Padre Island National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)

QUICKLINKS:

Who we are

Located along the south Texas cost, Padre Island National Seashore protects the longest undeveloped stretch of barrier island in the world. The national seashore embraces 70 miles of sand-and-shell beaches, picturesque windswept dunes, seemingly endless grasslands, tidal flats teeming with life, and warn nearshore waters.

For information on the park's founding legislation, follow this link.

Kemp's ridley sea turtle nesting on Padre Island

Sea Turtle Science and Recovery

Padre Island National Seashore is the most important nesting beach in the U.S. for the Kemp's ridley, the most endangered sea turtle in the world. The National Seashore has been a participant in a bi-national, multi-agency effort to save the Kemp's ridley sea turtle since 1978. The park also participates in global efforts to recover the populations of four other threatened and endangered sea turtle species. In cooperation with several partners, the park conducts an extensive program to detect nesting by Kemp's ridleys and other sea turtles. Staff and volunteers, up to 140 per year, patrol North Padre Island repeatedly each day searching for daytime nesting ridleys to protect the nesting turtles and their eggs.

For information on the hatchling release dates please follow this link. Remember these are tentative date, you must call the Hatchling Hotline for accurate dates. 361-949-7163
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Birdwatching

Because of its location on a major migratory route known as the Central Flyway, approximately 380 species of birds have been documented within the National Seashore. This is almost 45% of all bird species documented in North America.
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		Natural Gas Management To protect the park’s natural and cultural resources and visitor values, the Superintendent at Padre Island National Seashore has the authority to manage oil and gas development through regulations found at Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations Part 9, Subpart B. These regulations, commonly referred to as the "9B Regulations," are designed to "insure that activities undertaken pursuant to [private and state oil and gas rights] are conducted in a manner consistent with the purposes for which the National Park System and each unit thereof were created, to prevent or minimize damage to the environment and other resource values, and to insure to the extent feasible that all units of the National Park System are left unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." more...

		Shoreline Trash Follow this link to learn more about the park's continuing struggle against trash that washes in from the Gulf of Mexico. more...

Write to

Malaquite Visitor Center
PO Box 181300
Corpus Christi, TX 78480-1300

E-mail Us

Phone

Visitor Information
(361) 949-8068

Fax

(361) 949-9951

Climate

During summer daytime highs can reach into the 90s (Fahrenheit) on the island, but rarely into the 100s. During winter highs are usually between 50-70 (Fahrenheit)and occasionally drop into the upper 30s. The weather is usually dry and clear with the most rain occurring in winter. Average windspeed throughout the year is about 5 to 25 miles per hour.
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