Tips and Advice on 4x4 Driving (and non-4x4) on South Padre Island
The treasure of the island is the sand itself

In this article, we'll be exploring just the southern portion of Padre Island known as South Padre Island. We'll share some tips and advice on what to take along for the ride, a few tricks on how to drive on the sand for both 4wd and 2wd vehicles, a run-down of the beach laws that you'll need to follow, some points of interest along the way, tips and tricks on how to be 99% stuck-proof, and what to do if you do get stuck (highly unlikely if you follow this guide). Remember, it's not what's buried beneath the sand, the real treasure is the sand itself!

In 1519, a tired old Spanish explorer rowed a small boat from his galleon to the shores of a long sand barrier island that separated an immense lagoon from the ocean. Upon his first steps on the sand, the explorer was immediately struck by the beauty of the island. He saw “white sand” that went on for miles and miles, as far as the human eye could see. The explorer pulled out a tattered piece of leather and began to sketch an outline of the island. He would name it “Isla Blanca” and claim it for the King of Spain.

The explorer was Alonso Alvarez de Pineda and he would be the first white man to set foot on Padre Island, a 130-mile long sand barrier island that spans the coast of South Texas from the modern cities of Corpus Christi to Brownsville, right on the Mexican border. Unfortunately, Alvarez de Pineda would never return to Padre Island in his lifetime—he was mysteriously killed one year later by a mystical Indian tribe a few miles south of the spot where he originally landed in 1519.

Because of its isolation and difficult terrain, it would be another three and a half centuries before anyone would do a serious exploration of Padre Island. Today, modern-day explorers and adventurers are re-discovering the island's 113 miles of solitude and tranquility through proven technology: Four Wheel Drive Vehicles.

Padre Island encompasses 130,454 acres of the longest remaining undeveloped stretch of barrier island in the world. Scientists say that this is what the entire coastline of Texas once looked like for over thousands of years, and still, it lies untouched by civilization waiting for the next explorer or adventurer to seek not what lies beneath the sand, but the sand itself!

So, what are you waiting for? Lets drive it (or, at least part of it)!

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