Matagorda Island (Sunday Beach)
Port O'Connor, TX
Matagorda Island is a boat access only barrier island seven miles across Espiritu Santo Bay from Port O'Connor, with 39 miles of undeveloped Gulf beach and no bridge or ferry, just a wildlife management area check station and whatever boat gets you there. The Sunday Beach area stays open to the public with no fees or permits for camping, beachcombing, fishing, and birding.
Genuinely one of the most undeveloped stretches of coast left in Texas, free and open with no crowds, though the boat only access means it takes real planning to get there, not a spontaneous trip.
How we score beachesNo boat of your own is not a dealbreaker. The Port O'Connor Chamber of Commerce keeps a list of shuttle operators who run visitors out to the island.
There's no vehicle access at all. Reaching the island requires a boat, either your own, a hired shuttle, or a roughly ten mile paddling route through the marshes from Port O'Connor.
No paved paths or facilities beyond the check station. This is undeveloped barrier island beach reached entirely by water.
Spring and fall bring milder heat for the crossing and the best birding, while summer sun on this exposed island with no shade is intense. Hurricane season runs June through November.
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