Unregistered

Can you tell me if there is a shower or bath area at the entrance to Big Shell?

Unregistered

Malaquite Beach area/visitors center, in the National Park, has showers and potable water. In an earlier post, someone said there is electricity, but there isn't, at least not for camping. There are no hookups. It has been a couple of years since I was there - I grew up in this area and camped/swam/played almost every weekend in and around this area. I really love it, but I'm partial! The area south of Malaquite Beach is drive-on open beach. Big Shell and Little Shell are not organized parks. If you look away, you may not recognize the difference between the two other than the consistency in the sand changes and there is a 4 wheel drive marker identifying it. Hope this helps.

bhoops

Hi. My boyfriend and I are thinking about coming down to Texas in a few weeks for spring break. We'll most likely be flying into Dallas first to visit some of his family. Then we really want to camp on Padre Island. We're looking at car rental options. Will a 4WD SUV be sufficient. Is a Jeep Wrangler our best bet? Does anyone know of anywhere that rents these vechicles decently cheap? Thanks for you help!

Beth

campermom

Welcome.

Not sure about cheap, but when it comes to the beach, having a 4x4 isn't always needed. If you are defineately going "down the island" on PINS, be sure you get a manual transmission 4x4. IF something happens and the transmission gets messed up, a knowledgable Samaritain could manually disengage the transfer case to allow the vehicle to be driven in 2wd/towed off the beach. OK, that's worse case scenario. The Jeep should be fine. Many times the beach conditions provide safe driving for even the smallest little car. I used to drive my Impala down there, but didn't venture to far into the sand. Our Xterra does great in the sand.
Maybe you could stay at Mustang Island State Park, on the beach with showers nearby. That wouldn't be bad.
Whatever you choose, the beach is just a great place to relax and unwind. Have fun.

happybooker1

We were just at Mustang Island last weekend. It has electric/water hookups & is only about 30 minutes from PINS. We drove down to Malaquite beach & there is potable water available, but NO elec. If you drive down Padre some, you can camp almost anywhere, if you don't care about water/elec. Or have a generator. The beach is MUCH nicer/cleaner than Galveston. Wish it was closer to me!

OutdoorPhoto.com

Your 4WD SUV should be fine. I've taken both a 4x4 '94 Ford Ranger Splash and a '01 4x4 F-150 Supercrew into the 4x4 section of Padre Island Natl Seashore.

When you get into truly "4x4 territory" you'll feel it!

A couple of things, off the top of my head, that you should be wary of are a) always keep your eyes open as there is often debris that has washed ashore and some of that debris would be dangerous to run over (e.g., pieces of metal, barrels, glass - you name it, and I've probably seen it...expect anything!) and b) know what kind of ground clearance you have and keep that in mind if you straddle debris in your vehicle.

PINS offers some incredible solitude for those that seek it. You can literally drive to a section of the beach, pitch your tent and not see a person in either direction for miles.