Lance

HI THERE,
WE ARE PLANNING A VACATION OUT TO TEXAS FOR THE END OF FEB. WE ARE PLANNING TO HEAD OUT TO PADRE ISLAND.

WHAT ARE THE BEACH CONDITIONS LIKE AT THIS TIME? WHAT ABOUT CAMPING? WHAT ARE THE MOSQUITOS LIKE AT THIS TIME OF YEAR? ANY ADVICE ON WHAT WE SHOULD SEE AND DO WHILE WE ARE TOURING?

WE WOULD LOVE ANY ADVICE THAT WILL MAKE OUR TRIP BETTER.

THANKS,
LANCE

lost_but_found

http://www.spionline.com/

I found this poking around online. I have only been out there once several years back. I'm not the biggest beach fan. Hopefully you can find some good info thru the posted site. I saw weather and beach reports on there. Hope you enjoy Texas. Contrary to what many may have heard, this is a very cool place with many nice people. Lots to do here, and more to see than you could imagine. Padre is our most prized beach front.

Enjoy!
Brett

ploddinTod

Lance,
Mighty cold up in those parts, aye? Like Brett said, the best of Texas beaches are on S. Padre Island. But starting March 4th, the college kids descend on the town and beaches for a 24/7 knockdown, dragout party.
Padre Island National Seashore is on the northern part of the island around Corpus Christi. Check the National Park Service site for info. www.nps.gov

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PloddinTod

Shannon

And don't forget lowly WildTexas.com's park profile of Padre Island National Seashore... it's where I prefer going, since it's not the party scene that S. Padre is... hard to lug a keg on the offroad sections of Padre Island National Seashore, y'know.

Padre Island National Seashore is largely undeveloped. For folks seeking a resort and vacation atmosphere, South Padre's definitely the better place to go.

Though I've never been to South Padre myself (not much of a partier, and prefer birding and hiking to staying in hotels), I can affirm that the beaches there are supposed to be quite nice. I imagine when seaweed and tar are bad at the National Seashore, however, those also affect South Padre's beaches. So calling ahead to the National Seashore ranger station (they have a number specifically for beach weather and driving conditions -- (361)949-8175) would prove useful to folks heading further south, to S.Padre.

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- Shannon Moore
Your Host @ WildTexas.com
http://www.twitter.com/ageekgal

oceanus

Hey Lance,

I spent a couple of decades growing up in Corpus, and lots of time at Padre and the other stretches of beach near there. In late February you should expect just about anything. In the same day it can go from near 80 to the 40s. However, it's generally mild, with temps likely to be in the 60s and 70s. Near the headquarters, the beach conditions are well maintained, as they are at Padre Balli Park, J.P. Luby, and Mustang Island. However, if you head to the north end of the National Seashore or the far south end you'll need a four wheel drive.

A nice itinarary would be, visiting C.C., then heading to Padre, followed by a visit to Bob Hall Pier at Padre Balli, checking out the surfers at J.P. Luby, heading to Port Aransas for more beach strolling and deep sea fishing, crossing the ferry from Port A back to the mainland, and heading through Ingleside and Portland on the north side of C.C. Bay, and finishing in Corpus.

Cheers,
Steve

ploddinTod

Sorry, Shannon, I checked to see if you had a review or a link before I posted. I must have overlooked it. I'm not much of a beach camper--sands get everywhere after a couple of hours. There's no need to salt your food because the sands are already there in your cook pot. But once you get beyond hotel row on the beach heading north, it's a pleasant, unobstructed stroll. I've never been to North Padre so it would be interesting to compare the quality of the beaches.

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PloddinTod

Shannon

No problem at all... I need to find a better way to list all the trip reports, and I'm overdue on getting our new search engine online (which is ironic, since I've been politely hounding the Texas Parks & Wildife Dept. about the lack of a search engine on their website!)

I know what you mean about the sand, and Justin's views on beach camping are more in line with yours. It's a wonder I've ever conned...er, convinced him to camp one or two nights with me on the beach at Padre Island Nat'l Seashore! In fact, I think the primary reason he traded in his old truck was primarily because it was impossible to get all the sand out from our beach camping trips!

We'll have to make a trip down to South Padre sometime and check out the accommodations during not peak season (to avoid the higher rates and uh, exhuberant Spring Break crowds). For those who are interested, I am aware that Texas' only nude beach (apart from "Hippy Hollow" in Austin), is located somewhere at South Padre Island. I, myself, will avoid such a place... no need to risk sunburn on even more of my skin, or scare off any wildlife! hehe

I will admit that after camping on the beach a couple times, I've decided that's something I'll only subject my old tent to. I still have sand in the shock-corded tent poles of my tent from our last beach camping trip... no amount of hosing off and air drying could get rid of it all. If you think that's bad, though, just think of the RVers out there with sand and salt air attacking their vehicles!

__________________
- Shannon Moore
Your Host @ WildTexas.com
http://www.twitter.com/ageekgal

Lance

Thanks for all your responses! Much appreciated. We have booked our flight. We fly to Houston on the 24th (less than 2 weeks away). I was careful to avoid spring break and it looks like I may have succeeded.

After landing we'll head to Corpus Christi via Galveston. I want spend some time on Padre Island and we will have a 4wd SUV, but maybe camping on the beach is a bit much. After Padre Island we'll head to San Antonio and then through hill country to Austin.

If you don't mind, I have some more questions:

- is it worth going further south to Brownsville and traveling along the Rio Grande or even going into Mexico?
- what are the do-not-miss sites in hill country?
- anything else along this route that we should look into?

Thanks. PS: We have traveled all over Canada and I have visited over 40 states - if you have any questions I'd love to respond (I hate to get help and not give back...)

lost_but_found

Do-not-miss places depend on what you like to do. If you like to hike/camp, I can be of more assistance. If it is site seeing, then maybe not so much. If you (or your companion) like shopping, then I can definitely be of no help!

ploddinTod

Here's a heads up for potential nude strollers/sunbathers/skinny dippers. There is at least one outfitter in town that rents dunebuggies and 4WD Jeeps. So watch your backside, you may not be as alone as you think you are. Not that I know from personal experience, mind you.

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PloddinTod