South Beach Dispersed Camping
Padre Island National Seashore
Write a Review Park Road 22 Corpus Christi, TX 78418 361-949-8068 Official WebsiteGPS: 27.4155, -97.3016
Overview of South Beach Dispersed Camping
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 RaD_Travels on 1/9/2023
Longest RV Reported: 43 feet (Fifth Wheel)
Reported by Running.From.Normal on 2/25/2020
Elevation 0 ft / 0 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about South Beach Dispersed Camping
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 361.949.8068
Joe asked on 1/18/2023
I have a 31 f fifth wheel is four wheel drive needed for camping at South Beach?
ColoradoMom asked on 4/5/2021
I'm nervous my car will get stuck in the sand. Is there a lot to park in while we tent on the beach? If yes, is there...
Dave asked on 2/22/2021
Is water available at South Beach so I can fill my RV water tank? Thank You!
Reviews of South Beach Dispersed Camping 24 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 4 Users
Last reported 1/9/2023
Confirmed by 2 Users
Last reported 1/9/2023
“Quiet, relaxing, windy, sandy”
Reviewed 1/9/2023
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 10 |
| Site Number: | n/a |
| RV Length: | 34' (Fifth Wheel) |
Overall Rating
12/22/22-1/1/23: We went to Padre Island in part to avoid the arctic blast that hit all of the northern states, and much of the eastern portion of the US. We thought it would be a nice experience to spend Christmas in a quiet, mild weather place. The temps did get down to freezing a couple of nights but warmed 40-50 at nights and into ... more
12/22/22-1/1/23: We went to Padre Island in part to avoid the arctic blast that hit all of the northern states, and much of the eastern portion of the US. We thought it would be a nice experience to spend Christmas in a quiet, mild weather place. The temps did get down to freezing a couple of nights but warmed 40-50 at nights and into the mid 60's during the daytime over our 10 day stay. We had the entire beach to ourselves most of the stay with other campers arriving a couple of days before the New Year. The beach was very clean and was patrolled by park rangers and Coast Guard regularly. I was surprised how hard the wet sand was. The sand becomes increasingly softer as it dries-out between 12 hour tides. I backed the rig into the sand dunes, perpendicular
to the ocean, which left about 10' between the high-tide water and the front tires on my truck. Keeping the truck close to the high-tide waterline helped to ensure traction when it was time to leave. When I did leave, I laid-down myt lego-style leveling blocks, 3 long, 2 high, and over-lapping the lower 3, placed at tire level, and the truck in 4 wheel drive (low range) to also help ensure traction. I didn't have any problem whatsoever pulling the 13,000 trailer out of the sand. Verizon 5G was spotty to 1 bar, AT&T was a steady 1 bar. There is a dump station with water a few miles north of the southern beach. Our stay was free with my America the Beautiful park pass. We would stay again.
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AT&T 4G
Verizon 5G
RaD_Travels would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Slice of heaven and close to home”
Reviewed 5/8/2022
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 5 |
| Site Number: | N/A |
Overall Rating
The South Beach section of N. Padre Island National Seashore is an amazing place to be. According to more than one ranger, the length of stay limit is never enforced. Having been here many times, warnings about wind and encroaching surf are true. If it's going to storm, move to the bay side camping area. Walk your chosen spot on th... more
The South Beach section of N. Padre Island National Seashore is an amazing place to be. According to more than one ranger, the length of stay limit is never enforced. Having been here many times, warnings about wind and encroaching surf are true. If it's going to storm, move to the bay side camping area. Walk your chosen spot on the beach before you park to ensure you're not going to sink into sand you can't escape. You can park the largest motor coach here, carefully. Leveling a truck camper? No problem, shovel some sand under your tires and run it over a few times to pack it. My visits here exclude the summer months. Not too hot, super relaxing. One bar of service if you climb the sand dunes behind the beach. Pro tip: folks will try to haul ass past your site and some jack wagons will cut it close. I dug a hole in the sand, dropped a beach log in it, and wrapped my reflective vest around it. Kept them at a distance.
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AT&T 5G
fullmosey would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“4x4 Recommended ”
Reviewed 3/9/2022
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 0 |
| RV Length: | 21' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Camping on the beach for the price of admission to the National Seashore. If you have the America The Beautiful pass, admission and camping are FREE. Pick up a tide chart at the visitors center and make sure the high tide is less than 1.5 to be safe. The wind can blow the sand and there are some soft spots. We did just fine with a... more
Camping on the beach for the price of admission to the National Seashore. If you have the America The Beautiful pass, admission and camping are FREE.
Pick up a tide chart at the visitors center and make sure the high tide is less than 1.5 to be safe.
The wind can blow the sand and there are some soft spots. We did just fine with an F150 and a 6000lb travel trailer.
On Saturday and Sunday there will be more traffic as the fishermen drive past the campers to get down the beach.
In 11years of RVing with 200+ camp spots, this is one of our favorite spots.
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T-Mobile
Brian would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Quiet and remote”
Reviewed 2/3/2022
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 4 |
| RV Length: | 21' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Just a great place to go for solitude. No noise except the waves breaking on the beach and an occasional vehicle headed even farther down the beach (you can go up to 60 miles down the beach). 4WD only after about 6 miles. Our 4X4 1/2 ton had no problems dragging out 21' TT to the 10 mile marker, but would not attempt to go any farther ... more
Just a great place to go for solitude. No noise except the waves breaking on the beach and an occasional vehicle headed even farther down the beach (you can go up to 60 miles down the beach). 4WD only after about 6 miles. Our 4X4 1/2 ton had no problems dragging out 21' TT to the 10 mile marker, but would not attempt to go any farther than that due to soft sand. Just a great spot. Big rigs often seen in the first 5 miles of the beach. No one within miles of us.
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Verizon 4G
DBird322 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Unique & memorable experience!”
Reviewed 8/15/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| RV Length: | 26' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
We spent 2 nights here the first week of August, 2021. It was wonderful! And yes, YOU can do it too with some planning & preparation. The day before we pulled our camper down to the beach, we drove about 12 miles down the "beach road" in our truck (no camper) considering if we would be able to find firm flat sand between the hard-pa... more
We spent 2 nights here the first week of August, 2021. It was wonderful! And yes, YOU can do it too with some planning & preparation. The day before we pulled our camper down to the beach, we drove about 12 miles down the "beach road" in our truck (no camper) considering if we would be able to find firm flat sand between the hard-packed road and the very soft sand near the dunes. Stop by the visitors center & get information about tide times so you can judge how high the waves will come up on the beach. Be sure you bring everything you need as it is a long slow drive back to the city. BE PREPARED! If it's summer, you'll likely need your AC so be sure to have adequate generator fuel. And of course, bring plenty of water.
Having said all that, this was a beautiful & peaceful experience as we were blessed with clear skies and blue water. We also were fortunate that we saw no jellyfish or seafood in the water, but sometimes this is a problem. (Good idea to bring vinegar for a jellyfish sting.) If you enjoy star gazing, this is the place! As anticipated, you will be saddened by all the ocean debris (trash) washed up as well as fresh litter left behind by careless visitors, but bring some extra garbage bags, spend a little time filling them, and deposit in dumpsters as you exit the beach. It really doesn't take long to fill several bags. Don't leave any food outside at night as we saw two coyotes on the beach in the late afternoon. Watch for vehicles of day visitors driving up & down the beach road as most do not adhere to the speed limit (15 mph). Overall this was a wonderful experience (if you are prepared) and we look forward to coming again when the weather is a little cooler. We even got to see a Kemp's Ridley sea turtle hatchling release at dawn at the Visitors Center. An amazing once in a lifetime experience!
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AT&T
Karen would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Reviewed 5/3/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 3 |
Overall Rating
Technically not free because you do have to pay the entrance fee to get into the National Seashore. However if you have the America The Beautiful pass entrance is free, and then you can go camp on the beach for free. I would definitely have a four wheel drive vehicle, we would have been stuck if we didn’t not. We did see some other veh... more
Technically not free because you do have to pay the entrance fee to get into the National Seashore. However if you have the America The Beautiful pass entrance is free, and then you can go camp on the beach for free. I would definitely have a four wheel drive vehicle, we would have been stuck if we didn’t not. We did see some other vehicles that were not 4 wheel drive, so navigate carefully if you come without. The beach does get very crowded on Sundays. We really enjoyed this spot. Waking up to the sunrise was amazing. If you pick up a bag of trash off of the beach and take it to the visitor center they will give you an Adopt A Beach badge. Cell signal was non existent, so be prepared with tide and weather information.
olivia would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“A unique experience! ”
Reviewed 3/21/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 14 |
| RV Length: | 27' (Class C) |
Overall Rating
We took advantage of the full 14 days here as the weather and tides were mellow in early March. Do be aware of the winds and the tides while staying here but it is not as scary as it sounds. Negatives: From oil tank trucks to the ice cream man there is traffic most of the day also with local beach goers. The sand is very fine and sti... more
We took advantage of the full 14 days here as the weather and tides were mellow in early March. Do be aware of the winds and the tides while staying here but it is not as scary as it sounds.
Negatives: From oil tank trucks to the ice cream man there is traffic most of the day also with local beach goers. The sand is very fine and sticky here and will get into every crevice of your rig. The salt air will corrode your metal fast so be prepared to do some maintenance afterwards. You can get 4g on Verizon if you walk to the top of the dunes.
Positives: Amazing sunrises, long walks on an endless beach. Lots of wildlife. The sound of the ocean. The dog ran free. Free with your National Park pass.
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Verizon
RoadWard Bound would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Unique Dispersed Camping”
Reviewed 3/9/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 5 |
| RV Length: | 27' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Dispersed camping right on the beach in Padre Island National Seashore. Four wheel drive recommended. Prepare for lots of sand, salt and wind. Can be busy and loud on weekends. Totally worth it tho.
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AT&T
HagePhoto would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“This feels like a bucket list kind of place”
Reviewed 2/10/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | Beachfront |
| RV Length: | 16' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Parking right in front of the ocean on such beautiful sand with my rig checked off a bucket list item for me. Lots of space between campers and the roar of the ocean made for great sleeping. The sand is great for sand castles. I perhaps was just lucky but it was absolutely beautiful weather - not much of a breeze, just right. I would h... more
Parking right in front of the ocean on such beautiful sand with my rig checked off a bucket list item for me. Lots of space between campers and the roar of the ocean made for great sleeping. The sand is great for sand castles. I perhaps was just lucky but it was absolutely beautiful weather - not much of a breeze, just right. I would have stayed longer but for two things 1) the sand is gets everywhere. I suspect it's impossible to keep out of the sheets. I have a kid and two dogs so it was a bit hopeless but even the kid said the sand in the camper was just too much. 2) My kid likes to swim. She swam a bit and then we saw several man-o-war jellyfish wash up on shore. I suspect that is a seasonal thing but that was it on the swimming for us!
The only other thing I didn't care for was the traffic on the beach. I was there on a weekend and I am sure that made things worse but there was a steady stream of traffic passing right in front of my trailer. The waves are so loud that you can't always hear the cars coming and it's just a little disconcerting at times.
I read some reviews about how the sand will ruin your vehicle/camper. There is a car wash that is RV friendly not far from camp and it washes off just fine. I couldn't see any damage to my rig.
I have no regrets about camping on this beach. I hope to do it again someday - really enjoyed it.
FunnyBunny would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beware the Tides”
Reviewed 1/26/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 4 |
Overall Rating
Great place, lots of space. Nearest neighbors were 1/2 mile away over the weekend. First 1-2 miles are busy but clears out as you go south. Pay attention to the tides, listed at the visitor center. Our last day was peak tide for the month and our tires got wet; the previous day’s high tide missed us by 20’. Most campers stayed put as ... more
Great place, lots of space. Nearest neighbors were 1/2 mile away over the weekend. First 1-2 miles are busy but clears out as you go south. Pay attention to the tides, listed at the visitor center. Our last day was peak tide for the month and our tires got wet; the previous day’s high tide missed us by 20’. Most campers stayed put as moving woulda probably made it worse (one trailer tried and got stuck in the soft sand). Not too much worry but enough we thought we’d pass it on. There’s a FREE FILL AND DUMP STATION. Get your supplies before going in to park because it’s a good 15-20 minute drive to the nearest market.
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Verizon
Shatter’s Full 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
- dump station
- restrooms: vault
- showers
Pets
- pets
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