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.
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.
