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Mustang and Padre Islands, Mustang and Padre Islands, Texas
Photo: AudreyIski · CC BY-SA 3.0

Drives Texas Corpus Christi, the Coastal Bend and the Rio Grande Valley

Mustang and Padre Islands

TX 361, Park Road 22, South Padre Island Drive · Port Aransas → Malaquite Beach

Leisurely28 mi55 min0 ft climbHigh point ≈ 0 ftOne way
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The drive

This is the long, flat run down the barrier islands below Corpus Christi Bay. Highway 361 leaves the south edge of Port Aransas and heads down Mustang Island with the dunes and the Gulf on one side and the shallows of Corpus Christi Bay on the other, past Mustang Island State Park and its five-plus miles of beach.

Below the island the road becomes Park Road 22, the way Corpus Christi drivers arrive from the JFK Causeway, and it carries on into Padre Island National Seashore, which protects 66 miles of undeveloped coastline. The drive ends at Malaquite Beach, by the seashore's visitor center, with the island running on south beyond it and no town in sight.

There are no curves and no climbing to speak of. What it offers is open sky, grass-covered dunes and very little built along the last stretch. The seashore is a nesting beach for Kemp's ridley sea turtles, and the park's summer hatchling releases draw crowds.

Along the way

  1. Port Aransas
  2. Mustang Island State Park
  3. Malaquite Beach
Elevation
0 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 0 ft
Port AransasMalaquite Beach
Curves
Mostly gentle curves
Port AransasMalaquite Beach
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • Padre Island National Seashore charges an entrance fee per vehicle, with a cheaper one-day pass and a lower rate for motorcycles.
  • Mustang Island State Park has its own daily entry fee and often fills up; reserve a day pass if you plan to stop there.
  • The Malaquite Visitor Center is open daily, and its restrooms are open around the clock.
  • TxDOT is in early design on a widening of Highway 361 between Port Aransas and Park Road 22, so expect the road to change in coming years.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check National Park Service: Padre Island current conditions.

Questions about this drive

How long is the drive from Port Aransas to Malaquite Beach?

Highway 361 and Park Road 22 from Port Aransas to Malaquite Beach in Padre Island National Seashore is 28.5 miles and takes about 55 minutes without stops.

Is there a fee to drive into Padre Island National Seashore?

Yes. Padre Island National Seashore charges an entrance fee per vehicle, sold as a one-day or a seven-day pass, and national park passes are accepted.

Where does the Mustang Island and Padre Island drive start?

It starts on Highway 361 at the south edge of Port Aransas and runs south to Malaquite Beach. Drivers from Corpus Christi join it partway, where the JFK Causeway meets Park Road 22.

Is the Mustang Island and Padre Island drive twisty?

No. The road down Mustang Island and into Padre Island National Seashore is flat and almost straight, a drive for the beach and the dunes rather than for curves.

What you get in the app

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Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

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Map of Mustang and Padre Islands, from Port Aransas to Malaquite Beach