- Official name: Edwin King Atwood Park; "E.K. Atwood Park"; "E.K. Atwood Park (Beach Access 5)"; the county's 2016 plan spells the namesake "Edward King (EK) Atwood".
- Jurisdiction / operator: Cameron County Parks & Recreation; office phone 956-761-3704 (shared with Andy Bowie).
- Location: 27159 State Park Road 100, South Padre Island, TX 78597; on the Gulf side of Park Road 100 about 1.6 miles north of Andy Bowie Park (county plan). The county's FY2021 report instead says "approximately five miles north of the South Padre Island city limits" — the two county figures conflict; the 1.6-mile figure appears in both the 2018 plan text and the 2018 ERP.
- What it is, where it starts and ends: a small (2.43-acre) developed access park — parking, pavilions, restrooms and walkovers — that serves as the county's southernmost drive-on beach entry. The county's beach access plan says the pedestrian-only beach in unincorporated areas runs "south of the most northern parking lot"; Atwood is described as a "beach user fee-based vehicular beach accessible point". The county does not publish a map or a mile-post for where the vehicular beach begins or ends beyond the park itself; its financial report describes the county as operating "E. K. Atwood Park further north of Andy Bowie Park and Public Beaches on South Padre Island".
- How to reach it: paved all-weather roads to the parking; vehicles then enter the sand through the park (toll booths).
- Parking: about 128 Gulf-side spaces including 5 ADA spaces and 4 food-truck concession spaces, plus 58 free spaces on the bay (west) side of Park Road 100; the lot is permeable "LID" pavement.
- Fees / hours / seasonality (as of 2026-09-02): beach user fee per vehicle (same schedule as above; new schedule 2026-10-01). Trash Bag Program, March–Labor Day at Accesses 5 & 6 only: a $2 deposit per vehicle ($1 for veterans) refunded when you hand back the county bag full of trash during office hours (Park Space Agreement). Note the GLO-hosted plan describes the same program at $5 with a 7 p.m. cut-off — see Gaps. The park page lists office hours 8–7 peak / 8–6 off-season.
- Amenities: five large covered pavilions with picnic tables, restrooms and showers, community rinse stations, two ADA dune walkovers, interpretive signage, food-truck spaces/concessions, two toll booth stations, police surveillance and seasonal lifeguards/Beach Patrol. The city's own page (older wording) describes "a pavilion and portable restrooms".
- Vehicles on sand: Yes — Access 5 is one of the three county points that "will allow public vehicular access" (with 6 and Boca Chica). Driving in or on dunes within 1,000 ft of mean high tide is prohibited; drivers are informed of this at the booth.
- Camping: the county publishes no camping page or permit for this beach. Its plan's definitions treat "camping for less than 14 days" as a recreational activity, and the county's FY2021 report says visitors use Access 6 for "day camping". The CVB's camping post (2025-10-21) states tent camping is allowed on the beach from Beach Access #5 northward (MEDIUM — official-promotional only).
- Rules specific to this spot: trash-bag deposit; no glass or litter; stay off dunes; the County Judge closes Accesses 4, 5 and 6 to vehicles and pedestrians when tides make the sand undrivable (as on 2026-03-16 to 03-17).
- Hazards: high tides that leave the beach "undriveable" and trigger temporary closures (county notices); rip-current and other hazard information not published by the county for this site.
- Nearest food / water: food-truck spaces at the park; rinse stations; otherwise the Convention Centre area about 1.6 miles south.
Check before you go
Road, beach, tide and park conditions can change quickly. Follow posted signs and verify current local-government notices before a long drive or any beach-driving plan.