North Beach
Padre Island National Seashore
12 Reviews North Beach Access Rd. Corpus Christi, TX 78418 361-949-8069 Official WebsiteGPS: 27.4774, -97.2742
Overview of North 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 Two Tired Teachers on 6/7/2019
Longest RV Reported: 42 feet (Fifth Wheel)
Reported by Karlyalyssa on 4/11/2019
Elevation 0 ft / 0 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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Reviews of North Beach 12 people have reviewed this location.
“Awesome FREE Beach Camping!!!”
Reviewed 6/7/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
This was our first experience boondocking and what an AMAZING place to "get our feet wet!" There is access to water and a dump station (once you go through the fee station.) I'm giving this 5 stars for noise because we enjoyed hearing the surf. Absolutely awesome! Here is a link to a video explaining the camping options at the Na... more
This was our first experience boondocking and what an AMAZING place to "get our feet wet!" There is access to water and a dump station (once you go through the fee station.)
I'm giving this 5 stars for noise because we enjoyed hearing the surf. Absolutely awesome!
Here is a link to a video explaining the camping options at the National Seashore:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhxhTvSihCo
Two Tired Teachers would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Excellent Camping on the beach!”
Reviewed 4/11/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
We actually pulled in at night and had no issues. A few other folks around us but we didn’t venture far from the entrance either. Most of them didn’t really speak loll. We kept an eye on the tide and downloaded an app that let us know when high tide would. We visited in early April and it didn’t move further than. Few feet.
Karlyalyssa would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Very nice experience.”
Reviewed 1/28/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Stayed here from Jan.26-29 2019. Beach was not crowed except for Sunday. It rained the first day in but cleared up around midnight. Sunday and Monday was clear and in the mid 60's.Sand was well packed and I had no problems with my 26 ft TT. I gave a 3 star for noise only because of the surf, but then again isn't that why one comes to ... more
Stayed here from Jan.26-29 2019. Beach was not crowed except for Sunday. It rained the first day in but cleared up around midnight. Sunday and Monday was clear and in the mid 60's.Sand was well packed and I had no problems with my 26 ft TT. I gave a 3 star for noise only because of the surf, but then again isn't that why one comes to the beach. A lot of trash in the sand dunes behind me that I cleaned up before I departed. Will stay here again on my way back through.
Country Dweller would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“We didn’t stay”
Reviewed 1/9/2019
Days stayed: | 0 |
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Site Number: | 0 |
There were no registration forms maybe due to govt shut down. We cruised the beach to see if it was worth the gamble but it was like a train of various campers along the dunes. And where we found opening between 2 of them we had zero Verizon or T-mobile service. So we headed back to mustang island beach access road.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Relaxing... Just What We Needed”
Reviewed 12/27/2018
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 5 |
A great place to unwind. We spent a few days there over Christmas with our five kids and it was a perfect place to relax. The cell service is minimal (unless you stand on top of your rig to get over the dunes), but for us that was kind of what was so appealing. Most campers were parked right off the access road, but we traveled a littl... more
A great place to unwind. We spent a few days there over Christmas with our five kids and it was a perfect place to relax. The cell service is minimal (unless you stand on top of your rig to get over the dunes), but for us that was kind of what was so appealing. Most campers were parked right off the access road, but we traveled a little farther north (almost the beach barriers) and it was really quiet. The Park Ranger stopped by to say hello and wish us a Merry Christmas and was very kind. The beach was very clean, but there were a couple pieces of small trash that had blown into the dunes. The saying of 'leave it cleaner than when you arrived' seems to be followed by most people and it was a very enjoyable stay. Keep an eye on the tide, but it never went farther than a couple of feet into the packed 'road/path' while we were there. We stopped at a local gas station and purchased firewood for an evening fire on the beach and it was a lot of fun of our family. If we were ever in the area, or needed a place to unwind, this would be on our list of places to stay.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Breathtaking! Amazing! ”
Reviewed 11/19/2018
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 5 |
Site Number: | 0 |
This boondocking spot was absolutely amazing! This is a must stay spot if you are in Texas! The locals were very kind and helped us out with any questions we had. Unfortunately we could not find the free showers people talked about but we found $1 showers at a campground up the beach. The beach was a little dirty but we picked up the t... more
This boondocking spot was absolutely amazing! This is a must stay spot if you are in Texas! The locals were very kind and helped us out with any questions we had. Unfortunately we could not find the free showers people talked about but we found $1 showers at a campground up the beach. The beach was a little dirty but we picked up the trash around us and it made it perfect. It is dog friendly which our dog loved! There is a lot of wildlife! We only had one other camper join us on the beach and it was only for 2 nights.
Bigtravelstinyhome would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Very nice camping on the beach.”
Reviewed 2/23/2018
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | Beach |
Had a nice time. It cost nothing as we have our Golden Pass to get into the National Park. There are a couple of site areas in the Park one for $4 and another $8 per night. They also have a dump station and Potable Water for free.
It’s cloudy and foggy so we didn’t get to see the sunset or sunrise. No cel service at all.
Jozeh would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Wonderful Memories”
Reviewed 2/14/2018
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
I used to camp here often many years ago. Make sure you watch the tide and be prepared for sand driving. Too hot and humid in the summer but the rest of the year it’s fantastic. Best to come out on a weeknight especially for full moon! Lots of trash washes up on the beach from the golf so be cautious of where you step especially if... more
I used to camp here often many years ago. Make sure you watch the tide and be prepared for sand driving. Too hot and humid in the summer but the rest of the year it’s fantastic. Best to come out on a weeknight especially for full moon! Lots of trash washes up on the beach from the golf so be cautious of where you step especially if you’re not wearing shoes mostly up in the sandy areas. Closer to the water is going to be a little bit better but again be cautious. Lots of nude sunbathers and campers so if you’re offended by that sort of thing this probably isn’t the place you want to go.
VanGo would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Camping on the Beach”
Reviewed 2/15/2017
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
We stayed here in January and there was a ton of wind throughout the week. Upon our arrival at PINS the wind and choppy sea led us to spend the first few nights at the paid campgrounds. Once we finally got out to North Beach mid-week it was unbelievable! The access road is just outside the entrance gate to PINS and by the lone ce... more
We stayed here in January and there was a ton of wind throughout the week. Upon our arrival at PINS the wind and choppy sea led us to spend the first few nights at the paid campgrounds. Once we finally got out to North Beach mid-week it was unbelievable!
The access road is just outside the entrance gate to PINS and by the lone cell tower in the area. Once you get to the beach it becomes fairly clear what all this "beach-road" talk is about. There is a very well packed part of the beach just above the normal high tide line that is somewhat well trafficked throughout the day. We simply drove down a ways and found a spot that we could tuck up between the road and the dunes.
The downside here is the stress of watching high tide come in and hoping that it stops where it should. On one windy day, the tide came right up t within a foot of our rig. Knowing that it had turned and was heading back out, we didn't want to leave the beach but we had to move because we were now blocking traffic which had moved up closer to the dunes with the "road" under water. We tucked up closer to the dunes without any problem though, this is a fine sand that packs pretty tight.
After a few days the wind started coming out of the east and brought the water up to the RV hours before high tide, so we decided to leave and head back to the paid sites for the remainder of our stay.
The Malaquite Campground has a dump station with potable water for use by all guests to PINS, it is only a few miles away and is near the visitors center. Verizon 4G is a weak signal but offered plenty of bandwidth speed for us to work throughout the day.
If the weather is good, then boondocking simply doesn't get better than this spot. When it is bad you can take comfort in the paid campgrounds inside PINS that are only a few miles away.
NomadicNeighbors would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“My house is on the beach!”
Reviewed 3/18/2016
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 7 |
Free camping on a beach. Just do it!
Margaret 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
Recreation
- fishing
- swimming beach
- water access
Pets
- pets
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