Kanaha Beach Park
Kahului, HI
Kanaha Beach Park runs along Kahului's north shore right next to the airport, one of the best beginner and intermediate windsurfing and kiteboarding spots in the world thanks to steady, predictable trade winds. The east end, known as Kite Beach, belongs almost entirely to kiters, while the main park further west keeps a calmer, family friendly stretch of sand.
World class wind sports and a genuinely calm family beach in the same park, though the wind that makes it famous also means the main beach isn't always a relaxing lounge spot.
How we score beachesWatch the planes take off from Kahului Airport while the kiteboarders launch below them at Kite Beach. It's a strange, genuinely fun double show most afternoons.
A free county lot serves the main park off Amala Place, with a separate lot further east specifically for Kite Beach that fills fast on windy afternoons.
A grassy park with pavilions leads onto wide, flat sand at the main entrance, an easy walk, while Kite Beach's sand is more exposed and workmanlike.
Summer brings the steadiest, strongest trade winds, exactly what the kiteboarding and windsurfing crowd wants, while winter is calmer and quieter.
This isn't one entrance, it's a stretch with a few. Here's where locals actually meet up.
Kanaha Beach Park
The main, western end of the park, with grass, pavilions, and a calmer stretch of sand better suited to families than the kite crowd further east.
Parking: A free county lot off Amala Place serves this end of the park.
Local tip: Set up here rather than at Kite Beach if the plan is swimming or a picnic rather than watching the kiters.
Get directions →Kite Beach
The eastern end of the park, dominated by kiteboarders and windsurfers rigging and launching gear most afternoons, with planes from the adjacent airport passing low overhead.
Parking: A separate lot serves Kite Beach directly and fills quickly on windy days.
Local tip: Come to watch even if kiting isn't the plan. Afternoons here are one of the better free shows on Maui.
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