Bolivar Flats Beach Dispersed Camping

OMG it’s beautiful here! Lots of space to maneuver large rigs. Hey 188sft - you guys rock!!! We were so lost trying to find the place and found your post with the GPS coordinates! Thanks so much! I’m going to repost the coords here too 29.383223, -94.72345 so that others can find this oasis. We need to watch the tides and there isn’t supposed to be a storm coming in over the next couple days so we have to watch for that too. The beach here is pristine and the sand is well packed so it’s no problem driving heavy rigs on it. We love it and are having a great time. Don’t forget to get your pass for $10. We bought ours at the gas station up the road. It’s actually good until Dec so don’t stick on your window when you get it! Just lay it on your dashboard where it’s visible so that you can use it again and again while it’s valid. Enjoy your stay here! There are also tons of RV parks on the main road in case you have to relocate or need hookups for some reason.

We LOVED this spot. It for sure is in our top 3 spots ever! We arrived during a storm and slept inland that night because we were warned it was a flood zone. The next morning we drove right into the beach, stayed towards the right and set up camp. A ranger came by and collected $10 for a permit and it expired at the end of the year. Mind you it was March. The beach was littered with trash that had washed ashore. The ranger gave us large blue sturdy bags and we filled them every day. By the 3rd day, a large portion of our area was clean. Kids enjoyed the water, beach walks, beach play and the beach. Despite leaving with half the beaches sand in our trailer, it was so worth it. We also took the ferry into Galveston (free) one of the days which was fantastic as well. We’d so stay here again!

The free parking is to the left I think. To the right you have to have a beach sticker better to be safe then pay a fine. It’s only $10 and it lasts the whole year. The lady told me Jan-feb 2019 the stickers will be on sale for $5. I did forget my blow up mattress so I was very uncomfortable when trying to sleep. The cops patrolled around 11pm. Their light is very bright if you have a thin tent. Bring a first aid kit and food because the little store they have after the ferry is only worth it if you have nothing else. And please clean up after your mess you can bump your trash bags on your way out. I didn’t go to deep on the beach because I didnt wanna get stuck but I only say 1 porta potty. I had my go girl so I wasn’t worried. One small car did get stuck in the sand for a few hours close to the entrance

We stayed 3 nights here in mid-March 2019. There is no overnight fee, but you are required to buy a $10.00 permit (good for the entire calendar year). The beach is patrolled, and there are well maintained trash cans every hundred yards or so. We were here mid-week, and it was very quiet. If you like crystal blue water and white sand, you will not find that on the Texas-Louisiana Gulf coast in this area, but having grown up in southwest La., I was impressed with how clean the beach and water were for this location. There is a porta potty at the entrance, but we didn't use it so don't know the condition. Also a dumpster is at the entrance. The beach was hard packed and there was plenty of room to park near the dunes. If you are worried about high tide, and you do need to be aware, check the tide table for times of high tide, and don't set up camp until after the afternoon tide. We didn't have any problem, and I think if you stay by the dunes you will be fine. The beach is only 3.5 miles from the ferry (free) to Galveston, and having camped many times at the Galveston Island State Park, we much prefer Bolivar, and will camp there again if we are back in this area.

This was our first time Beach boondocking, the experience was everything we hoped for. Huge beautiful beach, easy to drive on, very quiet at night, and very uncrowded (January).
The temp was mild ( for us NewYorkers) although one night very windy, we brought the slider in because we were afraid the wind would tear up the awning above the slide. Lots of sand but it is the beach! Try this beach you will not regret it!

This is the epitome of creation! I could live here during the winter. Very busy during spring break, otherwise heaven
Great ferry service to Galveston; less than an hour. Beach passes are available at local businesses for $10.00 per year. Shouldn’t tell you this because now you’ll all want to come here. Promise to save me a spot
Had excellent cell service, no wifi.
Some toilet facilities, no services..

We initially hit the Crystal Beach scene in the “zoo” zone - in the middle of spring break party mayhem. Then we learned about the quieter beach area better for camping (accessed via Rettilon Road). Wide beach and hard-packed for all manner of rigs. Garbage cans services regularly. Decent cell coverage. Lots of room to walk the dog. This was our maiden beach boondocking experience and we give it a thumbs-up.

Only stayed 2 nights but would love to stay a week, with better weather. Tides pushed us away, but it was an adventure that comes with memories.
Plenty of space
No worries on the sand

There is nothing better than parking your rig right on the beach. We stayed here for the Thanksgiving week, and there were only 6 other campers on over a mile of beach. We talked with a local Sheriff Deputy, and he said that spring break through September, the beach is packed. This is true boondocking. There are no hook-ups and no sites. Just find a spot to set up. There are garbage cans every 100 yards. At high tide the water came within 10 yards of our trailer. Check the tides, because a king tide could possible get all the way up to the grass line. The surf was the only noise we heard. You will get sand everywhere. It is the beach. The only negative is the trash. We cleaned up all of the garbage within 200 yards of our site, but the next day the tide brought more back. I will be coming back again.

Nice beach. I must have picked the time with the worst weather. First day was beautiful. For the next full week it was cold, cloudy, rainy and windy. Will definitely go back when the weather is nicer