South TX, Padre Island boondocking, experiences??

[ByeBye]

Thinking about heading south instead of west to spend most of the winter.
I prefer primitive settings and have no intentions of regularly staying at paid campgrounds.

Anybody got tips that they would share??? Thx!

 

[Qxxx]

Many years ago, I camped on the beach on North Padre Island. You might look on this other thread. I believe it was stated you can still camp on Padre, and there is also a large area near the Louisiana border at Bolivar Peninsula.
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=37976

 

[WanderingRose]

You can camp for free on the beach at Padre Island National Seashore, just east of Corpus Christi.

Make a right on the island toward the NS, take one of the beach access roads to the beach, find yourself a place and enjoy the view.

 

[HalfShadows]

A full timer couple has been reported missing by a family member.  They were last seen boondocking on the coast of Texas. Their Truck and TT was last seen around the border perhaps crossing. A family member Identified the driver as not being her brother from a photo or footage taking at the crossing.  So far authorities have found 2 bodies near the area they were last seen. They do not believe the bodies are related.  Only time will tell what went down. The couple were from New Hampshire.

 

[travelaround]

Yes.. after the disappearance of this couple and theft of their rig I am glad I will not be there this winter. My mother lived in Rockport nearby for 20 years. When I left after visiting her in 2017 she cautioned me against spending time in Corpus Cristi because of the number of recent violent crimes.

 

[waldenbound]

My plan was to make a trip along the Gulf, stopping for a few months near McAllen. No way Jose! Not after this happening.

 

[MrNoodly]

Drizzly, then thunderstorms, then humidity, then wind when I was there.

 

[Qxxx]

Oops. I hadn't thought about the "recent" situation there, as I was there many years ago. city-data shows crime rates in Corpus Christi somewhat above US averages.
http://www.city-data.com/city/Corpus-Christi-Texas.html

CC and North Padre are about 140 miles from the border, but ya never know. Wow, this just appeared yesterday.
https://www.kiiitv.com/article/news...-out/503-514f8a57-57b1-4305-a28f-c1d850f04e00

Sorry if this is OT ....
I have wondered about the Yuma area too, as it's right on the border. And FWIW, I did camp at Coyote Howls in Ajo last winter and was a bit put off by the dozens of ICE vehicles running up and down the highway all the time. The RV park is just 27 miles from the border. The ICE station there is enormous, which must be a clue. Now it turns out that they are digging up part of the Organ Pipe area to put in a big wall.

 

[MrNoodly]

I did camp at Coyote Howls in Ajo last winter and was a bit put off by the dozens of ICE vehicles running up and down the highway all the time... Now it turns out that they are digging up part of the Organ Pipe area to put in a big wall.

From what I heard, Coyote Howls is filled to the seams with construction crews for the wall.

Meanwhile, just down the road is the Tohono-O'Odham reservation that straddles the border. They've refused to allow a wall but are letting Border Patrol do a "virtual wall." So the mess the wall is making in Organ Pipe is sort of pointless.

 

[Cajunwolf]

I have relatives around Corpus Christi, and my father was raised down the road in the little town of Taft, Texas. I live in Houston now but visit there often. North Padre Island used to be a wonderful place to camp, but because of the situation at the border, it's no longer safe mainly because the cartels own that turf now to smuggle drugs and humans.

I know the area well from Point Boliver to Sabine Pass, and you can camp on the beach, but not too long, or some pesky law enforcement agency will ask questions. Now it's open from High Island to Sabine, and I camp at an old ARCO base halfway, but there is no road, just trails, and tracks along the beach. Highway 87 has been washed out from there to Sabine for years now. A good pickup can make it, but I have my trusty 4x4 Jeep WJ Grand Cherokee. Be warned though; they have mosquitos big enough to stand flat-footed and slap a cow by the millions in the marshland between the beach and the Intercoastal waterway.

 

[Qxxx]

CW, you should go to the Captains Logs section and check out Matala's rig. If anybody can get in there, he's the one.

 

[WanderingRose]

Let’s try to tamp down panic and irrational fear, people.  :dodgy:

I was there in January of this year, during the shutdown.  By myself.

As a woman traveling alone with a dog, I decided to drive down and check things out, and if it looked like the wild, wild West I would turn around and come back. 

The entire area was actively patrolled on the ground and in the air by Border Patrol as well as NPS employees, even during the shutdown, and there were no problems whatsoever.

Water was on in the NPS parking lot, pit toilets and dumpsters were being emptied and everything was very civilized.

Lots of people camping on the beach, including me. There were rigs of all sizes, but so much room to spread out that you didn’t feel crowded.

The beach area within the NS is very flat and firm and hospitable for vehicles, which is not the case at South Padre.

There was a private campground on the way in that let you empty your tanks and refill with fresh water for $4.

We have no idea what happened to these two people, and what the circumstances were when they encountered whatever they did, but all experienced travelers know you can run into trouble anywhere, anytime.  Including a WalMart parking lot.

I hope these people are safe, tho it doesn’t sound good.

However, an isolated incident of missing RV’ers does not a hellhole make.

 

[HalfShadows]

Not to increase fervor or to make a hell hole out of perceived mole hill.  Last night around 8:00 pm I heard 2 round bursts of gunfire for about 45 minutes, then escalated to automatic gunfire at close intervals for approximately one hour. I am camped within 2 miles of the border on a hillside overlooking the border. It interrupted my viewing of a Poldark episode. I scanned the area for muzzle flash but could not see any. Sound carries here, must have been further away than I thought .  A lot of activity on the dirt roads here that are usually dormant at night.

 

[WanderingRose]

Yep, you’re near South Padre and almost at the border.

It’s the area east of Corpus Christie, Padre Island National Seashore, I was referring to.

Very hospitable for rigs of all sizes, and very safe.

IMHO.

 

[ByeBye]

Thanks, everyone, for the input. The fact of the missing couple doesn't sway me one way or another. People go missing all the time. If that type of news sways your camping plans then be sure that you DO NOT watch the YT episodes of National Forest missing persons.

Padre Island National Seashore sounds great and that's where I'll point my nose if I head that way.

 

[HalfShadows]

Will not sway me either. The only thing to deter me is the salt spray. But I will make my way to the Texas coast eventually.  I am on the  Arizona border site non- disclosed.

 

[Lowdesertpatrol]

Possibly a bit off topic but another national land disappearance reminds me of the doc "missing 411." should check it out. The number of missing persons on public land is staggering.

 

[bullfrog]

After I read some Escapees articles about having to put petroleum jelly on nuts and bolts of their motorhome to prevent rust during their winter stay I decided to do day trips to the beach.

 

[ByeBye]

Hmm...I baby my rig and I didn't factor in the salt variable, that might be a deal changer for me. I need to do my homework.

 

[HalfShadows]

My rig wasn’t built to be babied, but I for sure am Leary of salt corrosion. Certain death to the mightiest structures.