Magnolia Beach Park, Texas

Free Camping on Matagorda Bay

One of the top boondocking destinations in Texas, Magnolia Beach Park offers hard packed sand on the beach right in the town of Magnolia Beach. With room for a few dozen full-sized RVs on the beach, and more room for smaller vehicles in surrounding areas, it still gets packed in, and is often difficult to find a space.

Authority

Magnolia Beach Park

County of Calhoun, TX

Calhoun County Precinct #1

Tel: (361) 552-9242

Particulars

GPS: 28.5582, -96.5320

Reservations: First come, first served

Camping Fee: None

Permit: None

Max Stay: 14 days with a 30 day gap

Amenities: Picnic tables, trash cans, restrooms, showers

BLM

USFS

NPS

NWR

City

Private

Wilderness

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Caution: There is a short bridge spanning an inlet separating Matagorda Bay with Old Town Lake, and this bridge has a weight limit of, “Axle or Tandem 10000 LBS”. Hence, if you happen to have a vehicle (and trailer) with more than that per axle, technically you should not cross it. This bridge separates Magnolia Beach Park from the town of Magnolia Beach. However, there is also a back way around by driving a mile south into Indianola Beach Park, and then Highway 316 into town.

Calhoun County Park regulations requires that all vehicles parking on the beach be parked perpendicular to the water so as to pack in more vehicles. This is also reflected the PDF document linked at the bottom of this article.

In our experience, this is a great place to camp, even though it will always be crowded. It’s comparable to Indianola Beach Park just a mile south of here, but has more room, and more maneuverability.

The town of Magnolia Beach does not offer any amenities like shopping or fuel. You’ll have to drive about five miles into the City of Port Lavaca to stock up.