12 Best Sights in Kauai, Hawaii

This drive-up beach park favored by campers year-round has a wide bay named Makua bordered by two large reef systems, creating favorable waves for skilled surfers during peak winter conditions. Entering the water can be dangerous in winter when the big swells roll in. In July and August, waters at this same beach are usually as calm as a lake, and throughout summer this is a premier snorkeling site. It's not unusual to find a food vendor parked here, selling sandwiches and drinks out of a converted bread van. Adjacent to this beach is Tunnels Beach.

Parking is extremely limited (the lot typically fills up by 8:30 am), and all vehicles illegally parked outside of designated parking zones are subject to fees and towing. You can also park your car in the shuttle parking lot in Waipa, west of Hanalei Town, and board the North Shore Shuttle for a ride to the beach park ($35 round-trip with seven stops); see  gohaena.com for details and reservations. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: snorkeling; surfing; walking.

This 2-mile crescent beach cradles a wide bay in a setting that is quintessential Hawaii: the sea is on one side, and behind you are the mountains, often ribboned with waterfalls and changing color in the shifting light. In winter, Hanalei Bay boasts some of the biggest onshore surf breaks in the state, attracting world-class surfers, and the beach is plenty wide enough for sunbathing and strolling. In summer, the bay is transformed—calm waters lap the beach, sailboats moor in the bay, and outrigger-canoe paddlers ply the sea. Pack the cooler, haul out the beach umbrellas, and don't forget the beach toys because Hanalei Bay is worth scheduling for an entire day, maybe two. Several county beach parks, some with pavilions, can be found along the bay: Waioli, Black Pot, and Hanalei Pavilion (with ample facilities). Amenities: lifeguards; parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: sunset; surfing; swimming; walking.

A great family park, Anini features one of the longest and widest fringing reefs in all Hawaii, creating a shallow lagoon that is good for snorkeling and kids splashing about, even though there are no lifeguards. It is safe except when surf is raging outside the reef and strong currents are created. A rip current exists between the two reefs where the boats enter and exit the beach ramp, so avoid swimming there. The entire reef follows the shoreline for some 2 miles and extends 1,600 feet offshore at its widest point. There's a narrow ribbon of sandy beach, with lots of grass and shade, as well as a county campground at the western end and a small boat ramp. Amenities: parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; swimming; walking.

Built in 1892, the historic Hanalei Pier can be seen from miles across the bay and is a great spot for photos or taking a leisurely stroll; it attracts a gathering every sunset. The pier came to fame when it was featured in the award-winning 1957 movie South Pacific. Fishers fish here, and picnickers picnic. The pier was refurbished after flooding in 2018.

You wouldn't know it today, but this beach on Kilauea Bay was once an interisland steamer landing and a rock quarry. Today, it's a fairly quiet beach, although when the surf closes out many other North Shore surf spots, the break directly offshore from Kilauea Stream near the abandoned quarry is still rideable. For the regular ocean goer, summer's the best bet, although the quickly sloping ocean bottom makes for generally treacherous swimming. The stream estuary is quite beautiful, and the ironwood trees and false kamani growing in the generous sand dunes at the rear of the beach provide protection from the sun. It's a wonderful place to observe seabirds. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; surfing; walking.

A winding road leads down a cliff face to picture-perfect Kalihiwai Beach, which fronts a bay of the same name. It's another one of those drive-up beaches, so it's very accessible. Most people park under the grove of ironwood trees, near the stream, where young kids like to splash and older kids like to bodyboard.  The stream carries leptospirosis, a potentially lethal bacteria that can enter through open cuts. In winter months, beware of a treacherous shore break. Summer is the only truly safe time to swim. The local-favorite winter surf spot off the eastern edge of the beach is for advanced surfers only. Toilets here are the portable kind, and there are no showers. Amenities: parking (free); toilets. Best for: solitude; surfing; swimming; walking.

This beach was relatively unknown—except by local fishers, of course—for a long time, hence the common reference to it as "Secret Beach." You'll understand why once you stand on the coarse white sands of Kauapea and see the solid wall of rock that runs the length of the beach, making it fairly inaccessible. For the hardy, there is a steep hike down the western end. From there, you can walk for a long way in either direction in summer. During winter, big swells cut off access to sections of the beach. You may witness dolphins just offshore, and it's a great place to see seabirds, as Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge and its historic lighthouse lie at the eastern end. Nudity is not uncommon, though it is illegal in Hawaii. A consistent onshore break makes swimming here typically very dangerous. On big-surf days, don't go near the shoreline. Amenities: parking (free). Best for: solitude; sunrise; walking.

The long, wide fringing reef here is this beach's trademark. The waters near shore are generally too shallow for swimming; if you go in, wear a rash guard to protect against prickly sea urchins and sharp coral on the bottom. This area is known for its tricky currents, especially during periods of high surf, and has been the site of numerous drownings. It can be dangerous to snorkel here. There's some nudity at the western end. Accessing this long strand of coarse, white sand requires hiking down a steep, rocky trail that is slippery when wet. Amenities: parking (free). Best for: solitude; sunrise; walking.

Famous as the beach where Nurse Nellie washed that man right out of her hair in South Pacific, Lumahai is picturesque, with a river and ironwood grove on the western end and stands of hala (pandanus) trees and black lava rock on the eastern side. In between is a long stretch of olivine-flecked sand that can be wide or narrow, depending on the surf. The beach can be accessed in two places from the highway; one involves a steep hike from the road. Avoid swimming and water activities here—the ocean can be dangerous, with a snapping shore break year-round and monster swells in the winter; in addition, the current can be strong near the river. Parking is very limited, along the road or in a rough dirt lot near the river. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; sunset; walking.

Across the highway from Haena Beach Park is Maniniholo Dry Cave, a place steeped in legends. You can walk for a few minutes through a 30-yard-long cave, which darkens and becomes more claustrophobic as you glide across its sandy floor, hearing the drips down the walls and wondering at its past. Legend has it that Maniniholo was the head fisherman of the Menehune—Kauai's quasi-mythical first inhabitants. After gathering too much food to carry, Maniniholo's men stored the excess under a cliff overnight. When he returned in the morning, the food had vanished, and he blamed the imps living in the cliff's cracks. He and his men dug into the cliff to find and destroy the imps, leaving behind the dry cave.

This is actually two very small pocket beaches separated by a slender, rocky point, and the narrow beach area can all but disappear in wintertime. However, in summer, the steep, rocky trail (don't trust the rusty handrails and rotting ropes) that provides access reduces the number of beachgoers, at times creating a deserted beach feel. Winter's high surf creates dangerous conditions. The parking lot is small. Don't attempt the trail after a heavy rain—it turns into a mudslide.Amenities: parking (free). Best for: sunset; surfing.

The coastline along the community of Princeville is primarily made up of sea cliffs with a couple of pocket beaches. The sea cliffs end with a long, narrow stretch of beach just east of the Hanalei River. Public access is via 100-plus steps around the back of 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay (scheduled to open in late 2022); hotel guests can take the elevator to sea level. The beach itself is subject to the hazards of winter's surf, narrowing and widening with the surf height. On calm days, snorkeling is good thanks to a shallow reef system pocked with sand. Sometimes a shallow sandbar extends across the river to Black Pot Beach Park, part of the Hanalei Beach system, making it easy to cross the river. On high-surf days, the outer edge of the reef near the river draws internationally ranked surfers. The 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay pool is off-limits to nonguests, but the hotel's restaurants and bars are not. Note that parking is limited. Amenities: food and drink; parking (free). Best for: snorkeling; sunset; surfing.