Padre Island is a barrier island along the southern coast of Texas. It’s home to Padre Island National Seashore, a vast protected area with beaches sheltering rare Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. Grasslands Nature Trail winds through the seashore’s bird-rich, marshy terrain. To the north, Padre Balli Park offers surf breaks. Its Bob Hall Pier stretches into the Gulf of Mexico and serves as a recreational fishing hub.