Mustang Island State Park
Mustang Island State Park offers a perfectly serene vacation spot featuring miles of sandy beach for a memorable day, weekend, or week-long trip. Mustang Beach, part of the state park, is an 18-mile-long barrier island on the Texas coast with great on-beach camping, beachcombing, turtles, dolphins, birds, and more.
Camping options also abound at Mustang Island State Park. Stay at one of the 48 water and electric campsites or choose among 50 drive-up primitive sites. Water, cold-water rinse showers, and portable toilets can also be found along a two-mile stretch of the beach, and full restrooms and showers with hot water are also accessible.
This untouched barrier island park allows visitors the chance to discover diverse wildlife and pristine coastlines. Ranger Programs offer special birding, stargazing, fishing, and other nature-related events for fun and educational experiences. The “Ask a Ranger” program provides an inside look at wildlife elements – like what critters reside inside beach holes and the reasoning behind unraked sargassum seaweed. Another fantastic component of this beach option is the Mustang Island Paddling Trail, consisting of the North Trail (8.5 miles), Shamrock Loop (5.24 miles), and Ashum Trail (6.8 miles). Each trail follows the western shoreline and passes through some of the best shallow-water fishing spots in all of Texas.
The entrance to the protected area of Mustang Island State Park is available year-round for visitors interested in bird-watching, shallow-water fishing paddling excursions, and sea turtle hatchings. From combing the surf-pounded sands for unique seashells to marveling at nature, Mustang Island Park is truly the perfect place to spend an afternoon, a weekend, or a lifetime.