The Campground at Matagorda

LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority) is the conservation and reclamation district that operates the Matagorda Bay Nature Park.

This 1,600 acre park was acquired by LCRA in 2001.  The area was undeveloped back when we lived in Houston and still has no hotels or big condos. There is nothing much close by. Get fuel either leaving Houston coming down or leaving the Corpus area coming up. The closest easy diesel station going north is outside of Angleton. The tiny backroads are beautiful and safe. I’ll add a road map soon. Forget the highways, you’ll miss all the good stuff.

Although Texas Parks & Wildlife is responsible for this park’s campground reservations, you cannot make your reservation on the Internet. They must be phoned in at 1-800-776-5272, or direct to Austin at (512) 389-8900. Your Texas Parks Pass does not apply here, and the phone menu is long and tedious. Be prepared to wait. The place is often booked solid on the weekends and virtually empty on week days.

Find the park campsite map HERE. There are just five of the big pull thru sites, but the back-in premium sites aren’t bad at all.

For Visitor Information, services, fishing guides, attractions and general information you can call the park office directly (979) 863-7120.

Descriptions will always be clockwise starting at upper left.

1) Park office, Beauregard in the background.  2) Looking north up the Colorado from office.   3) Beauregard later that day when the park was all full. 4) Looking south toward the Gulf.

Pull thru site 66 could easily fit 3.75 Beauregard’s. They are silly big.

1) Looking west  2) Looking east.  3)  Our neighbor the 2010 Airstream.

4) A big group of college buddies come down once a year to go crabbing. Here are the premium back-in sites completely filled with 40’ & 42’ rigs.

1)  The nice path along the river with fishing piers.  2) The premium sites from the office.  3)  The beach and the big pier with the Nature Center in the background. (The Corps of Engineers owns and maintains this enormous pier, which allows excellent salt water fishing) 4) The boys heading toward the beach.

Walk way out on this pier at night for a view of the stars that will leave you breathless.

But speaking of breathless, if you have respiratory issues or known sensitivity to Red Tide, check the Red Tide status before you go.