Beaches
At Mustang Island State Park, what you do is up to you. You can play at the beach (swim, surf, build a sand castle), camp, picnic, fish, hike, mountain bike, kayak, bird watch (especially during spring and fall migrations) and geocache.
The Laguna Madre is an outdoorsman's paradise! This long, shallow, high salinity lagoon (one of only six in the world) is a perfectly peaceful getaway from the hustle & bustle of everyday life. The lagoon’s calm conditions are great for fishing, kayaking, paddle boarding and observing some of the Coastal Bend’s unique wildlife species.
Padre Island National Seashore
Padre Island National Seashore separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Laguna Madre, the barrier island protects 70 miles of coastline, dunes, prairies, and coastal flats that are teeming with sea life. It is a safe nesting ground for the critically endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle and a haven for 380 bird species. It also has a rich history, including the Spanish shipwrecks of 1554.
Big Shell beach is home to some of the best seashell collecting you'll find anywhere in the area. Currents from the north and south come together here deposit millions of shells. Big Shell is only accessible through the Padre Island National Seashore, 4x4 vehicle needed. Admission to the PINS is $10 per vehicle for a day pass.
Sit in on one of the free programs offered daily. Have a picnic in the shade on the deck, or use the restrooms and cold-water showers in the bathhouse. Wheelchair users can borrow a special beach wheelchair from the visitor center at no charge. An accessible ramp goes from the Pavilion down to Malaquite Swimming Beach.
The beach just in front of the Pavilion is the only area closed to both public vehicles and pets, making it a great place to let your family run and explore without having to worry about vehicles. Bring your grill to cook out at one of the picnic tables and shade structures. Individuals with wheelchairs can also get on the sand with a special beach wheelchair available free for loan from the nearby visitor center. Free trash bags are available at the park entrance and at the visitor center, so please bag and dispose of your trash responsibly.
The Malaquite Visitor’s Center, located at the Padre Island National Seashore Park, is open year-round (with the exception of Christmas Day) from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Part of Padre Island National Seashore, Bird Island Basin offers not only a boat ramp to Laguna Madre, but also a great place to launch a kayak.The Basin is one of the top windsurfing spots in the nation because of its steady wind, warm water, and shallow depths. This is a great place to learn the sport. Swimming is permitted on all beaches.
Packery Channel is a man-made pass that was completed in 2005, it separates Padre Island from Mustang Island. These two islands were once separated by a natural pass known as Corpus Christi Pass.
On this peaceful shore you will find many others that come here to get away from the hustle and bustle of the busier beaches. This beach is great for small gatherings or groups to enjoy a quiet day, or even for someone flying solo to take a deep breath and get away from it all. It also serves as one entrance to the Padre Island Seawall, a lovely spot for taking a stroll or bike ride.
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Michael J. Ellis Beach & Seawall
Situated just about mid-point along the one-mile Padre Island Seawall, this public beach access park offers free parking with clean bathrooms, showers and changing rooms. The beach is well-maintained and large, with packed sand, lifeguards stationed along the way and plenty of room to spread out, even on popular weekends.
The seawall, 14 feet above sea level at its highest point, is close to an array of accommodations and seasonal vendors and is closed to car traffic. That makes it a great place for a bike ride, a jog, a leisurely stroll, some terrific people/surf/bird watching and an optimal zone for the kids to let out some of that energy on a safe stretch of shoreline sidewalk – free and open to the public.
Mollie Beattie Coastal Habitat Community
The Mollie Beattie Coastal Habitat Community is located on Mustang Island off of TX 361. The tidal flats and adjacent habitats within this area were set aside for the conservation of Piping Plover and other shorebirds through the Texas General Land Office Adopt-a-Habitat Program in October 1996 and is currently managed through a management plan cooperatively developed by the USFWS, GLO, Texas Parks and Wildlife and National Audubon Society.
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