Hanalei Bay
Hanalei, HI
Hanalei Bay curves for two miles along Kauai's north shore beneath the jagged, waterfall streaked cliffs of the Napali range, postcard familiar and somehow still better in person. Locals don't talk about the bay as one beach so much as a handful of parks strung along it, each with its own personality and its own regulars.
Few places on Kauai match the combination of surf, scenery, and genuine small town feel, though winter's big swell and rain can make half the bay unswimmable for days at a time.
How we score beachesAsk which end of the bay to park at and you'll get an answer based on what someone's doing that day: the pier for a swim near the pilings, Pine Trees for surfing, the pavilion for the calmest water with kids.
Small lots serve each park along the bay, at the pavilion, near the pier, and along Weke Road by Pine Trees, and all of them fill by mid morning in summer. Street parking along Weke Road fills in fast behind them.
Every access point along the bay opens onto flat sand a short, easy walk from parking, though none of the lots are marked for accessible parking specifically.
Winter brings the north shore's biggest, most consistent surf along with more frequent rain, since this side of Kauai is the wettest. Summer flattens the swell out and brings the calmest, clearest water of the year.
This isn't one entrance, it's a stretch with a few. Here's where locals actually meet up.
Hanalei Pavilion Beach Park
A family favorite near the middle of the bay with the calmest water for swimming and a shaded pavilion right behind the sand.
Parking: A small lot sits off Weke Road, close enough to walk from the center of Hanalei town.
Local tip: This is the spot locals send visiting families with small kids. The water here is the most protected along the whole bay.
Get directions →Black Pot Beach Park
The bay's eastern anchor, next to the Hanalei Pier, named for the community cooking pot once kept here for hukilau catches, still a gathering spot for swimming, fishing, and watching the pier at sunset.
Parking: A lot serves the park right next to the pier, though it fills early on weekends.
Local tip: Swim near the pilings on a calm day for one of the better easy snorkels in the bay.
Get directions →Waioli Beach Park (Pine Trees)
Known locally as Pine Trees for the row of ironwoods shading the sand, this middle stretch of the bay is where local surfers paddle out, with a wave more consistent than the rest of the bay.
Parking: Roadside parking along Weke Road serves this stretch, tight but usually available outside of peak surf season.
Local tip: Come at dawn if surfing is the plan. This break gets crowded with locals by mid morning.
Get directions →More Hawaii beaches
Waikiki Beach
Honolulu, HI · Hawaii
The beach that put Hawaii surfing on the map, with gentle, forgiving waves for beginners, Diamond Head crater as a backdrop, and a reef that keeps the water calm most of the year.
Lanikai Beach
Kailua, HI · Hawaii
A quiet, residential-neighborhood beach on Oahu's windward side, with powder-soft sand, turquoise water, and two small offshore islets (the Mokulua) as a paddling destination.
Poipu Beach
Koloa, HI · Hawaii
A sheltered, sunny south-shore beach on Kauai split into a calm swimming lagoon and a livelier surf side, with a good chance of spotting Hawaiian monk seals resting on the sand.