Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The National Park Service operates five campgrounds on Padre Island: Malaquite where the visitor center is, Yarborough Pass, Bird Island Basin, North Beach and South Beach. All the campgrounds are open year-round. Reservations are not accepted. The park service requires campers to have a permit which can be obtained at the park. Both tent and RV campsites are available, but there are no public hook-ups in the park. A dump station and water are available. Showers are available at Malaquite. As the Yarborough Pass campground is very primitive with a hard-to-drive road, the park service recommends it only for campers with 4-wheel drive vehicles.
Padre Island National Seashore
Malaquite Visitor Center
PO Box 181300
Corpus Christi, TX 78480-1300
361-949-8068
nps.gov/pais/index.htm
Isla Blanca Park on South Padre Island is owned and operated by Cameron County. It offers almost 600 RV sites with full hook-ups. Many of the sites have water views along the park's mile of beachfront. A map on the park's website shows many of the streets are named after bodies of water around the world such as the Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Timor Sea. The park offers jetty fishing and surfing. Isla Blanca offers a wide range of social activities, such as yoga, line dancing, wood carving and cards during the winter months.
Isla Blanca Park
33174 State Park Road 100
South Padre Island, TX 78597
956-761-5494
co.cameron.tx.us/parks/isla_blanca.htm
South Padre KOA Campground is for campers who like their creature comforts. This national chain campground has a pool, hot tub, exercise room, swimming pool and separate playgrounds for kids and pets. The campground has a restaurant and bar on the premises and offers fishing trips into the Gulf of Mexico. Full service hook-ups for RVs are available.
South Padre Island KOA
1 Padre Blvd.
South Padre Island, TX 78597
956-761-5665
koa.com/where/tx/43238/