Newport Pass Beach
Corpus Christi, TX
Newport Pass Beach runs between mile markers 99 and 103 off Access Road 2 on Mustang Island, one of the only stretches on this part of the coast that doesn't require a parking permit. It stays quieter than the beaches on either side of it, partly because fewer people know about the permit exemption, and partly because there's little more than a mobile lifeguard patrol and outdoor showers out here.
The lack of a parking fee is a real draw for locals who know about it, though the bare bones facilities mean it rewards people who don't need much beyond sand and water.
How we score beachesSkip the twelve dollar permit entirely by staying between mile markers 99 and 103, one of the few genuinely free stretches left on the island.
No parking permit is required between mile markers 99 and 103, a rare exception on this stretch of coast.
Drive on beach access with minimal facilities, outdoor showers only.
Summer draws the most visitors despite the minimal facilities, water in the low 80s. Hurricane season runs June through November.
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