Padre Island National Seashore

Explore an island teeming with life, located just a couple hours south of San Antonio and thirty minutes south of Corpus Christi. On September 28, 1962, President John F. Kennedy established Padre Island National Seashore to preserve the greatest expanse of Texas’ coastal prairies and pristine shoreline. Stretching for 65.5 miles of the island’s 113 mile total length, it's the longest section of undeveloped barrier island in the United States. Forming from a submerged sandbar no more than five thousand years ago, the island took about a thousand more years to fully emerge from the Gulf waters. Indigenous peoples of Texas have been visiting the island since its creation. The park preserves thousands of years of history and provides vital habitats for wildlife. It is the only place in the world where all five threatened and endangered species of sea turtles found in the Gulf of Mexico nest. In the summer, witness turtle hatchlings released into the ocean, an experience both rare and moving. With one of the world's few hypersaline lagoons, experience unparalleled natural beauty at a peaceful beach getaway where you can camp, hike, swim, splash, paddle, and enjoy so much more!