Ukumehame Beach Park
Olowalu, HI
Ukumehame Beach Park sits at the base of the West Maui mountains where the Pali highway curve gives way to a straighter run toward Maalaea, a narrow strand better known for kiteboarding and windsurfing than for swimming. The wind funnels hard through this stretch most afternoons, which keeps casual beachgoers away and locals with gear coming back.
A real local spot for the wind sports crowd specifically, but the near constant afternoon wind and narrow sand make it a poor fit for anyone just looking to swim or sunbathe.
How we score beachesMornings are calmer if swimming or a picnic is the plan. By early afternoon the wind picks up enough that it's really a kiter's beach, not a swimmer's.
A free county lot sits right off Honoapiilani Highway, small but rarely full given how specific a crowd this beach draws.
A short, flat walk from the lot onto a narrow sand and gravel beach, easy underfoot but with little shade.
Trade winds blow strongest here in summer, exactly what draws the kiteboarding crowd, while winter is calmer and quieter on the water.
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