Mokuleia Beach
Waialua, HI
Out past the polo field at the far end of Mokuleia Road, the beach still known locally as Army Beach, for its old military recreation days, offers wide open sand with almost nobody on it. Kiteboarders favor the steady wind here, and the long, undeveloped stretch feels like a different island from the crowded North Shore breaks a few miles east.
About as uncrowded and open as beaches get on this side of Oahu, but the total lack of facilities means you need to come prepared for everything yourself.
How we score beachesBring your own shade and water. This end of Mokuleia has no facilities at all, just sand, wind, and space.
A gravel lot at the road's end serves the beach, informal but usually has space.
A short, flat walk over sand from the lot, no stairs, though there's no paved path.
Wind holds steadiest in summer, drawing kiteboarders, while winter brings bigger, less predictable surf and fewer people still.
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