My favorite beach on the north shore accessible by foot from most Princeville condos/rentals. Was…read morealways a rough path accessible by able-bodied in good weather (no recent rains). Currently closed for renovations which will include a small parking lot (yay) and improved path to the beach. Didn't get to go this summer (boo construction) but I'm excited to see what this beach will look like after renovations. Check if open before going since the renovations are supposed to continue until late August 2026.

This beach is tucked away down a mini steep hike by 1 Hanalei Bay Resort. It's right outside the…read moreproperty and the trail head is at the back of their valet parking, before the gate guard. There are rope handles to help guide you as you go down. The beach itself is gorgeous and has ample shade under a massive spread out tree. It's perfect for snorkeling with honu (sea turtles) and plenty of fish. The water is calm and great for kids if they make the trek down. It takes about 5-10 minutes depending on your speed. The only downfall is the parking. There are 10 spots in the public lot. You cannot park anywhere else in the surrounding lots, nor can you valet at the hotel for this particular beach. Your other option is the golf course lot about a mile down the road.

The lush mountains, gentle waves and bay breeze will just take your breath away. We loved coming…read morehere and felt a sense of peace and appreciation for the beauty of Hanalei Bay. It helps that the drive into the area already has you impressed and in aw struck wonder. It is absolutely gorgeous on the north side of the island! As far as the beach itself, it is super kid friendly. Shallow waters for yards and yards! If you're on the right side of the beach it is shallow even past the pier. With gentle yet large enough waves for you to boogie board or surf. The pier is a beautiful way to take in the scenery and if you're brave enough, jump off of. My kids loved it! There are bathrooms and outdoor shower. A taco truck on site. A great beach day!! The only downside. The time of year we came, there were a ton of gnats. It might have been because of the rain. Other than that this beach was perfect.

If you come to Kauai, you have to head up to North Shore and visit Hanalei beach. A beautiful beach…read morefull of white sand, clear waters, and an amazing backdrop scenery of lush, tropical jungles. The protected bay offers nice, calm waters for swimming and other water activities. And there are lifeguards stationed at designated areas throughout the beach. You can also walk down the pier where you'll find people diving into the deeper parts of the water, fishing, or just taking pictures of the beautiful scenery. There are the occasional bits of wood washed up onto shore. So be careful where you step when walking barefoot. A public lot is available for free parking, however it does fill up fast. You can also park along the curb in the residential areas.

We enjoyed checking out this side of the island this time. It was kind of tricky to find parking…read morebut just be patient and you'll find some. We ended up finding a spot on the street and walked down an alley to the beach. Didn't need an umbrella here as there are plenty of shade trees right on the beach. So beautiful and relaxing. It is very popular and busy, but you only really notice that in the water because of everyone wanting to snorkel. The snorkeling was really cool here! Some of the best I've seen! I spent a lot of time in the water, but tried not to go too far out as the tide can be a little tricky here in some parts as well. A must-see when on Kauai!

One of the secret, beautiful beaches in Kauai. This is the…read moreplace that is depicted in the musical " South Pacific" or the famous fictional place "Bali Hai". Use Makua Beach /hAena state beach park to park is the access you can use to get to tunnels beach! Once you get there it's super gorgeous! Definitely worth the 1 hour drive from lihue for a sunrise/sunset in Kauai!

As a long secluded shoreline on the north shore of Kauai, Anini Beach Park is accessible by car via…read morea paved and winding road from the Kuhio Hwy. Another beautiful, worth-visiting beach park on the north shore of Kauai. The central point is the park, that provides plenty of paved parking (parking is also available on the side of the road that hugs the coastline). This park has dedicated camping sites, and we saw many backpack tents set-up further in from the shoreline, usually underneath shade provided by the false kamani trees. The park contains a lot of green space and facilities. My wife and I ate our deli lunch at a nearby picnic table. Turtles often come on shore here, though there were none today (probably because we came in the afternoon). One thing we noticed were all the multi-million dollar homes right on the other side of Anini Road once you pass by Anini Beach Park traveling to the west (it's a dead end, so would need to circle back to get out). They are rentable via the typical companies, and would be great for beach loving families who want to spend some secluded time near the ocean. Also in the area are small pockets where one can park their car and go out into shoreline. From there, one can see and explore the large coral reef that rings this area.

Beautiful area. Was fun to sit and watch the kite and wind surfers while we were there. Parking was…read morea breeze with plenty of open spots. My youngest was most excited about the horses across the street. There were some rocks we kind of stayed by but the beach doesn't have a very wide sand bank. At least where we were. So the water was right there. Not super conducive for lounging. The waves were fun, but we didn't try snorkeling here.

While staying in Princeville, we decided to check out Queen's Bath, and it was absolutely worth the…read moreeffort. Parking in front of the entrance is extremely limited, and the surrounding residential area doesn't allow non-permitted parking. I ended up dropping off my wife and her friend so they could start the trek while I parked at the nearby golf course, which added about a half-mile walk to the entrance. From the entrance, the hike down to Queen's Bath is about half a mile. It's not too long, but there are a few tricky spots that require some careful footing. It's definitely manageable for most people, including kids, as long as you take your time. Once you arrive, you're rewarded with a beautiful natural tide pool filled with seawater and fish. Some people were even jumping from the surrounding rocks into the water below. The spot was lively, with plenty of tourists and families making the hike down to enjoy the view and the experience. A little extra work to get there, but the payoff is huge. Queen's Bath is a must-see if you're in Princeville.

PSA: If the gate is closed, do not go in! This hike is not bad when dry, but quickly gets dangerous…read morethe wetter/muddier it gets. The gate is there for your protection. If you do get the chance to go in, you will be amazed by how beautiful the area is! The baths were soo pleasant to swim, snorkel, and relax in. Walking along the rocks between the baths was easy as long as you watch your footing as the rocks are not flat. I highly, highly recommend coming here if the weather holds up for you!

I read a lot of reviews before hiking to this beach. No one gave me any problems using the trail…read more(some reviews reference this regarding private property signs). The trail was very steep and covered with slick mud, but with good shoes, you can take your time and make it through the hike with no problem. I just walked very slowly and carefully. The trail isn't that long, and I would say it took about 20 mins to get to the beach. The beach has good sand, lots of shade, and a cool rock wall at the back of the beach. Some people were snorkeling and saw a sea turtle . I would say it is worth the hike in to this secluded beach if you are careful.

The first time we found this trail, we weren't sure what it was going to. It had rained recently…read moreand I was in poor shoes, and I slid and fell in the mud. We turned back that day but our whole trip, we were curious what was down there. So now, a few days before leaving, we tried again wearing water shoes- since they seemed to have better grip. I recommend keeping your hands free, as some places can still be slick when it hasn't been raining super recently. There's a few sections where there's tied up rope to help you hold on and keep your balance while climbing- make sure you use it! I wouldn't bring anyone not able-bodied on this trip. As intimidating as the hike sounds, the final points were absolutely breathtaking, the most spectacular beach I've ever seen. The snorkel water was calm, and you can see through it crystal clear without even needing snorkel goggles (although I would still bring some!). Take your time, be careful, go slow, and this trail will reward you. Right before the beach, it does turn into a bit of rock climbing, but nothing too challenging if take your time. You'll definitely feel the Hawaiian jungle vibes. The path can be tight, and you'll be touched with lots of leaves and vines; I would never do this hike somewhere snakes exist. It was a once in a lifetime experience! There were even a few chicken friends on our hike (like everywhere else here!) make sure you wear your reef safe sunscreen!

Did this hike today and am still feeling like i have a lingering adrenaline rush at bedtime…read more Absolutely amazing, and will be potentially the high point of my entire trip. We'll see how sore I am tomorrow, lol. The only hike I have ever done that was harder was Half Dome, from the base to the top in one day. This might actually be more technically challenging because of the slipperiness in so many places. I didn't take any bad spills but the possibility was always there. I highly recommend starting early, before it gets hot. Makes a big difference in terms of how much water you need and how much sweating you do. A couple of minor things: one review mentions filling up water bottles at the waterfall. It's probably safe but as one of those nerds who reads the informational signs posted, they don't recommend you do that as the water can apparently have leptospirosis. Also, another review mentions water above the waist. They are pretty clear that you should not be crossing if the water is that high: In fact, you are supposed to turn back if it's above knee height. Happy hiking!!

This was an absolutely beautiful and incredible hike, one of the most amazing trails! Let's be…read morehonest though, this was a hard hike. The sun will beat down on you and you're gonna climb some inclines. To get to the trail and hike you need a permit, we went through a tourist service that provided a Shuttle at Hāʻena State Park. The shuttle is frequent so you're able to plan your day and get a ride back to the lot. When they say bring 2 liters of water per person, they mean it. We also brought 2 snack bars per person too. Listen to the guides at the beginning!! This hike took us about ~6.5-7 hours with some breaks and we swam in the waterfall. I highly recommend picking up dinner and storing it in your fridge because restaurants might be closed by the time you finish the hike. Ke'e beach is right on the trailhead, this is a safe beach to enjoy! The beach at 4 miles (halfway towards the waterfall) is not safe and it is mentioned over and over- the rip tides will sweep you away. On the trail, there were lots of guava which smelled amazing! You cross the flowing stream from the waterfall multiple times. The trail can get muddy too. It rained briefly on the way back and it was really nice break from the sun. The falls were worth the hike for sure. So beautiful and cool to swim. I would hike this again, so incredible! I will say, I was extremely exhausted and sore after, but loved the experience!

Secluded beach you turn off the road to find, it has a small parking area, you can't park along the…read moremain road. Locals posted signs saying locals only. They don't want tourists. Definitely unfriendly vibes. No facilities and no lifeguards. The river flowing into the ocean is colder compared to the ocean water. The river is nice and calm. The ocean is not, waves are large and strong. Do not turn your back to the ocean ever, especially here. Only okay for expert swimmers.

We always come to this beach and eat our lunch and relax among the shade of the trees.read more

A great little beach within walking distance of Princeville. The path down is fairly steep, so use…read morecaution, and it may be challenging for young children or elderly visitors. The beach has a nice sandbar but be careful in the water as there are no swimming signs and no lifeguard on duty. From here you can easily walk to Anini Beach as well.

Best way to walk to this beach is from the public parking lot at the Westin. Otherwise drive as far…read moreas you can along Annini Beach road. Long sandy shoreline, you'll miss most of the current and waves at Annini (another of our favorites). Snorkeling has been reported as good although we didn't go out far enough to see much.

Probably my favorite place on planet earth. Big flat beach with fine grain golden sand. Gentle…read morewaves. Warm water for swimming. Never crowded. Close to Hanalei town to grab a meal and do the tourist tour looking in all the shops. Bambie and me visit at least once a year, sometimes twice. We stay for two weeks. Every day we just pitch our big sun shade, plop down in our chairs and stay for 10 hours. Peaceful. After I die let's spread my cremated ashes here.

This beach is huge. It's part of Hanalei Bay which is a huge bay on the north side of the island…read more You drive through some neighborhoods to get here and then park on the street in the neighborhood. We were going to spend some time here on our last day, but we changed our mind once we got here. It was incredibly windy and cold. There was also a lot of debris on the beach. I'm sure on a nicer day we might have enjoyed this beach, so definitely check the weather before coming here.