Top 15 Beaches on Maui

That’s right, folks. Get your camera’s ready, grab some eco-sunscreen and a hat, and feel excited knowing that you’re about to see one of the most beautiful beaches in Hawaii. Even if you don’t have a full afternoon to spend at Makena, you MUST make a stop here at least for a short visit.

Big Beach is the largest stretch of Baldwin Beach Park. Even if you’re heading to Little Beach, you have to access Big Beach to get there. The sand stretches about 2/3 of a mile long and is approximately 100 yards wide from sand to shoreline. This is a popular beach in Maui for weddings, swimming, body boarding, skim boarding and sun tanning. If you are planning to swim at Makena Beach, please make sure to heed all ocean safety signage and NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THE OCEAN. Makena’s Big Beach is notorious for the frequent rogue wave situation, so make sure to always be aware of your surroundings. If you don’t feel comfortable in the ocean here, don’t go in. You might be better off climbing over the rocks on the West end of the beach to swim at Little Beach.
First of all, Little Beach is one of Maui’s very few nude beaches on island. It’s an eclectic kind of beach with colorful individuals, and great swimming opportunities. If you’re there on a late afternoon during a full moon, you may have a chance to see fire dancers and join in on a drum circle! The best time to swim at Makena Beach is during the mid-morning hours. This is when the ocean is at its calmest, and you’ll have the best water visibility. The water is crystal- clear here, but the sandy bottom can skew the clarity when the tide changes.

Walk through the shops, and you’ll find yourself just steps from the sand. The ocean here is divine! The sand is soft, and gently slopes into a calm and crystal-clear ocean. The water feels amazing, and you can always count on lots of sunshine. For those traveling with a bigger group, this area is perfect because there are many different restaurants, bars and shops easily in walking distance for those who tire of the sun easily. Many ocean activities are available from this Maui beach including parasailing, boating, surf board, boogie boards, and stand-up paddle board rentals. The far right of Ka’anapali Beach is ‘Black Rock,’ a popular place to jump off of a huge lava rock formation into the ocean, and also a great place for snorkeling.

If you’re headed towards Historic Paia Town, Baldwin Beach is about 2 minutes before you reach the town, pending traffic. There are two beaches in the vicinity; first Baldwin Beach Park (marked by the Baseball diamond, field and yellow lifeguard tower), then Paia Bay (marked by a skate park and the Paia Youth and Cultural Center). Many newcomers get these two beach areas confused.

There are many things to enjoy at Baldwin Beach Park in Maui. Favorite activities include running, dog walking, swimming, skim boarding, body boarding, sunbathing, socializing and hunting for seashells. This is a great beach for the whole family. The West end of Baldwin is known as ‘Baby Beach,’ and is where you’ll find a protective sea wall that provides a sheltered salt water pool- great for little kids and babies! The East end of Baldwin is referred to as the ‘Cove.’ Here, you’ll find a great zone for swimming and laying out in the sun. The Cove is also a place you’ll find North Shore residents basking in the glory of their life with family outings, drum circles, musicians, yogis and more. The middle section of Baldwin Beach should be reserved for confident swimmers. It’s not a difficult place to swim, but if you’re not totally comfortable with ocean entry and exit, this may not be the best area for you.

Wai’anapanapa State Park is a 120-acre protected area with picnic pavilions, 12 rental cabins, tent camping areas, and all the necessary facilities for maximizing on a beautiful East Maui adventure. The serenity of this area is like no other, and everywhere you look is pure natural beauty, with vibrant green flora and fauna, and an essence of ‘Old Hawaii.’

During the Winter months, Honolua is a popular surf spot for experienced surfers. During the calmer Summer months, Honolua is one of the best places on Maui for snorkeling and scuba diving. The bluffs above the beach area provide a perfect spot for watching surfers from a safe distance, or watching an incredibly gorgeous West Maui sunset.

To snorkel at Honolua Bay, guests have a couple of options. You can book a snorkel cruise that will bring you to the bay, or you can drive to Honolua, park near the sign for the Honolua-Mokule’ia Bay Marine Life Conservation District, and take a short hike through Honolua’s forest. When snorkeling at Honolua Bay, enter the water on the right hand side of the rocky beach. Most people choose to go left to the sandy entrance, but the water is sometimes cloudy there due to a freshwater stream on that side of the bay.

This area of the coastline is well protected, so guests can enjoy less windy conditions and clear visibility when snorkeling here.

To get to Maui’s White Rock Bay, follow Wailea Alanui Drive towards Makena. Take a right down the intersection that is after the Kea Lani Beach Hotel entrance. Drive down the paved road until you reach a dirt road. Follow a path approximately 100-feet to the beach.

Kapalua Bay is awesome because it is also one of the best places to snorkel if you’d like a chance meeting with a parrot fish, butterfly fish, wrasse, boxfish, scorpion fish, or humuhumunukunukuapuaa, (former State of Hawaii Fish). You may also see a Green Hawaiian Sea Turtle! The waves break ever so gently upon the shoreline, and the water is clear blue, with and inviting underwater playground. This Maui beach is a great location for couples on a romantic Maui beach outing, or families looking for a quieter beach day. For those interested in ocean activities, there is a beach activities desk with watersports equipment for rent, and information about local activities.

Popular Maui beach activities at this locale include swimming, bodysurfing, snorkeling and surfing. This family friendly beach has salt and pepper colored sand, clear water, and plenty of shaded areas for a family picnic. This is a fabulous Maui beach for decompressing in a lush setting with gorgeous coastline views. Take it from us, you will not want to leave Hamoa Beach…

You will drive through a grove of trees and see the Olowalu General Store and Leoda’s Bakery. The beach entrance is just before, across the road at mile marker 14.
At Olowalu, beachgoers can find hundreds of acres of beautiful reef for snorkeling. Olowalu is perhaps best experienced on a snorkeling tour because your charter will perch right where the snorkeling is best (approximately 200-400 yards offshore). If you are a confident swimmer, snorkeling is best 20+ yards out. The beach at Olowalu is great for families traveling with small children. The coastline is shallow and protected, and the ocean has very clear visibility.

The most popular activities to do at Ho’okipa include surfing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, stand up paddleboarding, and snorkeling- all pending season.

You must know that Ho’okipa Beach Park is an extremely popular local spot. The beautiful community of Maui residents that frequent Ho’okipa Beach does so on a daily and weekly basis; most have done so their entire lives. When visiting Ho’okipa, definitely make most of the opportunity. Bring only good vibes, and you might find yourself BBQing and sharing laughs with some locals. If you don’t want to head down to the beach, there is a great lookout point above the beach park. The Ho’okipa Lookout is a perfect place to tailgate and take in a sunset, get some cool surfing shots, enjoy food vendors or a freshly cracked coconut.

The Green Hawaiian Sea Turtles are known to frequent Ho’okipa’s shores. If you do see them, please do not touch or harass them in any way- watch from afar. They are still classified as an endangered species and protected by both the NOAA, the State of Hawaii, and Ho’okipa’s local families. Ho’okipa means hospitality in the ancient Hawaiian language, so definitely bring an essence of that with you when visiting. Ho’okipa Beach Park is one of the most incredible beaches in the universe. You’ll quickly see and feel why once you get there.

In the ancient Hawaiian language, Oneuli means ‘black sands,’ and that’s exactly what you’ll find at this South Maui beach. Here, you’ll find that the black sand is actually ground lava rock. Also, as you reach the shoreline, you will notice that the edge of the water is actually hard lava.

Oneuli Black Sand Beach on Maui is not the best option to choose for a lazy day of sunbathing and taking frequent dips into the Pacific. This beach is best for experienced swimmers, snorkelers, and scuba divers.
To find Oneuli Black Sand Beach, drive South from Wailea towards Makena. Approximately 4 miles South of the Grand Wailea Resort, you will see a dirt access road before Makena’s Big Beach parking lot.

When venturing to Maui’s south shore, there are so many beaches to explore and experience. For snorkeling, sunbathing, and swimming, options are a plenty. Collectively, the Kamaole beaches offer a unique experience for everyone to enjoy. With close proximity to one another, all three are situated across the road from restaurants, food trucks, shopping, gas stations, and more. Maui’s Kamaole beaches are fun-filled, yet convenient.

Kam 1 is a great location for sunbathing, and a light ocean swim. Surrounded by white sandy beaches- it’s a no brainer. Kam 2 is a beach park area with plenty of parking, and big open spaces to BBQ and celebrate with family and friends. Kam 3 has the largest recreation park; somewhere you can meet new friends, roller skate, skate, snorkel, and socialize during all times of the day-light, afternoon, and evening.

Stretching from South Kihei to Wailea, the Kamaole beaches accompany a coastal landscape like no other. It’s possible to find hidden coves, and it’s possible to hunt for seashells. More importantly, it’s possible to find a variety of places to perch for the day with family and friends.

Kam 1, 2, and 3, provide grassy lawns, BBQ areas, shady tree covered areas, restroom facilities, and many opportunities to explore ocean activities.

Within walking distance from Kamaole beaches, visitors can book Maui snorkel trios, Maui surf lessons, and a variety of in-the-know experiences.

This Maui beach was named after a man that owned a home above the beach for many years, a very lucky man indeed. The length of the beach is approximately 1/3 of a mile long, which makes it great for a beach run on the soft golden sand, a sunset walk, swimming, sunbathing, or day-long picnics with the family. This is also a perfect Maui beach for stand-up paddling, or snorkeling alongside the lava rock formations near the baby tide pools.

La Perouse Bay is named after French explorer Jean-Francois de Galup Comte de La Perouse, the first westerner to map this area of the Island of Maui.

The Bay at La Perouse is the sight of Maui’s most recent lava activity (approx. 1790), and also home to some of Maui’s most playful Spinner dolphin pods. (If you’re traveling to La Perouse to see the dolphins, make sure to arrive early at daybreak.)

This South Maui bay is not a beach for swimming, snorkeling, or too much exploring. But, La Perouse does offer a beautiful vantage point for seeing the outer island of Kaho’olawe during a clear day. When at La Perouse, you will see a trail that heads towards East Maui. This trail has much Hawaiian cultural and historical significance, and is protected Hawaiian archeological land. If you do venture down this coastline trail, please do not travel off of the main path, and absolutely do not touch or move any rocks or stones. This area is part of Maui’s King’s Trail, and has many protected cultural and spiritual sights including salt pans, heiau stones (religious shrines), and fishing shrines. Look, but do not touch!

If you do try to venture down to the beach, make sure you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle, and that you know how to use it! There are actually two access roads down to Honomanu Bay, but they are not always accessible. So, be careful driving, and make sure you know how to reverse 4-wheel drive in possibly muddy conditions! (BTW, If you do get stuck, Maui car rental companies will consider this off-road, and you will not be covered.)

From the bluffs, Honomanu is the first bay you’ll see since Ho’okipa Beach Park. The Bay in itself is rocky and not great for swimming. The surf break is expert level, and you will definitely experience some localism here* If you do venture into the water at Honomanu, beware of murky conditions (there have been many shark sightings here), rip currents, and hidden reef. There is a fresh water stream that flows from the valley into the Bay that creates a pool on the mauka (mountain) side of the beach. This is a popular spot for kids to play and float on inner tubes, but not deep enough for swimming.