it.
Did buy a $5 beach permit which was unnecessary; didn't see any patrols.
The Mexican restaurant G's is worth going to. The Big Store connected to Ace is the place to go shopping and get gas. They also serve prepared food(the pizza is good) and groceries, beach stuff, pretty much everything.
The ferry to Galveston is only about 4 miles west, is free and runs all day. Check out the lighthouse and Fort Travis..
NOTE; the salt air, nightly dense fog, wind and sand can be very corrosive to any metal.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beach boondocking ”
Reviewed 1/31/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Beautiful beach, very easy to access. It was quiet and felt safe. Falling asleep to the ocean waves and the fog horns off the distant ships was an awesome experience.
Anne would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Perfect first boondocking experience”
Reviewed 11/22/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
We were a bit anxious to drive on the beach with our 36ft diesel pusher. We had read a review that did not recommend going to bolivar flats with a class a...turns out it was easy to get in/out, the sand is well packed. The beach is divided in areas that require a permit va others that do not. We parked on the free beach which wasn’t bu... more
We were a bit anxious to drive on the beach with our 36ft diesel pusher. We had read a review that did not recommend going to bolivar flats with a class a...turns out it was easy to get in/out, the sand is well packed. The beach is divided in areas that require a permit va others that do not. We parked on the free beach which wasn’t busy at all (we suspect this beautiful spot must be pretty crowded during high season).
We had also read reviews that mentioned mosquitoes...we didn’t see any. There was always a cool breeze coming in from the gulf so it may be because of that?
All in all, a great spot to spend a couple of nights which we highly recommend to someone visiting the area.
cabarnak would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“I hated it but the kids loved all the space ”
Reviewed 10/22/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 5 |
Site Number: | 0 |
Mosquitos were off the chain...my daughter son and wife got ate alive. Will never go back. Humidity was terrible nothing like Fiesta Island,SD or Mission Bay,SD.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Get the $10 permit it’s worth the cost”
Reviewed 3/14/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 7 |
We stayed one night on the free side, lots of traffic and high tide was a little to close in the spot I picked. Went and got a permit and moved. It’s worth the cost I think. Ports potty isn’t even worth looking at! Talked to the constable, it’s an unwritten rule that the max stay is 7 days. I plan on moving north up to crystal ... more
We stayed one night on the free side, lots of traffic and high tide was a little to close in the spot I picked.
Went and got a permit and moved. It’s worth the cost I think. Ports potty isn’t even worth looking at!
Talked to the constable, it’s an unwritten rule that the max stay is 7 days. I plan on moving north up to crystal beach next,
Verizon is ok 2 bars about 1/2 mile from entrance.
Maine-iacs!! would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Quiet beach!”
Reviewed 12/10/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Wonderful free beach that you can camp right on the beach and wake up to the water! We stayed in early Dec. and found a few other travelers like ourselves but there was plenty of room for everyone. No amenities but you can't beat the view. Very few locals on the beach compared to Crystal Beach.
Becky&Gill would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful solitude but do your homework”
Reviewed 11/10/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 0 |
Site Number: | NA |
Free beach camping! What’s better than that? We were excited to camp here, but didn’t make it thru the night (our furnace crapped out in the early evening ... and temps dropped to high 30s / low 40s that night ... Veterans Day Weekend - and yep we had plenty of propane ). We expected to see some other campers, but there was no one arou... more
Free beach camping! What’s better than that? We were excited to camp here, but didn’t make it thru the night (our furnace crapped out in the early evening ... and temps dropped to high 30s / low 40s that night ... Veterans Day Weekend - and yep we had plenty of propane ). We expected to see some other campers, but there was no one around for miles and miles.
Be sure to check the tide schedule and weather, you don’t want to get caught out her if the tides too high of a storms coming in. The beach was gorgeous except for all the litter. If we had stayed the night and weekend I had grand plans of picking up trash.
There was only one car that came by a little after sunset to do donuts. We were slightly concerned about being the only ones out there, but not enough that we would leave (well except for our fur
Decent AT&T coverage
Wandering America would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful evening ”
Reviewed 8/22/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Just moved from Phoenix, AZ and randomly decided that I wanted to go camping. Did a little searching and found this 8/22/19 (Friday) @11pm. Hopped on the ferry and made my way here. Followed the instruction for the “free” area ...which is clearly outlined by the sign as you drive onto the sand. Definitely says “free beach” and points t... more
Just moved from Phoenix, AZ and randomly decided that I wanted to go camping. Did a little searching and found this 8/22/19 (Friday) @11pm. Hopped on the ferry and made my way here. Followed the instruction for the “free” area ...which is clearly outlined by the sign as you drive onto the sand. Definitely says “free beach” and points to the left. I like to travel in my car and either camp/sleep in it or if the conditions are good I’ll pitch my tent. It’s a bit windy tonight so I’m going to crash in the car. It was too late to buy a pass so I’m definitely in the free zone. Having cocktails and listening to the waves crash is a beautiful experience. It’s my first. As I arrived, it’s literally empty. Not a car or camper in site. Checked the tide site as instructed by others...only showing 1.4ft so I should be good. Absolutely no complaints and I definitely feel safe. I know at times, as others stated, it can get packed...but tonight, it’s wide open and I feel perfectly safe. Will absolutely be coming out here to camp more often.
Side note...don’t drive too close to the dunes if you have a fwd car...I turned around a little too close to them and almost got stuck. Had it been daylight I’d have had a better view...stay on the packed sand and you’re golden!
Says it’s going to rain tonight...so I’m hoping I’ll be okay to drive out tomorrow afternoon. I’ll give an update if this ended up being a horrible decision. Ha
CarCamper would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Pretty cool, but no bathroom!”
Reviewed 6/12/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Very cool to be able to spend the night right on the beach. There were a lot of people taking advantage of the free camping area, to the point it seemed like some people maybe lived here. You should treat this place as if there is no bathroom... unless you are okay with using a port-a-potty with a literal mound of poop and toilet pap... more
Very cool to be able to spend the night right on the beach. There were a lot of people taking advantage of the free camping area, to the point it seemed like some people maybe lived here.
You should treat this place as if there is no bathroom... unless you are okay with using a port-a-potty with a literal mound of poop and toilet paper overflowing the seat itself. Gross!!
There were people zipping on four wheelers pretty late into the night, and we had a family(?) that arrived right next to us at 3am with their lights on for awhile and appeared to not sleep the whole night, as we woke up to them still hanging around the tailgate of the truck kicking a soccer ball around. Very weird but they were harmless.
Overall, very neat experience to wake up to the waves and sunrise on the beach. I also recommend taking the free ferry over to Galveston where you can enjoy a day on the beach with your car there as well.
Trippinonasphalt would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Amazing beach ”
Reviewed 6/10/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
We stayed here for a weekend in early June. The first weekend after all the kids were out of school. It was a little busy during the day. But as the sun went down and people started to leave it was amazing! One tent was the only other person on the beach! Being able to sleep listening to the waves crash was amazing! I will say that as ... more
We stayed here for a weekend in early June. The first weekend after all the kids were out of school. It was a little busy during the day. But as the sun went down and people started to leave it was amazing! One tent was the only other person on the beach! Being able to sleep listening to the waves crash was amazing! I will say that as the evening rolled in so did the bugs though. So I would recommend bug spray or something to keep them away. Other than that we LOVED this place. We will be back for sure!!
Dollop of Adventure would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
- Dispersed Camping
Recreation
- fishing
- swimming beach
- water access
Facilities
- restrooms: vault
- trash
Pets
- pets
Nearby
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