Camping on the beach at Padre Island

It really depends on your risk level or your experience level with beach camping. I stayed at the govt camp ground 4 or 5 days 3 years ago for $4/night with the senior pass. I saw quite a few 5th wheels and Class A's camping along the beach north and south of the CG for free. We drove our tow car 7 miles south along the beach and the sand was hard packed and the tires did not sink in. It looked like fun to camp and fish right on the shore line. I figured for $4/night why get myself stuck not knowing what I was doing. If you are going to stay for a while and fish it may be worth talking to someone that does it all the time.