South Padre Island Beaches

(South Padre Island Beach)

(South Padre Island, Isla Blanca Park)

Being a Houston resident, I'm somewhat starved for nice beaches with clean water. On the trip to South Padre Island I was hoping to see both. I did, sort of. The public beaches that line Gulf Boulevard weren't the best. The sand was dirty, and I was hoping the water would be cleaner. Later, a clerk at a beach supply store told me her favorite beach area was at Isla Blanca Park. The next day we visited this southernmost point of South Padre Island. After paying the 4 dollar entrance fee, we drove around until we found what looked like a good spot. The quality of the sand was much nicer. The water was still just okay, but it was better than what I was used to. The visit would have been more enjoyable if not for the strong winds and mini sandstorm that hit the beach. We evacuated quickly to the showers (another Isla Blanca plus) to wash off the sand.

After returning from vacation, I saw an interesting article in the July 2006 edition of National Geographic. The article, "Land on the Edge," talks about the state of America's coastlines. It says that Padre Island is a "catcher's mitt for tons of trash each year." There are pictures of hazardous materials crews at Padre Island National Seashore cleaning up the oil industry's garbage that regularly washes ashore.

How much this affects South Padre Island the article didn't say.