Mustang Island State Park: All You Need to Know
Mustang Island State Park is located just outside of Corpus Christi, TX and offers the perfect beach getaway you’ve been needing! Their affordable camping options or their popular day-use beach are a great way to get your toes in the sand.
You can also go fishing in one of Texas’ best fishing location, or paddling in the Corpus Christi Bay. Or you if you are more of city person, you can check out Corpus Christi or even Port Aransas.
Whether you come for a day or a week, you’ll enjoy the relaxing environment surrounding Mustang Island. The beautiful beach and the quiet campground are calling your name, so let’s dive in!
Important Links
–Mustang Island State Park website
–Mustang Island State Park camping – Make Reservations Here
–A Mustang Island State Park Camping Trip
–Camping Journal – Never Forget Your Camping Trips Details Again!
Location
Just 25 minutes from downtown Corpus Christi, TX, Mustang Island State Park is a great place to visit the beach or go camping. The park itself is quite small, but with nearly 5 miles of beach front, you’ll love the beach time you can get here.
If you aren’t in the Corpus Christi area, you’re looking at a decent drive from these major Texas cities. Mustang Island is 4 hours south of Houston, TX, 2.5 hours from San Antonio, TX and nearly 7 hours from Dallas, TX.
Address: 9394 State Highway 361 Corpus Christi, TX 78418
Fees
Nearly all of Texas State Parks charge a fee (per person) to enter their parks. And Mustang Island State Park is no different. The fees are below.
- Adults (age 13+): $7 per person, per day
- Children (age 12 and below): Free
The worst part, in my opinion, is that these daily fees ARE NOT waived if you are camping here. In other words, if you have a reservation to camp here for 3 days, you will still have to pay the daily fee of $7 per person, per day, on top of the camping fee.
Mustang Island has one of the most expensive day pass prices, but it’s a beautiful place. So here’s a work around! You can buy a Texas State Park Pass for $70. This pass is good for a year and allows the passholder and their entire car full of guests to enter all 88 parks for free!
Day Pass – Reservations Recommended!
One drawback to Mustang Island State Park is that because it’s so popular, you will probably want to (or need to) make a reservation. And no, it’s not just camping that needs a reservation. They highly recommend Day Use Reservations.
Many state parks, including Mustang Island, will fill to capacity on weekends and holidays. They recommend that you pre-purchase a day pass in order to guarantee your entry and parking.
Day Use Passes are released one month in advance and are good for an entire day in the park. Mustang Island has 250 day passes available per day. So if you want to make sure that your drive all the way out there was worth it, I highly recommend that you pre-purchase!
Hours
- The park itself is open from 8am – 10pm
- The Park Office/Store is open from 8am – 5pm
Parking
There is a decent amount of parking in the parking lot near the beach. However, in a place where most people drive out onto the beach, there is practically endless parking.
With 5 miles of coastal property, Mustang Island State Park allows their guests to drive out onto the beach. They do recommend a 4×4 vehicle to do this, but I would also recommend checking the tide schedule. The beach is rather skinny and the waves did come up to the “driveable” area during high tide.
Things to Do Here
The beach is the main attraction at Mustang Island State Park. This includes swimming in the water, building sand castles, relaxing on the beach, and of course beachcombing for shells and sand dollars.
But besides laying on the beach and soaking up some rays, there are other things to do at Mustang Island State Park. They offer 3 paddling trails on the backside of the park, you could go fishing, or you can enjoy some quiet time while camping here.
Paddling Trails
Mustang Island State Park has 3 paddling trails. Each trail follows the shoreline on the Corpus Christi Bay side of the park. The trails are as follows.
- North Trail (8.5 miles),
- Shamrock Loop Trail (5.24 miles)
- Ashum Trail (6.8 miles).
All 3 trails “pass through some of the best shallow-water fishing areas in Texas” according to their website. There are various locations to enter the water if you intend to paddle here, so take a look at this website for all the details!
Fishing
In the day use area of Mustang Island State Park there are 2 main areas where you can go fishing. You can fish from the beach, right into the surf. Or you can fish from the Fish Pass jetties.
Or, along the bay side of Mustang Island, anglers can wade or kayak fish in the Corpus Christi Bay. Some of the best fishing in Texas is right here on Mustang Island. Basically, if fishing is your thing, grab your gear and head to Mustang Island!
Camping
In a world where vacations have become more and more expensive, camping is an affordable way to travel. There are 48 electric campsites and 50 primitive campsites in Mustang Island State Park. And for just $25 per night or $13 per night respectively, you can take a few days to relax around a fire.
The Electric Sites have both water and electric hook-ups available to their campers. There is also a very clean bathhouse with hot showers available and all major cell phone companies have some service here. So while camping might not be your favorite thing, you won’t be totally roughing it!
For more information about taking a Mustang Island Camping Trip, check out this link, which will lay out all the details!
Things To Do in the Area
As far as other things to do in the area, about 15 minutes away is the town of Port Aransas which is the cutest little beach town! There are dozens of restaurants and little shops to visit, as well as a beautiful beach, a fishing pier, and other ways to spend your time.
And of course you are less than 30 minutes away from Corpus Christi. This city offers a plethora of things to do for families, couples, and singles alike!
Regardless if you plan to stay for a day or 2 weeks, there are lots of things nearby!
Conclusion
Mustang Island State Park is the perfect place for a relaxing and affordable trip to the beach. You can camp on or off the beach, primitive or with electricity and the beach is always within walking distance!
Not to mention there is some of the best fishing in all of Texas here, and there are great paddling trails here as well. If you need a place to getaway and soak up some rays on the beach, Mustang Island is the place for you!
As always, if you have questions feel free to email averagewildexperience@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to help you.
-Happy Exploring!
Megan C.
Avid hiker and traveler around the US. I've been hiking consistently since I was 18 and I can't wait to teach you my tips, tricks and hiking hacks! Travel and hike with me and my camera.
