The Independent, a British newspaper, recently released a list of the best remote beaches to visit in the United States in 2023, and Padre Island National Seashore in Texas made the cut.
The National Park Service clocked 617,704 visitors in 2020, paling in comparison to the estimated 7 million people who go to Galveston beaches each year.
Padre Island National Seashore is the sole Texas beach that made it to the top 10 list curated by Joanna Whitehead, a travel writer.
Seal Beach in California, Wellfleet in Massachusetts, and Kauaʻi in Hawaii are some of the other serene and under-the-radar sandy beaches featured.
The national park is situated on Padre Island, the world’s longest undeveloped barrier island.
Padre Island is situated between Mustang Island, which offers another five-mile coastal park, and South Padre Island, a resort community.
It is about 60 miles from Corpus Christi and reachable via TX-358 E and John F Kennedy Memorial Causeway, which becomes Park Road 22. There are fees to enter the park, with options ranging from a one-day vehicle pass for $10 to an annual pass for $45.
The island serves as a hub on the Central Flyway, meaning that nearly half of all North American migratory bird species pass through here at different times of the year, per The Independent.
The black skimmer and white-tailed hawk are just two of the over 380 bird species that call the Padre Island seashore home.
It also offers a natural habitat to other indigenous wildlife species, including Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, ghost crabs, and white-tailed deer.
Visitors can explore the island and its coastline by foot, kayak, or canoe, per park officials.
The Laguna Madre has shallow waters suitable for all experience levels of paddling, and there is no launch fee. Motorboat users may launch from the Bird Island Basin Boat Ramp for an additional fee.
Both waterfowl hunting and fishing are allowed with state licenses and stamps. Since it is a conservation area, visitors to the park are expected to act respectfully toward wildlife.
Between June and August, it might even be possible to witness the release of Kemp’s ridley sea turtle hatchlings from their nests into the ocean. Not all of them are public — and dates can be hard to predict — but park officials try to regularly update information about these releases here.
Visitors to the island can also enjoy camping on the Padre Island National Seashore.
According to the National Park Service, there are two campsites (no hookups available) in addition to dispersed beach camping at North Beach, South Beach, and Yarborough Pass.
As a tidal beach where the weather can shift rapidly, it is best to keep up-to-date while planning your trip to Padre Island.
Beach and local weather conditions can be tracked here.
