Living in Texas during the winter months does have it’s advantages. After a successful trip to the coast earlier this month, we were eager to camp on the coast again. Galveston Island is one of our favorite destinations for fishing and relaxing, and with its close proximity to Houston, it makes for a fantastic weekend getaway.
We are no strangers to visiting Galveston Island State Park. One of Tyler’s favorite places to fish is at their bay. Before we owned our Aliner, we woke up well before sunrise to travel for a day of fishing. Having our own campsite for the weekend provided a sigh of relief and some extra sleeping hours! Galveston Island State Park is a popular Texas destination. The park is divided into two sections: beach side and bay side. Both areas offer fishing, hiking, bird watching, biking, and camping while the beach side offers an additional bonus of swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. When selecting a campsite, you can’t go wrong with either area of the park, but we opted for the bay side due to the more convenient access to Tyler’s fishing spot.
We set out on our trip after work on Friday and arrived shortly after sunset. Site 106 was our home for the weekend. In this camping loop, each site contains a picnic table, water, and electric. Fire rings are not provided at each site, but there were several in the common area shared between the sites. I was easily disappointed to learn that the nearest restroom was in the next camping loop! The walk is fairly short to the next loop, but its not ideal.
Each time we pop up the Aliner, we can’t believe how simple it is! We have found a routine in our setup now, so everything was smooth sailing for the first night. The bay side was peaceful and quiet with a light breeze. I’m always amazed at the stars in Texas, so we enjoyed a relaxing evening sitting outside with Hank.
Exploring Galveston Island State Park
Tyler left early for fishing, so I enjoyed a quiet morning with Hank. I love drinking coffee outside while watching our fellow campers prepare for the day. Although we were the only popup campers in our loop we were not the only campers with a dog! Hank met several new friends while we waited for Tyler to return from fishing. Our favorite fisherman returned without any fishing tales of success, so we hopped in the car to explore the beach side of the park.
The beach side is right across the highway from the bay entrance. Given the popularity of the park, we did have to wait in line behind a few cars before gaining entry. We were surprised that there was only one lane open for visitors. Since we already had our registration in the car window, we would have entered the park faster if we did not have to wait behind those who still needed to register. We did not stay long on the beach side of the park, but we did check out the camping loop and the park store. The RV camping loop sites on the beach side each had their own fire ring, a shaded shelter with picnic table, and a restroom located within the loop. There are more spots in the beach side loop, but they were not as spacious as our spots on the bay side. Before heading back to the bay side, we made a stop at the park store to pick up a state park patch. We recently started collecting patches for our state park stays to add to either a pillow or a blanket.
Back on the bay side, we found a hiking trail to explore. We came across a few dogs and plenty of fishing enthusiasts on our walk. Tyler pointed out his fishing spots and scouted the area for places to wade fish. Hank kept a smile on his face the entire time as he enjoyed the sunshine and the breeze.
Galveston Island State Park has such a different landscape from what we once considered to be “traditional” state parks. We love the open spaces , the tall grass, and the many overlooks to the beautiful water. The birds at this park are always active. We may have to become bird watchers as we continue our camping journeys!
What’s For Dinner?
We kept dinner simple for this trip with one of our go to meals: chicken fajitas! One thing we have learned about cooking while camping is the importance of prepping before we leave the house. For this trip, I washed and cut the onion and green pepper while Tyler cut and seasoned the chicken. We placed the ingredients in separate reusable silicon bags. At the campsite, Tyler grilled chicken the the veggies on the griddle while I prepped the toppings.
Hank had no problem falling asleep after a long day of being a pampered dog. Sunday morning arrived with the sounds of birds chirping and a beautiful Texas sky. We enjoyed our coffee outside before packing to head home. We look forward to another visit here, but we will try our luck with a campsite on the beach side. Until then, we’re going to make a few upgrades to the Aliner and get ready to for our next trip as we revisit one of our favorite parks with our friends. See you on the road soon!
Happy Camping,
Dawn & Tyler
If I could come back in another lifetime I want to be a “Hank”! This guy is liven the life!
The pic of the Aliner at night is so cozy and welcome looking! You two are making every moment of your camping trips looking and sounding better than the last! Camp on ! And I will continue to live vicariously with awe at all these beautiful camp sites out there! Who knew?…..🥰
I wish Hank could write his version of the review! Literally, what a lucky dog! You two continue to make amazing memories! How awesome you both enjoy this so much and work so well together to make the best experiences! Love the beach camping! Until your next
Beautiful adventure I will be anxiously waiting as I am sure Hank will be too💗