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Camper sur les plages du Texas

Camping on the beaches of Texas

We are the Doyle-Désy, a family who decided to leave everything to live on the road. Since June 2016, we have been living and discovering the world aboard our house on wheels.

Texas is very welcoming to motorized travelers: Free nights in some municipal parks and night parking allowed in certain rest areas.  But the best of it; the beaches on the Gulf of Mexico that are accessible to vehicles and where it is possible to camp.

Despite a small fear of staying bogged down in the sand, we had to try the experiment. After all, falling sleeping to the sound of waves in the comfort of our rolling house is the ultimate in camping.

Here are the seascapes we were fortunate to visit from East to West:

Crystal Beach, Bolivar Peninsula

At our first beach in Texas, it was necessary to purchase an annual permit. Luckily it was easily purchased at the local grocery store. A big $10 gave us permission to ride and camp on the beach.

We stayed there three nights with another Quebec family. Nothing better than having friends to play in the sea!

Mustang Island, South of marker 99 on access road # 2

Arrived at the end of the day, the tide was high and the waves were licking the dunes, which left little room to roll.

Insecure, we broke the rules and chose to spend the night in the path leading to the beach.

The next morning, two other Quebec families arrived. There was no way all three families could stay on the path so we tried our luck and slept on the beach, taking bets on how high the waves would reach.  Fortunately, no one won; that night high tide was less strong.

Padre Island National Seashore, Malaquite Campground

If the tide permits, it is possible to camp directly on the beach at Padre Island National Park, but we were not able to try it and instead opted to camp at the Malaquite campground for $8 a night.

We had an appointment with fellow Canadians for a few days. A meeting of nine Quebec families for a total of 27 children. A good dose of socializing and a lot of action!

South Padre Island, access beach #5 and #6

There are two categories of beach access in South Padre Island. Municipal access in the city is free. Some offer daytime parking, others are just a pedestrian walkway leading to the sea.

Then, there are county gateways that require a permit. The permits give access to both county parks of the island and offer the possibility, from access #5 or #6 north of the city, to ride and camp on the beach.

The permit is available at the entrance of the Isla Blanca Park. There are three options: $10 per day, $25 for 30 days or $100 for the year.

The beach was not very wide and the tides were very high, making it impossible to spend the night. We were therefore redirected to a parking at the cost of $15 a night.

We were at that location during the holidays. It was very busy by day, but calm at night.

Sleeping on beaches in a rolling house is a very satisfying experience that reinforced our conviction of lifestyle choice.

We do not have a washer-dryer, have to take mini-showers and our space is very limited, but sometimes we have the privilege of sleeping with the sea in our ears.

How did we manage to find these sites? By chatting with people we met on the road but, above all, thanks to some websites.


The Doyle-Désy, nomadic ambassadors for Leclerc
Source :  roulersavie.com