This place is truly breathtaking and a must stop on the Road to Hana. I took my wife here and she was blown away about being that close to turtles. They are much bigger in person! We thought we might be able to see some that day but there were a whole group of them. The surfers were out that day and the waves were huge, so I wasn't planning on getting in the water but took tons of photos. Highly, Highly recommend read more

If you are looking for turtles and want to watch surfers catching some waves, this is the place to be! Please come and create your own adventure. read more

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Amazing beach! The views are something out of a postcard. We saw surfers, sea turtles, and the beautiful Hawaiian landscape. This was our first of many magnificent stops along our Road to Hana excursion. It was everything! Make sure you stop and take in its beauty! read more

Hookipa Beach Park - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

Wow, wow, wow!!! Such an amazing park with perfect views. I could go to this park everyday to watch the surfers doing their thing. read more

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We love coming here to Hookipa Beach Park and the Lookout. It's the place to be. If you live to surf come here, but please nashe sure you're an experienced surfer of not is not good. I do not like to go here for surfing. We come here mainly to watch everyone else do what they do. You can also find the honu(turtles) out here. They normally come out right before the sunsets. But please do keep your distance from them. Don't go up to them, they have the cones or ropes up for a reason. Don't be that tourists who does that. Will write more later. Just come here to watch the waves, especially in the winter. The waves can get huge. read more

Ho'opika Beach is a white sand beach located in the northern part of Maui. This was our first stop in our Road to Hana trip and there was ample parking at the parking lot when we arrived at 9am. There was also a lifeguard on duty and restrooms on-site. It's a place where you'll see many wave surfers, wind surfers, and most importantly: turtles. We were trying to find the turtles but couldn't find any; however, a local gratefully pointed us to the end of the beach where we saw a good amount. I didn't expect this but they were massive! They looked like rocks and I missed some because they blended in so well. Most of them didn't move at all but occasionally we saw some trying to make their way to shore. They come out when the sun comes out so make sure you come during the day. This should be a must stop whether you're driving the Road to Hana or not. Make sure you don't leave until you see some sea turtles! read more

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Ho'okipa Beach Park Where the Waves Talk Loud Let me tell you right now Ho'okipa ain't one of those mild, "hold-my-Mai-Tai" beaches. Nah, this place comes in HOT. The waves here are so big they practically slap the thoughts right outta your head. You driving by on Hāna Highway? The Place Is Beautiful in That Wild Hawai'i Style What makes Ho'okipa special Big waves smashing the reef like thunder... then just yards away you get honu cruising in, chilling on the sand like they own the place. read more

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Swimming in the ocean? Not so much for that as the ocean is really rough here in North Shore Maui. Surfing? Oh yeah! You get to ride the big waves here. Turtle? Certainly! The best spot to see turtles basking on the beach in Maui. There seems to always be turtle here so if you want to see them, come on here! read more

Hookipa Beach Park - Turtles! - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

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Great recommended stop on your way to the road to Hana. Pretty much guaranteed to see some very large sea turtles resting on the beach. Parking can be a bit scarce but worth the searching. Portable bathrooms were very dirty. You will also get a great look at the local surfers. read more

Hookipa Beach Park - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

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Ho'okipa Beach Park - Maui 179 Hana Hwy, Paia, HI 96779 Visited December 8th | Around 2-3 PM Ho'okipa Beach is seriously one of the most beautiful spots in Maui . The views are unreal, and watching all the surfers catching waves makes it such a fun place to hang out ‍. The best part? The sea turtles . There were easily 50-60 turtles just chilling on the beach, soaking up the sun. Seeing that many turtles in one place was absolutely amazing and something we'll never forget (of course, from a respectful distance). Parking can be tough, especially in the afternoon , so expect to drive around a bit. The bathrooms were closed when we went, but there were portable toilets set up in the parking lot, which was better than nothing . Even with the parking hassle, this place is 100% worth the stop. Between the turtles, surfers, ocean views, and overall vibe, Ho'okipa Beach is a must-see when you're in Maui . read more

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We had a brief stop at Hookipa Beach Park during our all-day Road to Hana tour. Our guide kept secret the main attraction of the park, though I had seen reviews before and knew what to expect. What I didn't expect was how many and how large the sea turtles were resting on the beach. The beach park has restrooms and other amenities. This is also a popular surfing location. Well worth the visit. read more

Hookipa Beach Park - Sea turtles resting - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

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Highly recommended if you want to see sea turtles on the beach! The beach is pretty and nice place to go snorkeling or swimming with the sea turtles. Parking is limited so I hope you find a spot! read more

Hookipa Beach Park - Turtles - Respect their space - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

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This is such a beautiful beach! We saw turtles and it was such a cool experience. Parking was tough, there was a ton of people. read more

Sick view! You got the ocean. You got waves. You got real surfers. And you got a TON of giant turtles sleeping on the beach! I can't vouch for the sand or howzit hanging out here but the view of what I just listed was awesome in itself. We parked in the upper lot and walked down the road about halfway and saw it all. They won't let you get close to the turtles, thank goodness. Let those creatures enjoy life and multiply! read more

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Terrific beach park for chilling, surfing, tide pool exploration, snorkeling, seeing honu/sea turtles, or just a detour coming to or from the Hana Highway. read more

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Easy to get in. Plenty of parking. Plenty of surfers and honu. Spectacular view. Lifeguards and restrooms. Stop by if you have a chance. read more

Hookipa Beach Park - Spectacular view of surfer and sunset - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

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You'll see young surfers under twenty surfing here among the turtles and waves. Some of our friends said they saw at least fifty sea turtles beached later in the day for their evening rest along the eastern rock formation. You can go along the shore to see them, but must stay at least 10 feet away to not harass the turtles. read more

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Surfs up dudes... come for the turtles, the brisk waves, and the gorgeous scenery! We loved seeing the turtles basking on the rocks and watching the surfers! This beach wasn't not crowded..: but it was a bit funky... the dirty public restrooms were a turn off! I would have given 3 stars but the turtles make this beach a shell of a show! read more

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We stumbled upon this during our road to hana trip. Absolutely beautiful! I wish I was more prepared for it and brought bathing suits. The view was breath taking. They had restrooms and everything. Beach was clean and they had life guards. Plenty of people were swimming and surfing. Highly recommended. Plenty of parking and shaded areas where you could have your lunch. read more

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Good parking, easy to walk down. We went just to see the turtles resting on the beach which was easy because there are a ton just laying there plain to see. Photos are good to take and the beach looked clean although we didn't go on it. Not much else to say, but it is cool to see all the turtles just hanging out if you're in the area. read more

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Oh Turtles, they wanna have fun Oh Turtles just wanna have fun... Tide will definitely take you for a ride here. Maybe that's why the turtles love it here. My wife had some close encounters with Turtles swimming right next to her. All I could think is Crush from Finding Nemo saying Whoa as they passed her by. It's a prime spot for surfers and snorkeling. Just respect the turtles and their; there's a sign (most people ignore probably like when they drive) that says stop. The lifeguard had to say something to a group of people standing next to the turtles trying to get back in the water. There's plenty of parking unless it's a busy day you may have to park up top and walk down. Bathrooms and shower right by the lifeguard tower. There's also covered benches if you want to eat and enjoy the view. By far one of the most beautiful beaches we were blessed to visit. Mahalo read more

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This may be the busiest beach park in Maui, as parking is a bit impossible to find. There's even a line of cars parked illegally because it just gets that busy. But why is it soo busy? Sea turtles. They have a designated roped off section to prevent you from getting too close to the turtles and there's a volunteer there standing guard to enforce it. It is a cool thing to see and yes, they do move very slow to get back on shore. Kind of cool to see them use the waves to move their huge bodies up on the sand faster to bask. Besides the turtles, it's a good surfing spot if you're not a beginner as the waves are choppy and aggressive. The water feels nice, but you have to be careful because of said waves and also the shoreline has a lot of rocks where you can crack your head open if you're not careful. read more

We were told about this beach on the north side of the island. The beach parking is packed but if you go a little further east, you'll see a parking lot for the lookout. It's a beautiful view of the beach and the horizon. You can walk down to the rocks where it meets the water, but you have to be very careful because it can get slippery and of course, careful on the uneven rocks. I stood along the rocks and seen a sea turtle bobbing in and out of the water. It's nice to just sit there and watch the surfers as well and the views. There are photographers out there capturing the views. It's so pretty and relaxing. read more

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Great spot to watch surfers. There is a small parking lot to the left when you pull in. read more

Hookipa Beach Park - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

Ho'Okipa Beach is one of the coolest beaches I've been to, because it's inhabited by TURTLES! They're giant and sit there basking in the sun in a large pack, with some sliding along the sand leaving little paths in their wake. There are barriers/chains up around where they come to sunbathe, so you can't get too close (and you wouldn't want to, lest you bother them!). But you can definitely see them pretty well from behind the barriers, there are so many of them. Aside from the beautiful turtles, there are also great views at Ho'Okipa Beach, with gorgeous blue water crashing against black volcanic rocks that pepper the shoreline. We saw lots of folks swimming, surfing, and relaxing on the beach, because it's such a nice clean area that's well maintained (probably because of the turtle population). This is definitely a stop you should make in Maui for a nice day at the beach, or to see the adorable turtles and beautiful landscapes! read more

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TURTLES! If you want to see and swim with a ton of sea turtles, this is the place. There's also free parking up on the hill. At any given time there seem to be at least a dozen on the beach, and who knows how many in the water read more

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Means hospitality. Turtles are plentiful when the waters allow it ~ rope to hold back humans but a great viewing distance. Pretty amazing to watch the turtles overcome the waves & rocks to swim to beach shore to sunbathe. Do not come for snorkeling ~ waves are consistently intense for incredible windsurfing & surfing to watch. Bathrooms, rinsing showers, parking is crowded. Upper lot for panoramic view ;) read more

Hookipa Beach Park - Upper viewing area ;) - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

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TURTLES! So my kids are currently too young for us to go snorkeling with them, so one of my goals to see turtles lying on the beach and this is definitely the spot! By law, you have to be at least 10 feet away from the turtles, but they roped off the area as well, so you can't get too close to them, but they're certainly all visible basking on the sun, and coming in and out of the water. They hang out near big rocks, so you can easily mistake them for rocks initially! I assume this is one of the best places to ensure seeing a turtle, since the staff at the Maui Ocean Center also told me that this beach would be a guaranteed sighting. Otherwise, the waves are a bit too rough to play in the water. For that reason, it's also a popular site for local surfers. Sand was soft though, and my kids played for a while. They do have bathrooms and rinse off areas. read more

My Dad passed away on the mainland last night. So to honor his memory, we brought a yellow lei to the sea to set it free on the waves in the surf. Another way to say Goodbye. read more

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Beautiful beach park for surfers, snorkeling, sunset viewing and most notably sea turtle viewing. I have never seen any other beach with so many sea turtles. read more

Hookipa Beach Park - View of beach - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

If you like, looking at sea turtles, this is the place to go when you are in Maui. There are so many turtles on the beach. You will absolutely crap your pants. This is worth stopping in for a few minutes if you were driving that Hannah highway! read more

Hookipa Beach Park - Sea turtles - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

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Not a knock against the beach - but all north side beaches were very windy. This is common across the islands we visited. It was not a good fit for us as we were just looking to sit in the sand and enjoy the view. As for the reason for the rating, the beach was not well kept. There were also a handful of homeless people hanging around the parking lot which made us concerned for our luggage in the car. read more

What's not to love about Ho'okipa? Well maybe just the portapotties lol. But at least they have bathrooms for those emergency bathroom breaks lol. Check it out. read more

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We had missed this one in our last trip 7 years back. Worth coming here. Folks who love surfing, this is possibly one of the best spot for surfers ( boards/ wind / kite) , you name it and there was all kind of surfing we saw. The waves looked amazing. Another biggest crowd puller is turtle landing ashore. It's super famous for it. There is plenty of parking in the upper parking lot and on the way to beach downhill cards were parked along the road. There were probably hundreds of them. Loved watching their flapping/ entering in and out of water and sunbathing session. 5there are showers and restrooms. And benches in shades which are very convenient! The beach itself is not sprawling big and waves were crashing pretty close to But overall one of the best locations to stop by and watch the famous Hawaiian leatherbacks! read more

Hookipa Beach Park - Turtle land - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

We stopped here on our first night to watch the sunset and it was amazing. Parking was easy and there were lots of families with little kids wading in the water. The waves were lapping softly and the night turned beautiful golds to blues to purples. It was the perfect way to start off our vacation. Several days later we stopped here on our road to Hana and the whole beach was speckled with TURTLES! We had thought they were rocks! It was fun to watch the surfers as well. Great beach with lots of activity. read more

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Beautiful beach park with a lot of turtles on the beach. It is one of the earlier stops on the road to Hana if you're starting off on the west side near Kihei. Definitely well worth the stop as there are nice photo spots of the beach and cliff sides as well as lots of turtles lounging and coming from the sea. We came on a slightly windy and cloudy day and it was still very nice. Highly recommend making this stop. read more

Hookipa Beach Park - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

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TURTLES!!! A stop along the Road to Hana, the first for many tours. There is lots of parking, but given the fact that it is used for surfing, swimming, and lots of tours stop here it does fill up pretty fast. Ok back to turtles. Once you go down the stairs to the beach go to your right and there at the end of the beach will be turtles. Note: it is roped off so do not cross it. Though it does get crowded most are just there for a quick stop for Road to Hana so if you are staying to enjoy the beach you should have plenty of room to yourself to relax and enjoy. There are lifeguards on station. There is an outdoor shower and bathrooms up the stairs and pavilions to sit down and just enjoy the view. read more

Hookipa Beach Park - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

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Do it for the turtles! We were simply taking in the view when another beachgoer leaned over to us and pointed the turtles out among the rocks. Easy to miss as they camouflage right into the tide pool, but once you see them, you see ALL of them... Everywhere. Parking available on the side lot beyond the actual beach, near the cliffside above the rocks. We actually enjoyed the cliff area more than the beach. No swimming here, only sightseeing and turtle-watching. May need hiking sandals or sneakers as the dirt path can be crumbly. The beach side has ample parking, but is packed with families and surfers. Large gazebo with benches for get-togethers and a restroom along the side. The stretch of sand is small, and the shore is dotted with rocks. More ideal for surfers and bodyboarders who are going further into the ocean. We decided against swimming here but enjoyed watching various athletes perform tricks on the waves. read more

Hookipa Beach Park - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

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Jaws (aka Peahi) is definitely not for the casual tourists, and the dirt road is only for 4x4 vehicles (like Jeeps and Pick-Up Trucks), and even then, it's so badly deteriorated in the last stretch before the lookout point that it is not worth driving all the way. In other words, go only as far as you are comfortable going and then walk/hike the rest of the way. Saw quite a few abandoned and junked vehicles along the way off on the sides. During the winter time, the waves can get super high, but when I went in June 2023 (summer months), not too much action. I did not hike down to the beach, however. read more

Hookipa Beach Park - Parks Near Me - Paia, Hawaii

After hearing about my brother's amazing sea turtle adventures at the lagoon in Honolulu, I nearly lost hope to see a sea turtle since I can't swim and won't take the risk to wade out into the ocean to try to find a swimming sea turtle. When all hope seemed lost, boy was I glad I researched Yelp in advance for THE best place to see nearly guaranteed sea turtles!!! Apparently hoards of sea turtles faithfully come to beach out EVERY day 1-2 hrs before sunset to this exact location! What a treat! We came around 5 pm and sure enough, the sea turtles were hanging out just waiting to be seen by us! They look like giant rocks until you look a little closer or until one of them starts to move! It's too bad that you can't get closer to see them since they have made a line of no crossing and have a turtle staff member present to protect the turtles, but it's understood that it is important to make sure the turtles are safe and happy. There were probably about 100 turtles beaching themselves out! There is a view on the beach level and one on the upper level to view. I felt like it was easier to see the turtles from on top bc you can get a tad closer from that angle. This is definitely a must see stop and on the road to Hana (which we didn't do). It's great because you can avoid the long drive and windy areas of the hana road if all you want to do is see the turtles. It's also super duper close to mamas fish house so we were able to stop by after we ate there! read more

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