jofer

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Yesterday I went from High Island up to Sea Rim State Park along "lost hwy 87" (about 20mi of very isolated beach/sand/mud driving). Definitely a fun trip! It's rather desolate and can be a bit strange at times. Lots of decaying oil infrastructure and odd things washed up with absolutely no one around.

The first few miles north of High Island have gotten pretty gnarly in recent years. The beach is gone, and you're driving though deep soft sand. There's a new cut through the beach with steep muddy banks that can be tricky unless you're at fairly low tide. The ruts in the sand get quite deep in places, and clearance is a limitation in the sport. Nothing that can't be avoided by being careful about when you decide to follow tracks vs straddle. After a few miles, things widen back up and it's easy beach driving the rest of the way. I didn't take any pictures in the gnarly sections, but if you decide to try it, be sure you air down, bring a shovel, a tow strap, and some sort of recovery boards or traction aids. Ideally, don't go alone, though I did. It's not too difficult, but it's remote, there's no cell service, and you really don't want to get stuck where the surf + tide can catch you. Wind + surf can be larger than the tides, so things can change quickly.

All that having been said, it was a blast, and I was blown away by how well the sport handled deep soft sand and some really slick tidal marsh mud that makes up the beach in places. This is the first time I've taken it into anything really dicey and it didn't even struggle. I'm definitely impressed!

I didn't take a ton of photos, but here's a few:
Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211001_182154122
Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211001_181540619
Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211001_180421287
Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211001_180223147
Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211001_174943636
Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211001_174933227
Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211001_174201634
Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211001_173233572
Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211001_164332214
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dejones64

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Nice, thanks for sharing. Does look kind of eerie, with the overcast skys.
 


KodiakMomCrawler

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Love all the pictures!
 
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jofer

jofer

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Awesome thanks for sharing. Do you think the lower trims could handle it out there?
Yeah, definitely! Just be really sure you air down (makes a huge difference in sand), bring a shovel at the very-very least, I'd recommend having recovery boards in addition to the shovel, and preferably go in a group. Watch the tides and predicted surf. Don't go if it's high tide or if the waves are way up.

The biggest issue isn't that it's particularly hard, the issue is that if things go sideways, you're on your own.

Not that long ago, you could get anything out there. Now you need something with a bit of clearance and a decent drive system, but any trim should be able to do it well. You're going to test the limits of your clearance in the ruts in some spots, but the sport is honestly really good in soft sand. Straddle the deeper ruts and be careful, look out for random pieces of metal and asphalt in the sand. Everyone will probably drag in a spot or two, so be careful, think about your tire placement, and go slow but try not to stop in deep sand. (I almost hit the limit of my breakover on one very "sharp" hump that crosses a pipeline or something, but IIRC you can go around that at low tide at least.)

It's not that hard, but no matter what you're driving, you can get stuck, and it's an isolated area with unpredictable weather and no way of contacting anyone. A shovel and recovery boards will get you out of a ton of things on the beach. A bit of preparation goes a long way.

If you're at all worried about it, starting from the Sea Rim State Park side and going south/west is much easier and you can easily turn around there.

Also, if the worst happens walk along the beach and do not follow any of the apparent gated gravel roads that lead inland. Those don't go anywhere and dead end at the intracoastal waterway. A few even have lights at the end, as they're access roads to things, but no one's there. Don't follow them even if you're stranded and desperate. Stay along the beach.

I'm giving lots of warnings not so much because it's an incredibly difficult track, but just because unless it's a weekend with nice weather and lots of folks are out, you're not going to see much of anyone out there, for better or worse. That's the draw of it, but it's also why you need to be prepared.
 
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jofer

jofer

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Oh, uh, also, just FYI, it's historically notorious as a nude beach, at least when the weather is nice. The usual advice is "no kids" (there used to even be a sign to that effect). Don't know how much that's still true, and certainly no one was going to be out the day I was, but still, it's something you might want to take into account if bringing kids along.
 

brockdog12

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Nice! Love driving the beach in south Texas.
 

paddywampus1

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Yeah, definitely! Just be really sure you air down (makes a huge difference in sand), bring a shovel at the very-very least, I'd recommend having recovery boards in addition to the shovel, and preferably go in a group. Watch the tides and predicted surf. Don't go if it's high tide or if the waves are way up.

The biggest issue isn't that it's particularly hard, the issue is that if things go sideways, you're on your own.

Not that long ago, you could get anything out there. Now you need something with a bit of clearance and a decent drive system, but any trim should be able to do it well. You're going to test the limits of your clearance in the ruts in some spots, but the sport is honestly really good in soft sand. Straddle the deeper ruts and be careful, look out for random pieces of metal and asphalt in the sand. Everyone will probably drag in a spot or two, so be careful, think about your tire placement, and go slow but try not to stop in deep sand. (I almost hit the limit of my breakover on one very "sharp" hump that crosses a pipeline or something, but IIRC you can go around that at low tide at least.)

It's not that hard, but no matter what you're driving, you can get stuck, and it's an isolated area with unpredictable weather and no way of contacting anyone. A shovel and recovery boards will get you out of a ton of things on the beach. A bit of preparation goes a long way.

If you're at all worried about it, starting from the Sea Rim State Park side and going south/west is much easier and you can easily turn around there.

Also, if the worst happens walk along the beach and do not follow any of the apparent gated gravel roads that lead inland. Those don't go anywhere and dead end at the intracoastal waterway. A few even have lights at the end, as they're access roads to things, but no one's there. Don't follow them even if you're stranded and desperate. Stay along the beach.

I'm giving lots of warnings not so much because it's an incredibly difficult track, but just because unless it's a weekend with nice weather and lots of folks are out, you're not going to see much of anyone out there, for better or worse. That's the draw of it, but it's also why you need to be prepared.

Thanks a lot for all of this info man. I live in south texas so I was extra curious! Appreciate you
 


BagOJuice

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Been out on the beaches near me a lot with my Badlands also, handles the sand perfectly. One of my favorite places to go with my BS. Tossing the back seats down, inflating a mattress for the back and lying out and camping on the beach, a summer staple.

Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) LeBronco Beach Rack
 

Hdscreens

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I did that stretch in gen 2 Raptor last year with ease but definitely need to air down especially with all the debris one might go over. I tried to do the floating campsite at sea rim but failed. It’s a 2 mile canoe/kayak trip each way and with all the camping gear I had it would have required 2 round trips in alligator infested waters. Good to hear the sport is out there representing and I actually enjoy beach driving the sport over the Raptor.
 
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jofer

jofer

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Had a bit of time off this week, so I headed back out there for a quick camping trip. Last time was just after a few big storms.

This time things were smoother overall (lots of debris had been moved off the trails and the steep banks worn down), but also a bit more rutted up in the soft sand. I'm still amazed how well the sport handles sand that would trap most things. Helps that it's relatively light, but still, it's impressive what it does without struggling.

Not many pictures of that part, but here are a few that are just pretty pictures. Yeah, sure, it's a trashy, debris lined beach, but it's still beautiful!

Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211229_211908491
Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211229_211932978

Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211229_131615481
Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211229_131536834
Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211229_124649795
Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211229_124142719

Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211229_124154492


Oh, also, the man 'o war jellyfish were out in large numbers. Tiny ones, but after I caught one while cast netting for bait I decided to reconsider my surf fishing plans a bit...

Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211229_172515564
Ford Bronco Sport Trip Report: Bronco Sport in the Deep Soft Sands of Lost Highway 87 (SE TX) PXL_20211229_172550428
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