Galveston Island State Park is reopening the beachside of the park on June 27 after completing a major redevelopment project which began in the summer of 2019. The Galveston Island State Park Beach Redevelopment project was brought to fruition thanks to $10.6 million in Deepwater Horizon Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) Phase III Early Restoration funds from the Texas Trustees.

“The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is very excited to be able to reopen such a popular park on the Texas coast,” said Rodney Franklin, Director of Texas State Parks. “I am extremely thankful for the hard work of our state parks team, TPWD partner divisions, numerous volunteers, as well as our partnership with the NRDA Trustees Implementation Group. The commitment and dedication of countless individuals and stakeholders made this redevelopment project a reality. Thanks to our ability to leverage grant funds along with sporting goods sales tax, the people of Texas will benefit from this enhanced outdoor opportunity for years to come.”

Improvements to the park include a new park headquarters building, two new restrooms and renovations to an existing restroom, new roads, 95 new campsites, two new changing areas and rinse off showers, 20 new shade shelters in the day-use area, and a seasonal equestrian day-use area.

Additionally, there will be more than five miles of hiking trails, a newly remodeled nature center on the bayside, two observation towers, two boardwalks, three kayak launch locations on the bayside, a new vendor area, and three new group-use pavilions on the beachside.

“In 2008, Hurricane Ike impacted families and individuals across the upper Texas coast,” said Kody Waters, Interim Superintendent of Galveston Island State Park. “After Galveston Island State Park was damaged during the storm, we were able to reopen temporarily while this larger scale project was planned. It has been a long time coming, and I could not be more excited for public to once again experience the park at its fullest.”

Texas State Park reservations may now be made online anytime or by calling the Texas State Park Reservation Center at 512-389-8900 on weekdays during normal business hours or anytime online on the TPWD website. Overnight reservations can be made up to five months in advance, and day passes can be reserved up to 30 days in advance. If your plans change, please modify or cancel your reservation as soon as possible to allow someone else to enjoy the park as we do expect the park to reach capacity limits.

The Texas Trustees include the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas General Land Office, and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

For more information about ongoing restoration efforts in Texas, visit https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/texas.