Creating a list of Maui’s best beaches is an incredibly difficult job. They’re all as blue and beautiful as the next. Fortunately, our readers voted on what strips of sand they love the most in our 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards, giving us an ordered list of Maui’s five best beaches. 1. Kaanapali Beach Photo: Getty […]
Poke bowls, reef-safe sunscreen, a towel for lounging on the sand—we’ve got big plans every time we’re out and about, and that means toting along a good amount of gear. As much as we’d love to rock our backpacker’s pack (except not at all) for a day out and about, there’s got to be another
A group of wet-haired kids pours out of a traditional Hawaiian canoe on Waikīkī’s Kūhiō Beach, smiling and laughing. The kids are from Waimānalo, a rural town on the windward side of Oʻahu. They’re spending the clear, bright day in Waikīkī with their teachers. The adults, sporting rashguards, revel shamelessly in the sunshine, too. The
Strong trade winds and big channel swells have made the north shore of Lanai a hazardous area for navigation, evidenced by the ships that have wrecked along its 6-mile coastline known as Shipwreck Beach. There are at least a dozen vessels known to have been accidentally, and sometimes intentionally, grounded here, from barges and steamships
Editor’s Note, March 9, 2021: Due to COVID-19, access to some of these beaches and parks may have changed. Polihale State Park on Kauaʻi is currently only open for day use; camping is not permitted at this time. Information changes and we’ll do our best to keep our archive content updated. You won’t find
We wanted to reach Haena before the noon tide swamped the beach, hiding its photogenic black and white sand, the only sandy stretch for miles on a coast known for its imposing cliffs and currents. My friend Andrew and I were alone at the beginning of the Old Puna Trail, where the tidy grid of
On the north shore of Kauai, Hanalei Bay’s beauty attracts countless visitors to its 2-mile-long beach and gorgeous waterfalls plummeting off its green mountain peaks. Take a walk down the pier and the views only get better and better. Video length 1:12 Have Aloha Will Travel, powered by HAWAII Magazine, creates micro-documentaries and short films about the
The sun is shining, the sky is blue and, most importantly, the tide is low. Just 15 minutes from the shores of Kaneohe Bay, surrounded by the Koolau Mountains and its reef-protected waters, a literal slice of paradise reveals itself: The largest saltwater sandbar in the world. Because of its sprawling nature, the sandbar is
The largest beach on Molokai is hardly a secret, but it sure feels like one. When we reach the summit of Puu o Kaiaka, a cinder cone headland that hovers over Papohaku Beach’s northern end, the overlook delivers on the buzzwords so often used to describe it: Empty. Secluded. Massive. Perfect. What is Papohaku? Gazing across
Detail on the black-sand grains of Pailoa. Photo: Daniel Sullivan/HAWAIʻI Magazine Waianapanapa State Park is a popular stop along Hana Highway—the 64.4-mile Road to Hana, known for its 620 curves, countless waterfalls, lush green scenery and remote hidden beauty. At around mile marker 32, 2 miles outside Hana Town, a sign directs you toward the
It was 6:30 a.m. when we started our hike to Hanakapiai Falls, a roughly 300-foot tall waterfall nestled in the back of Hanakapiai Valley on Kauai’s north shore. We were the only ones out hiking. In fact, save for the vocal birds above, we had the entire beach and valley to ourselves. While this hike
If you ask someone where Turtle Town is on Maui, it’s likely you could get two, maybe three different answers. Several spots just south of Wailea from Nahuna Point to Black Sand Beach have impressive snorkeling with an abundance of turtle sightings. Best of all, none of these spots have the crowds of say, Hanauma
