Part of the Barrier Island chain along Texas' Gulf Coast, Padre National Seashore is located near Corpus Christi, Texas. There are over sixty miles of pristine beach open for you to explore and enjoy. This past June, I had the pleasure of going with a large group of Texas four-wheelers from the Tx4x4.com mailing list and the new Tx4x4 Cyber Club. It was a mild January weekend, spent camping, relaxing, and doing some light four-wheeling. Even though the trail is what I would call a 1+ (easy 4wd required), there were some pretty trick and well-built rigs along with the sole intention of having fun. A number of us met up on Friday afternoon to camp out, about 1/2-mile past the four-wheel-drive-only sign. That night, despite stiff winds and blowing sand, we sat around a campfire, meeting and greeting each other (most had only met via the Internet before). Saturday morning we awoke to a beautiful day with light winds and sunshine. Stragglers began pouring in from the hotels, and we ended up with over 50 4x4's! We quickly began breaking up into groups, and I tagged along with group 3, which consisted of several TJ's, CJ's, YJ's, 2 XJ Cherokees (mine and one other), two Land Rovers, and even a Hummer. We cruised along, relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. The tide was low, and 4WD wasn't even needed yet. We passed several groups that had decided to use some of the driftwood as RTI ramps! All in all, we made it the 60 miles to the Port Mansfield Jetties in about 2.5 hours. There we broke for lunch, and some did some fishing. One person caught a stingray! After about 2 hours of playing in the area, everyone began straggling back down the beach. Since there is only one way you can go, its kind of hard to get lost. My passenger and I, the other Cherokee, and the Hummer all wandered back at the same pace as a small group. Eventually we were caught up with by a larger group and tagged along with them. Along the way, we spotted the remains of a sunken Spanish Galleon (not much is left), and some of the members of one of the clubs were trying to dig up a huge tractor tire. Saturday night turned out to be picture perfect, with a beautiful full moon and light winds. We ended up with a larger camping crowd, and enjoyed a long night by the campfire telling stories and relaxing. Sunday morning most of the group said their good-byes and dispersed. Some came from as far away as Dallas Texas and Louisiana.

If you go:
The family 4x4 is more than adequate to tackle the beach. You can camp and BBQ on the beach, and have campfires, but no bonfires. There are also all kinds of odds and ends washed up on the beach, including steel buoys, tires, trash, 30'+ logs, and all kinds of other stuff. The shelling is excellent, and you might find treasures like sand-dollars and conch shells. Watch out for boards with nails in them, they can eat a tire! The fishing is usually good, including drum, shark, sea trout, and flounder. Make sure to bring a shovel and tow-strap, and a fully inflated spare tire. You will want to air your tires down to about 15psi; lower if you're comfortable with that. There are showers and bathrooms at the visitor center. Make sure to visit the Internet site for explicit instructions and pricing information. When I went it was $10 per vehicle for about a week pass, but there are other passes available. The site is located at http://www.nps.gov/pais/. To get there, just get yourself to Corpus Christi, Texas, and then follow the signs for Padre Island all the way accross the bridge. Padre Island (the town/resort) will be the last bit of real civilization, you will need to fuel up and pickup all supplies there before checking into the park. Bring at least the following: Water, bug spray, suntan lotion, first aid kit, shovel, tow-strap, spare tire, and any spare parts you might need for your vehicle. Metal detectors and firearms are prohibited, as is driving in the dunes. Driving to the end of the beach and back with stops for exploring and shell-picking will make for a full day, but its well worth it!

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