Kahekili Beach Park
Kaanapali, HI
Kahekili Beach Park anchors the quieter north end of the Kaanapali strip, a real county park with a lawn, pavilion, and showers rather than a hotel pool deck. Locals call it Canoe Beach for the outrigger clubs that launch from here most evenings, and the reef just offshore is one of the better easy snorkel spots in West Maui.
Real local infrastructure, an easy reef to snorkel, and enough distance from the resort strip to feel like an actual neighborhood beach, though the reef shallows enough at low tide to scrape a careless swimmer.
How we score beachesCome around 5pm on a weekday to watch the canoe clubs run drills just past the reef. It's a genuinely local scene, a world away from the resort strip a half mile south.
A free county lot sits right off Kaanapali Parkway, larger than most West Maui beach lots, though it still fills on weekend afternoons.
A paved path and grassy lawn lead straight onto the sand from the lot, flat and stroller friendly, with restrooms and showers on site.
Summer brings the clearest water for snorkeling the reef, while winter surf can stir up sediment and make visibility inconsistent day to day.
More Hawaii beaches
Waikiki Beach
Honolulu, HI · Hawaii
4 access points
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.