While most people’s ideas of visiting the state park is going camping in the forest or on a lake, there is a lot of variation in what the state parks have to offer. Several of the state parks are located right on the beach.
You can camp on the beach, or take advantage of the day use facilities for a nice day in the sun. The advantage of going to a beach that is part of the state park system is that they normally have better facilities and safety.
The three best parks for spending a day at the beach are Galveston Island State Park, Sea Rim State Park, and Mustang Island State Park. Goose Island State Park is located on the coast, but does not have a beach suitable for swimming.
Galveston Island State Park
Located 60 miles from Houston, Texas.
Galveston Island is the first place most Houstonians think of when planning a trip to the beach. It takes about an hour to get to the island from Houston, which makes it a good distance for either a day trip or a weekend getaway. The park has camping for anyone who wants to stay the night, or there are also numerous hotels and rentals on the island.
Galveston Island State Park is a great way to spend the day at the beach. There are a lot of people, but it is not as crowded as other beaches on the island. There is a limit on how many people can access the park each day. The beach section has a large parking lot, including an unloading zone.
There is a picnic area near the beach with large covered picnic tables. The picnic sites have grills, and access to restrooms. There is a large grassy area for children to play in.
There are plenty of outdoor showers to rinse of the sand and ocean water. Near the showers are also changing rooms. There are also full bathrooms and drinking fountains.
The beach is only one portion of the park, which also has an entirely different section along the bay. The bay has more campgrounds and hiking trails. There are kayak rentals available along the bay side, and lots of paddling trails to explore the water.
Sea Rim State Park
Located 25 miles from Port Arthur, Texas.
Sea Rim State Park is a great place to camp on the beach. There are a lot of different types of campsites in the park. Including a primitive campsite that is floating in the water, and can only be accessed by boat.
You can spend the day at the beach here, but it does not have as many amenities as Galveston Island State Park has at the beach. This is a less crowded beach.
Mustang Island State Park
Located 25 miles from Corpus Christi, Texas.
Mustang Island State Park lets you camp on the beach. There are drive up primitive campsites right on the water. Or you can camp at a more developed campsite further from the water.
The park has miles coastline for visiting the beach.
Goose Island State Park
Located 10 miles from Rockport, Texas.
Goose Island State Park is partially on an island and partially on the mainland. The park offers a lot of camping right off of the ocean. You can fish, and hike as well.
Unfortunately, despite being right on the water, it is not a good place to swim in the ocean. There is no beach at this park.