Yarborough Pass

Has anyone here camped out in Yarborough Pass - Padre Island National Seashore? It looks and sounds like an awesome place to go camp out for a weekend. They do warn you that its not very easily accessible. Theres lots of deep and loose sand where even 4x4s get stuck. It seems like it would be a really good weekend.

https://www.nps.gov/pais/planyourvisit/yarborough_pass.htm

 

Set a date call ahead and see who comes. Sounds fun

 

Ive never organized something like this. I also have no idea how accesible it is. I guess I can call and ask what time of the year its good to camp out there.

Btw, how do you destroy your CVs?

 

I wheel like I own a rock bouncer with an IFS Tacoma

 

Very nice lol

 

Meant to comment those links here 621

 

We were by there last year and the road from the beach to the “pass” was closed. We walked in a ways but the bugs ran us off. PINS is pretty awesome and you can camp anywhere along the beach but be prepared for lots of wind.

 

OKOK, Ive heard all sorts of reports about the road being closed for the past couple of years. I hate super windy beaches tbh. During our bike to the coast event some friends and I stayed over night at SPI and I got hella sand in my eyes from a little wind.

 

You can drive the beach 60 miles down to the Mansfield cut. Yarbrough pass is around Mile Marker 15. The 4wd sign is around MM5, so there’s 55 more miles of good 4wd beach driving before you have to turn around once you pass the 4wd sign.
My wife and I made it down to MM35 last year before we turned around. I’d like to go all the way to Mansfield one day.

 

Mansfield as in by the port mandsfield?

 

Planning on camping with the fam (wife + 2 kids + 2 dogs) on the National Seashore memorial weekend and have been considering driving down to the Mansfield cut and back. This is not our first time on the island but first time beach driving and camping. Would love to hear feed back, take away's, and general thoughts from those who have been there done that.

 

@NewWheeler

 

Again, if you’re camping, just be prepared for the wind. Also, we only made it down to MM35 because my wife got tired of the rocking back and forth. As you get down into the deep sand, you follow the tracks/ruts and it ends up rocking the truck back and forth. It’s one thing as the driver but another to be the passenger.
I’d definitely do it though. I’d set the goal of making it to the Mansfield Cut (yes, across from Port Mansfield) and then just stop whenever my passengers cried uncle. The further you go down, the fewer people you’ll see.
Also, I don’t think that we had cell phone reception down there. Maybe if you make it all the way to the cut you’d have it, but there wasn’t any where we were.

 

It looks like the apocalypse rolled through there.

 

Thanks good to know.

As in debris along the beach, washed out?

 

Plan on no amenities whatsoever. Meaning, you are taking in your own toilet supplies, fresh water, firewood, everything. Also, you need to take out any burned charcoal you have left over. Remember the old adage, “take only pictures, leave only foot prints.” May is usually the best month for PINS, this weekend should be ok, if not too crowded. From what I’ve heard, the feds plan on digging out Yarborough Pass and making it easier for folks to get back there. But that’s only a rumor I’ve heard up to this point. As for camping, PINS is the #1 reason I’m looking for a roof top tent. Ground tents are going to get more sand in them. One way to cut down on sand in tent is have a hanging portable fresh water shower off of truck. Rinse off before bed, towel off, walk to tent entrance and grab the 1 gallon jug of fresh water you put inside when pitching the tent. Turn around, sit your non-sandy ass down inside tent while leaving sandy feet dangling outside. Proceed to wash off with fresh water, pull into tent, dry them off, rack out. If I get a RTT by Monday, you may see us down around MM 20 that evening. Have fun!

 

I hope to make it out there one of these days

 

Hi all, yes I made it all the way to mansfield cut from the north side with the FJ group a few years back. Water in the cut is very clear and shallow for about 25 yards out, then it got deep. My kids had a lot of fun flopping around on that water. Saw people on the south side of the cut, so they must've driven up from SPI.

Some in the group told us of crazy ghost stories when camping overnight on PINS at some mile marker which I forgot. Apparently lots of bodies are dumped or murdered out there as they find bodies from time to time. That's what I was told, but guys were swearing about those ghosts though.

 

If you head down there after a day or two after a hurricane, it is a bonanza of goodies. After Ike hit Galveston a few years back, I heard of people taking trailers down to PINS and loading up on water heaters, kayaks, boats, etc, all swirled up on the beach during the storm. YMMV.

 

Thats awesome, and sucks at the same time.