Launiupoko Beach Park
Lahaina, HI
Launiupoko Beach Park sits south of Lahaina town, built around a rock walled keiki pond that fills and calms with the tide, a favorite for families who want their toddlers in the water without watching for surf. Longboarders work a gentle, forgiving break just offshore, popular enough with beginners that it doubles as an informal lesson spot most mornings.
The keiki pond alone makes this a standout family beach on this side of the island, and the big free lot rarely gives locals a reason to complain.
How we score beachesThe keiki pond is the move for anyone with small kids. It fills at high tide and stays shallow and protected even when the open beach has real swell running.
A large, free county lot sits right off Honoapiilani Highway, one of the bigger lots on this stretch of coast, and it holds up well even on weekends.
A grassy, tree shaded park with picnic tables leads onto sand and rock, flat and manageable, though the keiki pond's rock wall takes some care to cross.
Summer brings smaller, gentler surf that suits beginners, while winter's bigger south facing swells draw a more experienced longboard crowd.
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