North Beach

At ranger check in we were told there is no water available. Sinks were off in visitor center. Go with tank filled or call to confirm. Luckily we had 1-4 tank so all was well. Camped on north beach. Was a bit rutted and or stabilizers gathered some sand. Glad to have 4WD. Used our weboost and went from 2 bar 3G to 3 bar LTE. Easy turn around for our big rig

Easily accessible beachfront boondocking spot on the Texas coast. Pulled in on a Monday after camping on South Beach at Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) to seek less traffic and better cellular data service. Views are incredible and the ocean noise is calming. My kid had a blast searching for seashells, playing in the sand, and briefly enjoying the brisk winter sea. The first few days held 75 degree sunny days in the middle of winter, and as the vortex came through only a few hours below freezing temperatures with most days getting to the at least to the mid 40's (remember this is a worst-case winter situation here), so no worries about freezing tanks and excess propane usage. Access to the beachfront is provided by a paved road. Before accessing the beach there is an information kiosk and large dumpster. The transition to the beach area was smooth when we were there but we were warned these conditions could change. Camped during the highest tides of the month (+1.5) and there was at least 25' of beach between the camper and gulf at max tide without having to tuck into the dunes. Only traction challenge was getting the camper moving from stationary when leaving which was easily solved by turning on 4wd on stock tires. You'll find marine debris (small trash pieces) washed up onshore daily (a phenomenon caused by gulf currents); this wasn't a big deal for us and PINS gives out free trash bags to assist cleanup at the park visitor's center. A dump station is just up the road through the gates of the park with potable water (which was quite slow on 2 separate occasions). Cellular service was reliable for voice, data, and even streaming when connected to a booster (we have a WeBoost). Nearby Padre Island has a grocery store ($$$$), hardware store, multiple fuel stations (with propane cylinder exchange), and restaurants; Corpus Christi (30 min drive) is large enough to provide additional services needed. This and nearby South Beach were so enjoyable they will become an annual trip for us; hard to beat free beachfront camping!

I was really excited about this spot. It was stunningly beautiful and perfect. Until it got dark. Then the mesquitos came out. Sooooo bad. Everywhere. Then morning came and the sunrise was amazing! Our dogs got to play in the water and the water was warm even at 7:30 am. We got the boogy boards and headed out. After about 20 min my son, daughter and I started feeling stings all over our body. It was horrible! Turns out it was sea lice. It was bad enough for us to leave. Cool experience but I wouldn’t go for the swimming. Fishing probably but we weren’t set up for that. The flies were biting too!

I would probably go back another time of the year to see if it was just a bad time. The views are amazing though. I have mixed feelings. The sting from the lice were pretty horrific for us all.

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

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.