Unlike states like Utah and Colorado, Texas is not know for places to go on four wheel drive expeditions. There are a couple of places however that have no equal elsewhere in the United States in terms of solitude.

North Padre Island Four Wheel Drive Trail

Most people think of mountain trips and rocky roads when it comes to four wheeling. However, a long thin strand of sand known as North Padre island beckons a few adventurous four wheel drive enthusiasts and fishermen with high clearance four wheel drive vehicles. The four wheel drive trail begins just below the Big Shell ranger station on Padre Island south of Corpus Christi and reaches over sixty miles south towards South Padre Island. The Mansfield channel prevents you from crossing on to South Padre Island but it is still a long journey. At times the trail is so bad that you must repeatedly use a winch and a tire buried in the sand to pull yourself out. Here a rescue tow truck may cost a couple thousand dollars so it is best to be prepared with a good winch, boards, shovels and lots of water and food. Along the way there is no telling what you might find. There is some amazing fishing along the way and it is often easy to catch large drum and redfish by surf fishing.

I once came across a wrecked boat that may have been used for smuggling. It had been beached and was in good condition and not a soul around. You may even see a trophy white tail deer that has swam across to the island from the King Ranch.

The Big Bend River Road

Another amazing four wheel drive trip in Texas is the Big Bend National Park river road. This seventy mile rough road follows the desert alongside the border with Mexico along the Rio Grande River. There are no cell phone towers or radio broadcasts here, nor city lights. You almost feel like you have stepped back in time.

For more about the Big Bend River road and the North Padre Island Four Wheel Drive Trail see:

Four Wheel Drive Trips In Texas