Matagorda Beach

4/5 (1 reviews)
Matagorda, Texas (Matagorda County)
Last Updated: 04/01/2022

Trail Information

Highlights

Popular with fishermen, shell collectors, kayakers, paddleboarders, 4WD 4x4 off-road enthusiasts, and beachcombers, Matagorda Island offers up 23 miles of accessible beach with a wide variety of sand and shell terrain. Whether you’re looking to lounge in the sun with a large group of friends or find a secluded spot to camp for the weekend, you’re sure to find just the right spot on the island. Notable gathering and fishing spots include the large, sandy area at the Three Mile Cut, the western edge of the island out on the jetties, as well as the eastern edge of the island at the intracoastal waterway cut. Be sure to note the abandoned ruins of the destroyed piers along the way, random items washed up after a large storm, and who knows what you'll see along the 'nude beach' stretch.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

4/5 (2)
100
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 05/31/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

We only did about 12 miles of the trail. We ran out of time. Even in soft sand we were good with 4H on our stock Willys wrangler. We are going to come back to try to finish the whole trail soon
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 10/03/2020

This was the maiden voyage for our 4Runner and it turned out to be a great first trail for us to get our feet wet. We aired down before beginning and I'm glad we did. There were several spots with deep sand, deeper than anything I have ever driven through. That being said we were also in 4Hi and on more than one occasion if we weren't we would have gotten stuck. I also looked the location up on Google Earth and found that there were trails on the other side of the dunes. I wouldn't waste my time with them though unless you like trail rash. I always knew trail rash was inevitable but didn't expect to get my first bit of it at the beach. We found a nice little spot to set up camp for the night about half way through and continued on the following morning. I didn't have any issues with the tide but there were a couple of tight spots that I could see being underwater if you didn't time it properly. All in all a great trip and we will be back. Worth the extra time it takes to get there from Houston vs going to San Luis Pass...substantially fewer people.

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