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THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE
TheCoastalBend.com
P a d r e  I s l a n d
Welcome to Padre & Mustang Islands
The Coastal Bend’s Gulf of Mexico Beaches are and have always been the top at-
traction for visitors to the area, so many of whom eventually buy vacation homes 
here and even retire to our beautiful, semi-tropical slice of paradise. Padre and 
Mustang Islands offer the greatest access on the Texas Coast to Gulf of Mexico 
beaches, some 90 miles by vehicle, plus dozens of miles of coastline along our 
inner bays, including the Upper Laguna Madre and Corpus Christi Bay. Ocean-
front vacation and living options are most abundant on Mustang Island and Port 
Aransas to the north, while bayfront options are prevalent on North Padre Island.
More Miles of Public Beach 
Access than in Any Oceanfront 
Destination in the Entire United 
States—in the Coastal Bend
Padre Island is the longest barrier island 
in the world, and the second-largest is-
land in the U.S. by land mass, to Long Is-
land, New York. Padre Isles is the largest 
waterfront development in the country 
outside the state of Florida, with more 
than 4,000 single-family homes on an 
extensive network of canals.
Packery Channel separates Padre Is-
land to the south from Mustang Island 
to the north. The jetties on the north 
and south side of the channel offer free 
Family groups and a more traditional 
crowd will have a better time south of 
Packery Channel, on the beach along the 
North Padre Island Seawall, and south 
along Whitecap Beach, which extends 
down to the entrance of the Nueces 
County Padre Balli Park. Farther south, 
into Kleberg County, is considered the 
less regulated stretch of gulf beach.
places to fish, and public boat ramps 
are located on the channel’s north side. 
Traditionally, the party scene beach 
is north of Packery Channel at the J.P. 
Luby Surf Park, which is reached by 
taking Zahn Road off Hwy. 361.

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