Padre Island National Seashore

Located on a 113-mile-long barrier island named Padre Island, Padre Island National Seashore is a 70-miles-long federally-protected coastal area that has multiple white sand beaches including Padre Island North Beach,Little Shell Beach, Big Shell Beach, Padre Island South Beach, Closed Beach, and Malaquite Beach. This national seashore is managed by the National Park Service. 

Padre Island National Seashore was listed as one of the “10 best under-the-radar beaches to visit in the United States” by a British newspaper named The Independent

Although the beaches at Padre Island National Seashore do not have lifeguards, they have many other amenities including an observation area, restrooms, showers, changing rooms, nearby boat launch areas, concession stands, a visitor center named Malaquite Visitor Center (that is located near Malaquite Beach), and picnic tables. Please note that most of the amenities here are usually found near Malaquite Beach

The beaches of Padre Island National Seashore offer many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, hiking, picnicking, horse riding, biking, camping, fishing, volleyball, swimming, paddleboarding, boating, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching. The beaches at this national seashore are ideal for beginner swimmers, kayakers, and canoers because the Gulf of Mexico water here is known to have mild and manageable waves, particularly during summers.

In addition to swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, other popular activities at Padre Island National Seashore include windsurfing, kayaking, and canoeing in a nearby lagoon named Laguna Madre. If you are planning to swim, kayak, canoe, paddleboard, or surf-ski here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents, dangerous waves, and occasionally severe undertows. In addition, surfing is also prohibited here, and Portuguese man o’ war and stingrays have also been known to live nearby.

If you are planning to kayak or canoe at this national seashore, please note that visitors are prohibited from launching canoes or kayaks from the portion of Malaquite Beach located directly in front of the Malaquite Visitor Center. 

If you like fishing, the best time for fishing here is between the months of August and October. If you like beachcombing, we recommend visiting the beaches here on summer mornings, winter and spring days during low tide, and after storms. In addition, two beaches of Padre Island National Seashore – Big Shell Beach and Little Shell Beach – are particularly great for beachcombing.

If you like driving your car on the beach, you can drive your car on two of Padre Island National Seashore’s beaches named Padre Island North Beachand Padre Island South Beach – these two beaches are located on Padre Island National Seashore’s northern end and southern end respectively.

If you are planning to drive your car on these two beaches of Padre Island National Seashore, please visit the National Park Service’s website for more information regarding the beach driving regulations.

There are multiple campsites at this national seashore that offer a fun oceanfront camping experience. If you are planning to camp at Padre Island National Seashore, please visit the National Park Service’s website for more information regarding the campsite amenities and charges. 

If you like hiking, there is a hiking trail here named the Grasslands Nature Trail and this trail offers a fun way to explore the local coastal biodiversity.

Only Malaquite Beach in Padre Island National Seashore offers wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities. Malaquite Beach offers a wheelchair access ramp for visitors with disabilities – this ramp is located near the deck of the nearby Malaquite Visitor Center. In addition, complimentary beach wheelchairs and walkers for visitors with disabilities are also available at the Malaquite Visitor Center – if you want a beach wheelchair or walker, you can contact Malaquite Visitor Center at (361) 949-8068 for more information regarding the sam

Getting to Padre Island National Seashore is easy – this national seashore is easily accessible through a road named Park Road 22. You can easily access Park Road 22 from Texas State Highway 361 and from Texas State Highway 358. 

There are multiple parking lots near the beaches in Padre Island National Seashore. Please also note that you need to pay a fee to enter Padre Island National Seashore – you can visit the National Park Service’s website for more information regarding the entrance fees for Padre Island National Seashore

Padre Island National Seashore is named after a local colonial priest named Padre Jose Nicolas Balli, who was granted land here in the early 19th century. In addition, the critically endangered Kemps’s ridley sea turtles also seasonally make their nests at Padre Island National Seashore – this national seashore is also famous for conducting sea turtle hatchling release programs, which involve releasing many sea turtle hatchlings into the sea.

There are many attractions near Padre Island National Seashore.  Mustang Island State Park is a state park that has a beach named Mustang Island State Park Beach and it also offers many fun activities including sunbathing, swimming, surfing, kayaking, canoeing, camping, geocaching, hiking, biking, and wildlife watching. The state park also has a vibrant coastal dune landscape and you can see many unique kinds of animals here including green sea turtles, rare aplomado falcons, pocket gophers, and crabs. Packery Channel Park– also called Packery Channel Nature Park – is a 38-acre waterfront park that has many amenities including picnic areas, benches, kayak launch areas, a pavilion, boardwalks, butterfly gardens, and observation areas. This park offers many fun activities including picnicking, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, surf-skiing, fishing, and wildlife watching. 

Texas Sealife Centeris dedicated to the rehabilitation and release of coastal and aquatic wildlife – this center offers guided tours of its premises where visitors can see the center’s permanent resident animals, along with the center’s temporary sea turtle patients. In addition, this center also has a gift shop.  In The Game Funtrackers is an amusement park that is a 20-minute-drive away and offers many fun rides and things to explore including go-karts, bumper boats, a laser maze, and an arcade. If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Parker Park is a recreational park that offers many amenities including barbecue areas, picnic tables, restrooms, a playground, recreational grassy areas, swimming pools, and tennis courts

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Padre Island National Seashore. Black Sheep Bistro offers a variety of excellent dishes including pork chops, steaks, pastas, risotto, burger, seafood, and salads. Ol’ Steakhouse Co. is a steakhouse that is a 30-minute-drive away and is known for serving outstanding steaks, along with many other delicious dishes for lunch and dinner including chicken dishes, sandwiches, burgers, seafood, and pastas. Doc’s Seafood & Steaks is known for excellent seafood and steaks, along with excellent soups, salads, chicken dishes, burgers, sandwiches, and tacos. Snoopy’s Restaurant is a popular restaurant that offers delicious seafood, along with many other amazon dishes including sandwiches, salads, burgers, and fries. If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Andy’s Country Kitchen– also called Andy’s Kitchen – is a restaurant that is a 26-minute-drive away and offers excellent dishes for breakfast and lunch including Mexican dishes, seafood, waffles, Southern fried chicken, and eggs.

If you are looking for a hotel near Padre Island National Seashore, there are many great nearby options. The 4-Star Omni Corpus Christi Hotel is a 35-minute drive away and offers many amenities including a pool, multiple restaurants, a pool, racquetball courts, gift shops, fitness center, and a salon. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Best Western Padre Island that offers many amenities including a pool and complimentary breakfast. Another moderately priced hotel is the 3-Star Holiday Inn Express & Suites Corpus Christi-N Padre Island, an IHG Hotel that offers many amenities including a pool, a whirlpool, a fitness center, and complimentary breakfast. The 3-Star La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Corpus Christi-N Padre Isl is another moderately priced hotel that offers many amenities including a pool, complimentary breakfast, a hot tub, and a fitness center. If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Hawthorn Suites By Wyndham Corpus Christi Padre Is offers many amenities including a fitness room, a convenience store, and complimentary breakfast