Bird Island Basin Campground

• Reservations are not accepted. All sites are first-come, first-served.
• Turn right from the main park road at the Bird Island Basin sign. From there, the first right turn goes to the boat dock but do not turn, stay on the paved road until it ends. The first structure on the right is the Campground Registration Kiosk. It is a brown wooden L-shaped structure with information bulletin boards, a camping fee money drop, and a board with slots where campers choose their site. To the left of registration are two vault toilets and a trash dumpster. Straight ahead the road ends at a building where Worldwinds Windsurfing, the park's windsurfing and kayak concessioner operates. Turning right in front of Worldwinds Windsurfing will land you on gravel in the day use area. There are about ten parking places face-in next to the water and additional unmarked spaces next to four covered picnic areas.Continued driving on the gravel away from the day use picnic area and immediately into the campground. The first campsite has a covered picnic table with a sign above that says campground host. There are 35 pull-forward, side by side, 45 foot long campsites on gravel with unobstructed views of Laguna Madre. The gravel two-way road continues and may have many large potholes, speed is15 mile per hour. It circles around ten tent camping or day-use parking places and a single vault toilet with an accessible ramp. Return via the same road.

Malaquite Campground

• Reservations are not accepted. All sites are first-come, first-served.
• About four miles from the entrance station is a left-hand turn to Malaquite Campground. This paved road has a dump station and potable water fill. The road dead-ends at the campground which is located between dunes overlooking the beach and the Gulf of Mexico. A right or left turn provides access to campsites. Turning left there are 12 paved campsites and 12 gravel campsites, same on the right. The paved campsites back up to a dune and have a picnic table. The sites on gravel, include a grassy area, picnic table, and shade shelter. Some sites have a charcoal grill. Turning right is also the registration kiosk with information and registration bulletin boards, a facility with restrooms and cold showers, and an amphitheater located at the far northern end of the campground. Next to the restrooms is the boardwalk entrance. It is wheel chair accessible to the platform with exhibit signs but not to the beach. The beach ramp was washed out during a hurricane and was not adequately replaced for wheelchairs but is safe for walking access to the beach.

Bird Island Basin Boat Ramp

Located along the shores of the Laguna Madre, the Bird Island Basin Boat Ramp is the only developed boat ramp in the park. The site is busy in the early mornings, especially on weekends and holidays, as anglers launch their boats for a day of fishing on the Laguna Madre and further south into Baffin Bay.

• A large parking lot with a total of 122 parking spaces. A paved boat ramp leads to the water. A small building on the edge of the parking lot houses a vault toilet. The parking lot is surrounded by grass on three sides and water on the other.

Bird Island Basin Day-use Area

The Bird Island Basin Day-use Area serves as a central hub for activities along the Laguna Madre. The area is popular with birdwatchers, anglers, campers, and windsurfers alike.

• A small gravel parking lot with picnic tables around the perimeter. On the west side of the parking lot is a small building that rents out windsurfing equipment. A restroom is located on the south end of the parking lot.

Freshwater Pond

The small freshwater pond and adjacent bird blind is a great place to stop for wildlife watching in the park.

• A small pond, approximately 50 feet wide by 100 feet long, with tall grass surrounding the edge of the pond. A small, paved vehicle pull off area leads to a wooden ramp and a bird blind. A bench is located in the bird blind.

Grasslands Nature Trail

The Grasslands Nature Trail is a 0.75-mile (1.2 km) loop trail with paved access to the grasslands and dunes of the island, and provides benches interspersed throughout the loop. Among the abundant dune grasses and wildflowers of the coastal prairie, hikers may also spot ground squirrels, keeled earless lizards, crested caracaras, and a variety of other wildlife from the trail.

• A paved and flat scenic trail with grassy vegetation and a variety of wildflowers. Dunes and vegetated hills line the southern side of the trail when beginning the hike, and numbered posts throughout the trail signify interesting and important vegetation. Wooden benches with slatted roofs are intermittently placed along the hike a few feet off the trail.

Malaquite Beach

Malaquite Beach stretches 4.5 miles (7.24 km) from the North Beach vehicle bollards, south to the South Beach vehicle bollards. The entire stretch of Malaquite Beach is closed to public beach driving, making it an ideal area for families looking for a vehicle free section of beach to recreate on.

• A large sandy beach lined with vegetated dunes.

Mansfield Channel

Mansfield Channel divides Padre Island National Seashore, located on Padre Island, with South Padre Island. A four-wheel drive vehicle is required to access the Mansfield Channel from the national seashore.

• An artificial water cannel what cuts the island in two. Large rock jetties line the entrance of the channel. The channel is aliened west to east. Padre Island and Padre Island National Seashore are located to the north of the channel. South Padre Island is located to the south of the channel.

North Beach

The 1.5 mile long North Beach, is open to primitive beach camping. North Beach is generally open to two-wheel drive vehicles, although four-wheel drive is always recommended.

• A 1.5-mile undeveloped beach with the Gulf of Mexico on one side and sand dunes covered with vegetation on the other side.

Novillo Line Camp

Step back in time with a short walk to Novillo Line Camp, where cowboys corralled the cattle that once grazed on the island. The camp is the last remaining structure from the Dunn Cattle Ranch operation.

• Several small wooden buildings surrounded by fencing in a larger prairie. A narrow dirt path leads to the area from the paved road.

Padre Island Entrance Station

The entrance station to Padre Island National Seashore is where you can purchase your park entrance fee, annual pass, or boat ramp permit in the park.

• As you enter the park along Park Road 22, the lanes will split and direct you to one of two small buildings. Pulling alongside the building you will arrive at a window where a ranger will assist you to purchase park entrance passes. After purchasing your park pass, the travel lanes merge together. The visitor center is a few more miles down the road.

Padre Island Park Store

The park store has a variety of items to make your visit to the park memorable.

• The park store is located inside the Malaquite Visitor Center. The small store has several displays with gifts, books, shirts, postcards, magnets, stickers, and more.

South Beach, Mile 0 to 5

The first five miles of South Beach, between beach mile marker 0 to 5, is open to primitive beach camping. Mile 0 to 5 is generally open to two-wheel drive vehicles, although four-wheel drive is always recommended.

• A 5-mile undeveloped beach with the Gulf of Mexico on one side and sand dunes covered with vegetation on the other side.

South Beach, Mile 5 to 60

The last fifty-five miles of South Beach, between beach mile marker 5 to 60, is open to primitive beach camping. Mile 5 to 55 always requires four-wheel drive vehicles. Popular destinations along this stretch of beach include the sections of beach known as Little Shell Beach and Big Shell Beach, as well as Yarborough Pass, a high-clearance four-wheel drive road with access to the Laguna Madre.

• A 55-mile undeveloped beach with the Gulf of Mexico on one side and sand dunes covered with vegetation on the other side.

Stop 10: Plains Wild Indigo (Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea)

This species has beautiful creamy, yellow-colored flowers which form long horizontal clusters. In late summer, the entire upper portion of the plant loses its green color. It becomes dry, turns dark grey to black, and breaks off at the ground to become tumbleweeds. This process aids in seed dispersal.

• The stop marker faces east when viewed from the trail. Grasslands and dunes surround the area on all sides.

Stop 11: Gulfdune Paspalum (Paspalum monostachyum)

Other common names include gulf dune crowngrass. Distinguished from other similar Paspalum species with numerous flowering branches (notatum, setaceum, plicatulum) by purplish colored spikelets and inrolled, linear leaves with 1-3 terminal panicle branches. The second most common grass on the island behind seacoast bluestem. This common grass was considered a valuable source of forage for livestock by Native Americans.

• The stop marker faces east when viewed from the trail. Grasslands and dunes surround the area on all sides.

Stop 1: Century Plant (Agave americana)

This species is heavily armed with strong spines along the edges and a single spine at the tip of the leaf. The Western Apache Native Americans designed handles for tools and lance shaft weapons from the tall flowering stalks. This is an important larval food plant for the trapdoor giant skipper (Agathymus) complex of butterflies.

• The stop marker faces south when viewed from the trail. Grasslands and dunes surround the area on all sides. A shade structure with a bench is visible 50 feet away.

Stop 2: Scarlet Pea (Indigofera miniata)

This plant has beautiful salmon-rose to light red flower petals and curved pea pods. This species is beneficial as the larval food plant for the Gray hairstreak, Southern dogface, and Reakirt’s blue butterflies. It is also a popular species in wildflower gardens as a ground cover due to its mat-like growth pattern. Deer and livestock also commonly consume this plant as a food source.

• The stop marker faces north when viewed from the trail. Grasslands and dunes surround the area on all sides.

Stop 3: Western Prickly Pear (Opuntia macrorhiza)

The long, sharp spines of cacti are actually modified leaves that harden as they age. The ripened fruits were a popular food source for many Native American tribes who would rub the fruits on the ground to remove the spines and eat the fruits raw. The fruits were also used as a source of red dye, fermented to make a beverage, used as a syrup, and dried and ground to be mixed with cornmeal to make a mush for winter food use.

• The stop marker faces north when viewed from the trail. Grasslands and dunes surround the area on all sides. A shade structure with a bench is visible 25 feet away.

Stop 4: Padre Island Mistflower (Conoclinium betonicifolium)

Mistflower is one of the most important nectar sources for butterflies and moths on the island. This is the larval food plant for the Rounded metalmark butterfly and several species of moths. In the park, it is common near ephemeral ponds and marshes, roadsides, open grasslands, and disturbed areas. Native Americans used this plant externally and internally for just about every malady known, including drinking a tea from the roots to treat alcoholism.

• The stop marker faces south when viewed from the trail. Grasslands and dunes surround the area on all sides. A shade structure with a bench is visible 50 feet away.

Stop 5: Texas Goldentop (Euthamia gymnospermoides)

Euthamia was formerly included in the genus Solidago (Goldenrod). This species can be confused with goldenrods and is differentiated by the presence of glandular and sticky leaves. Euthamia often exhibit extreme phenotypic (environmental) variation. Native American tribes prepared cold infusions of the flowers to relieve chest pains.

• The stop marker faces southwest when viewed from the trail. Grasslands and dunes surround the area on all sides. A shade structure with a bench is visible 50 feet away.

Stop 6: Elegant Gayfeather (Liatris elegans)

This is one of the island’s most attractive and showy species. It also provides an important nectar source for butterflies and day flying moths. It was used by Native Americans internally and externally for the treatment of rheumatism. Confederate surgeons utilized other Liatris species in the treatments of sore throats, pain, coughs, colds, colic, and even snake bites. These other Liatris species were referred to as Button snakeroot and Rattlesnake’s master during the 1800s.

• The stop marker faces northeast when viewed from the trail. Grasslands and dunes surround the area on all sides.

Stop 7: Wax Myrtle (Morella cerifera)

This densely branching shrub was used by Native American tribes to treat fever, throat aches, stomach aches, and headaches. The wax of the fruit was historically used to make candles while the leaves were used as a tobacco substitute. In winter, the seeds are important food sources for wildlife. This shrub also provides significant habitat for a variety of bird species.

• The stop marker faces south when viewed from the trail. Grasslands and dunes surround the area on all sides.

Stop 8: Dagger Plant (Yucca aloifolia)

The plant leaves are modified spikes with sharp spines at the tips. Flowers are creamy white and are often tinged with purple. It has been frequently misidentified as Spanish dagger (Yucca treculeana). Dagger plant is a sand growing species most commonly found on the island while Spanish dagger is more common in clay soils and in the Rio Grande valley.

• The stop marker faces south when viewed from the trail. Grasslands and dunes surround the area on all sides.

Stop 9: Seacoast Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium littorale)

This is the most abundant grass on the island. It is an attractive grass forming upright clumps of slender green leaves which have a tinge of blue at the base. It has striking clusters of fluffy, silvery-white seed heads which often persist into winter. The most outstanding feature of this grass may be the bronze-orange fall foliage color. It provides forage and cover for wildlife.

• The stop marker faces west when viewed from the trail. Grasslands and dunes surround the area on all sides.

Yarborough Pass

Yarborough Pass, along the Laguna Madre, is open to primitive camping. It is accessed near the 15-mile mark on South Beach and requires a high clearance four-wheel drive vehicle.

• A undeveloped camping area with the Laguan Madre, a hypersaline lagoon, on one side and grass lands covered with vegetation on the other side.

Malaquite Visitor Center

• Malaquite Visitor Center
• The Malaquite Visitor Center includes an information desk, park store and an exhibit area with information about park history, plants, and animals. Ranger-led programs are available during the summer season. A shaded picnic area is available on the deck. Restrooms are available across the deck from the visitor center. Wheelchair users can borrow a special beach wheelchair from the visitor center at no charge. An accessible ramp goes from the deck down to Malaquite Beach.

• Learn to Surf Fish
• Join a Park Ranger and volunteer Fishing Ambassadors to Learn to Surf Fish! This family friendly program is designed for the absolute beginner to learn all about fishing. From basic tackle, knot tying, casting, to stewardship and conservation, park staff and volunteers will help you gain the knowledge to pick up fishing all on your own.

• Reading With A Ranger
• Join a park ranger at one of several Corpus Christi Public Libraries to hear a story about animals that call the park home. This hands-on activity is intended for young children.

• Birding at Padre Island
• The 411 on birding at Padre Islands National Seashore. Where to go and what to bring!

• Boating, Paddling, and Windsurfing
• Explore Padre Island National Seashore on the water.

• Driving Down Island
• One of the most popular activities to do when visiting the national seashore is to drive on the beach and travel down island. Venturing beyond the pavement can get you to some of the most remote areas of the park, awarding you the experience of solitude in this natural landscape.

• Beach Walk
• Join a park ranger or park volunteer for a 45 to 60-minute beach walk to discover the wonders of the seashore. Walk the sandy beaches along the Gulf of America while you learn about the natural and cultural history of the area and discover what washed in.

• Swimming
• Splashing in the surf and bodyboarding are a favorite activity along the beach.

• Fishing at Padre Island National Seashore
• Cast a line and soak in the day at Padre Island National Seashore.

• Stargazing at Padre Island
• See the stars at Padre Island National Seashore.

• Deck Talk
• Join a park ranger or park volunteer for a 30-minute talk to discover what makes Padre Island National Seashore special. A variety of topics including geology, plants, animals, and history may be presented.  

Grasslands Nature Trail

This 0.75-mile (1.2 km) loop trail takes hikers through one of the last intact coastal prairie ecosystems in the United States and is fully paved to accommodate all visitors. Several benches with limited shade are located throughout the trail. Throughout the trail, numbered posts correspond to the tour stops on the NPS App that offers insight to the native plants growing in the grasslands.