Halepalaoa Beach
Lanai City, HI
Halepalaoa Beach picks up just south of Keomuku, a shaded, reef protected stretch of sand running out from an old wharf that once shipped sugarcane to Maui for grinding. The plantation folded within a couple years, and what's left now is a quiet pier worth walking out on and a small Japanese cemetery tucked back from the shore.
The old pier and the cemetery make it a genuinely interesting stop for anyone already out on this coast, but there's not enough beach or water access here to justify the drive on its own.
How we score beachesWalk out to the end of the old pier before you leave. It's one of the few spots on this coast where you can look back at the whole reef flat from above the water instead of standing in it.
Reachable only by continuing south on the dirt continuation of Keomuku Road past the village, a bumpy few miles that call for four wheel drive, particularly after rain.
A rough dirt track leads from the road to the shore. No paved surface anywhere, and the pier itself is old timber, worth caution underfoot.
The reef keeps the water calmer here than most of this coastline, though it's still not a swimming spot. Visit in the dry season, since the access road gets rough fast once it rains.
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