What is the largest barrier island in Texas?
Quick answer
Padre Island, along the southern Texas coast, is the largest barrier island in Texas and the longest barrier island in the world, stretching about 113 miles (182 km). Much of it is protected as Padre Island National Seashore, a key nesting beach for the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle.
What is a barrier island?
A barrier island is a long, narrow island of sand running parallel to the mainland coast. Waves and currents build it up over thousands of years. It shelters the mainland from storms and creates a calm lagoon behind it. Behind Padre Island is the Laguna Madre, one of the few hypersaline (extra-salty) lagoons in the world.
North and South Padre
| Section | What it’s like |
|---|---|
| North Padre Island | Mostly protected as the National Seashore; wild beaches and dunes |
| South Padre Island | A separate island since a channel was dredged in 1964; a busy resort town popular for spring break |
A haven for sea turtles
The Kemp’s ridley is the world’s most endangered sea turtle. In 1947, an amateur film showed about 40,000 females nesting on one day in Mexico; by the 1980s, only a few hundred nests remained. Padre Island runs a recovery program, collecting eggs and releasing hatchlings to the sea, often in public hatchling releases. For the biggest turtle, see the largest sea turtle.
Other wildlife
- More than 380 bird species recorded, making it a major stop on migration routes
- Coyotes, ghost crabs and the Texas horned lizard
- Seaweed and seashells washed up by the Gulf currents
The name
Padre Island is named after Padre José Nicolás Ballí, a Spanish priest who received the island as a land grant around 1800 and established a ranch there.
Visiting
The National Seashore allows driving on the beach along much of its length; four-wheel drive is needed for the remote southern sections. For the ocean beyond, see the largest ocean.
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