Last updated: January 7, 2024
Place
Mansfield Channel
NPS Photo/ Thomas DiGiovannangelo
Quick Facts
Location:
Decimal Degrees: 26.56384, -97.27637
Significance:
The southern boundary of Padre Island National Seashore.
Amenities
2 listed
Beach/Water Access, Primitive Campsites
A four-wheel drive vehicle is required to access the Mansfield Channel from Padre Island National Seashore.
There is no possible vehicle crossing from Padre Island to South Padre Island across the Mansfield Channel.
The Mansfield Channel is an artificial waterway that was cut through Padre Island, dividing the once continuous island in two, creating Padre Island (sometimes just referred to as North Padre Island) and South Padre Island. The channel serves as the southern boundary of Padre Island National Seashore and the northern boundary of the South Padre Island unit of Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.
The channel was first dug through the island in September of 1957 as a private channel and included protecting jetties. By November of that same year, after being battered by storms the original jetties began to drop and fall below the surface, severely limiting the usability of the channel. In 1962, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) completed the present, and now public, channel and larger protecting jetties.
Today, the Mansfield Channel is utilized by recreational boaters and commercial barge traffic as an access route between the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The channel is regularly maintained and dredged by the USACE and consists of a 12.9 mile long shallow-draft channel from the jettied inlet along the Gulf of Mexico to Port Mansfield, TX. The channel has a depth of 14 feet deep and is 125 feet wide.
The rock jetties, constructed during the creation of the channel, provide a great area for viewing dolphins, green sea turtles, and other wildlife that might be seen swimming in the area. Fishing is also a very popular activity along the jetties.