Padre Island National Seashore still ‘very busy’ despite rise in COVID-19 cases in Texas

Park says every weekend is like Memorial Day weekend 'all over again'

Published: June 27, 2020 at 3:53 PM

SAN ANTONIO – Outdoor adventures have become ideal vacations this summer, as families leave their quarantine perimeters and head to wide-open spaces.

But at Padre Island National Seashore — the longest stretch of an undeveloped barrier island in the world — things have become a little crowded.

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The park on Saturday said that the beach has been “very busy” with visitors during the summer.

“Every weekend has seemed like it’s Memorial Day weekend all over again,” the national seashore wrote on Instagram.

Beachgoers are having to drive further down the beach than usual to find enough room, the post states.

View this post on Instagram

Is the park busy? We've been getting this question a lot. The park has been very busy on the weekends. Every weekend has seemed like it's Memorial Day Weekend all over again! This photo was taken a few miles down South Beach a couple of weekends ago. People are having to drive further down the beach than usual to find room. . . We are not taking reservations and we do not have a capacity number, we just wanted to let y'all know that, yes, we are very busy! If you want to miss out on the crowds, we are much quieter during the week. . . For information on what facilities are currently open, please visit our website at www.nps.gov/pais/planyourvisit/covid-19-visitor-guide.htm . . This photo was taken several weeks ago and does not show current weather or driving conditions. . . #padreislandnationalseashore #padreisland #northpadreisland #nps #usinterior #corpuschristi #gulfcoast #southtexas

A post shared by Padre Island National Seashore (@padreislandnps) on Jun 27, 2020 at 7:19am PDT

Visitors are encouraged to head to the beach during weekdays to avoid crowds.

The Padre Island National Seashore does not have a capacity limit and does not take reservations.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has allowed to beaches, as well as rivers and lakes, to remain open.

Abbott has paused further reopening efforts due to a spike in COVID-19 cases, and has closed bars, scaled back restaurant dining room capacity to 50% and banned gatherings of 100 people or more, with certain exceptions.