Time of year

When I went in February, the days were consistently sunny and 80°.

However, a typical Hawaiian winter day can be sunny and 78° or it can be rainy and 75°.

There’s a lot of different factors that go into determining the weather on Maui — winter storms, Kona and Tradewinds, and microclimates, to name a few.

Moral of the story: always check the weather before you go because it can vary region by region.

Location and proximity to accommodations

On the Hawaiian islands, there is a windward side and a leeward side.

Windward: north east-ish side of the island (the side the wind blows on)
On Maui, Hāna, Pā’ia, Kahului, Makawao, Wailuku, and Napili are on the windward side.

In the winter, the water on the windward side tends to be rough. This the is the time of the year that Hawaii’s north shores get the big waves they’re known for. 

Translation: great for surfing, not so great for swimming and snorkeling. 

Leeward: south west-ish side of the island (the side shielded from the wind)
On Maui, Wailea, Makena, Kihei, Maalaea, Olowalu, Lahaina, Kāʻanapali, and Kapalua are on the leeward side.

These “summer beaches” tend to be calm and flat during the winter months.

Key word being tend. Again, always check the conditions before you go.

Topography

Beaches in Maui range from those classic white sand (or black sand, and even the one of a kind red sand) beaches to rock-strewn bays.

It’d really be a bummer if you’re looking to lay out on the sand only to arrive to find a field of rocks you have to climb over to get to the water.

All things to consider when choosing your top beaches to visit.

Accessibility

Some beaches are right off the resorts with wheel-chair friendly boardwalks. Others require a little more grit and clambering to get to.

Easily Accessible Maui Beaches

1. Black Rock Beach (boardwalk)
2. Makena Landing Park (paved parking, gentle sandy slope to beach)
3. Papalaua Wayside Beach + Ukumehame Beach Park (drive up access, no hardscaping)
4. Waiʻānapanapa State Park Black Sand beach (stairs required to access beach, but all paved walkways on cliffs above)

Least Easily Accessible Maui Beaches

1. Po’olenalena Beach
2. Olowalu Beach (hard to navigate sand parking lot)

Parking

Most of the beaches I went to had a small, but dedicated (free) lot.

As a general rule: the earlier you arrive, the better chance you have finding a parking spot.

That being said, parking did not seem to be too big of an issue for us. At least not enough for it to really have any sort of impact on our vacation. But I also skew towards the more bold and adventurous when it comes to my driving and travels (I may or may not be prone to squeezing into tight spaces or creating my own parking space when its called for) so take that for what you may.

Amenities + Facilities

Do you need access restrooms and showers?

Having a cookout and need picnic tables and grills?

Not so confident with your swimming skills and would feel more comfortable with a lifeguard on duty?

Something I also like to consider, especially for a longer day at the beach, is access to shade.

Activities

Are you going for a chill and relaxing day on the beach? Or do you want to put those flips on and get in the water?

What’s your vibe?

• Beachin
• Swimming
• Snorkeling
• Scuba diving
• Surfing
• Bodyboarding
• Windsurfing
• Paddle-boarding + kayaking

Or maybe you’re looking for something more picturesque for a wedding or proposal?

Do you have kids in tow and need calmer waters?

Best Overall Pick

Leave no trace

Don’t forget to pack it out when you leave.

Better yet, make like a Boy (or Girl) Scout and leave it better than you found it. Pick up any litter and pack it out with you.

Wild Card Pick

Safety first!

Always, always remember: better safe than sorry. When in doubt, don’t go out. 

As beautiful as she is, the ocean is a tempestuous force. Whenever I’m in the water, I am very aware that she is very big, and I am very, very small and very, very powerless against her. She will always win. Never forget this. 

Give her the fear and awe-induced respect she deserves. 

My attitude towards the ocean comes down to one word: respect.

Even when you’re prepared, she can still catch you unawares. Like that time I was snorkeling at Black Rock beach and didn’t think I was going to make it out alive. 

A note about riptides

Rip currents pull you out, not under.

The most important thing to do is stay calm. The danger comes when you panic and exhaust yourself trying to fight it. You will not win, so don’t even try. Swim parallel to shore until you no longer feel the rip current. 

When you’re in the water, rip currents will sometimes appear cloudier or hazier than the water around it. 

1. Black Rock Beach

3445 Kaanapali Parkway, Lahaina

Please note: it’s illegal to drink alcohol on most Maui beaches

Best for: beach day, swimming, snorkeling, resort hopping 

Parking: very limited free beach access parking, paid parking in the Sheraton parking garage, or at Whalers Village Shopping Center (if you spend $20 at any of the stores, they will validate your parking)

Facilities: resort beach showers and public-access bathrooms

Lifeguard on duty: no

Topography: commercial resort haven, concrete boardwalk with lots of shops and restaurants, but the beach itself is beautiful—with a wide, sandy beach and crystal clear waters. Black Rock (a large rocky outcrop great for jumping off and snorkeling around) landmarks the north end

This was our favorite beach on the island!

It’s the perfect spot to plant some beach chairs in the sand with a cooler full of ice-cold Maui Brewing Co’s POG seltzers and unwind after a few days of exploring the more rugged parts of the island.

We spent hours floating in the warm, crystal clear water. Ease of accessibility here can’t be beat (once you figure out the parking).

Some interesting backstory: Kāʻanapali used to be a sugar plantation. But in the 1950’s, the board got together and decided to put the land to better use as the first Hawaiian master planned resort destination development.

Before that, the ancient Hawaiians called this place Pu’u Keka’a, which means “the rolling hill”. Pu’u Keka’a is a revered point known as ka leina a ka ‘uhane – a sacred place where the ‘uhane, the soul, leaps from this life into the next. But beware, if there were no ‘aumakua, ancesteral family spirits, to welcome the souls into the afterlife, the souls would be left to wander aimlessly, attaching to rocks and getting up to no good. So best not to take any objects, rocks or otherwise, from Kāʻanapali, lest you take a restless soul back home with you.

Black Rock is also a well-known snorkeling spot (evidenced by all the tell-tale yellow breathing tubes sticking out of the water along the cliffs). It’s so easy to grab your gear, get in the water, and get moving.

I took a leisurely ten minute swim parallel to the shore towards Black Rock from where we’d set up on the beach. Near the coastline, I swam amongst schools of silver needlefish skittering along the surface and spotted some yellow tang, black triggerfish, and striped, black face moorish idol (kihi kihi).

Snorkeling safety at Black Rock

Due to strong currents, Kāʻanapali beach is one of the most dangerous places to snorkel on the island (though you wouldn’t know it by its serene surface and distinct lack of signage).

It’s the sight of the most (snorkel-related) drownings in Hawaii, so beware.

Do not snorkel all the way around Black Rock. Stay on the southern side.
(I did and I almost didn’t make it out alive.)

3. Keawakapu Beach

South Kihei Road & Kilohana Dr, Kihei

What Maui Revealed calls “one of the most criminally underrated beaches in South Maui.”

And we couldn’t agree more! (Though, they’re the experts so we defer to them.) Keawakapu Beach is a long sandy beach with nary a beach rock to stub your toe on in the water. My friend and I spent hourssss just floating away the day in here. Let’s just say, our friends and significant other weren’t exactly thrilled with us (in our defense, they had a cooler full of drinks and all that Maui sunshine, just saying), but we came out pruny and happy as could be.

6. Papalaua Wayside Park + Ukumehame Beach Park

22 Honoapiilani Highway, Wailuku + 615 Honoapiilani Highway, Lahaina

(paw – paw – law – ah) + (Oo – koo – meh – hah – meh)

Best for: feeling like a local, beachin, swimming, snorkeling, camping

Parking: free, small lot on the east end of Ukumehame Beach Park and pull-in accessible spots

Facilities: none

Lifeguard on duty: not a chance

Topography: idyllic, thin strip of sandy, tree-lined beach with underwater reefs

It’s hard to miss this long stretch of beach as you pass by on the scenic Honoapiilani Highway. I knew it was a spot I had to check out because of the ability to pull right up to the beach and have access to shade underneath the trees.

Beware of pokey’s

The shade comes from Kiawe (kee – ah – vay) trees, which drop good-sized thorns on the ground and they do not feel good when stepped or sat on.

After making a slow pass-by to get a lay of the land, I pulled over to my spot, did a quick three-point turn and backed the Jeep up in between the trees. And there I was—with my own little slice of beach paradise all to myself. Just me, the sun, the sea, the sand, and the sand crabs.

I actually had a lot of fun setting up the GoPro and trying to capture these little guys (also called ghost crabs) coming and going out of their sand dens. They’re quite shy, so I had to sit as still as possible before they’d venture out (and sadly now cannot find any of the footage from).

Look at this cute lil guy
Photo: Pixabay

Most aren’t very big (they range about two to three inches in size), but I definitely saw one or two that were bigger than that. As much as I’m curious about the little guys, I will admit it was a little unnerving just sitting there minding my own business and catching a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye, only to turn around (slowly, very slowly—no sudden movements) and see a crab shuffling a foot or two behind me.

You definitely would not catch me taking a lil tiger snooze on the sand here anytime soon.

Heads up

Because you can camp at these beaches, you will see a lot of, shall we say, permanent residents who have set up shop here under the makeshift shelter of vans, tents, canopies, and tarps. Some even had outdoor kitchen setups. Whether by choice or circumstance, homelessness is a thing, even in paradise (especially in paradise. Have you seen those rent rates?).

It’s not a tent city by any stretch, but the presence of long-term campers might not be your vibe.

All that being said, I was actually parked next to some windblown and weathered lifers and didn’t have any issues. I didn’t bother them and they didn’t bother me, nor did I feel unsafe at any time.

All in all, it’s an ideal spot to layout in the sun, swim in the clear shallow water, and put the snorkel gear on and explore the labyrinthine network between the underwater rocky reefs. Or hang up a hammock between the trees.

Wild card pick
Waiʻānapanapa State Park

Waiʻānapanapa, Hāna

(why – uh – nahp – uh – nahp – uh)

Best for: checking it off your bucket list, exploring the sea caves, camping, hiking, sightseeing, Hawaiian history

Parking: $10 parking fee, must be booked in advance (see below)

Facilities: bathrooms, showers, picnic tables

Lifeguard on duty: no

Topography: wild, volcanic coastline with a black sand beach and sea caves

The iconic black sand beach at the end of the Road to Hāna is a must see. I ventured into the sea caves straight off the beach (just on the southeastern side of the beach, can’t miss ’em). It’s mostly sand until you reach where the mouth of the cave meets the ocean. I didn’t linger long, but it was fun to explore.

The waves were rough here when we went. The slope of the shoreline is steep, so ankle-height water quickly turns to waist-high waves more than capable of knocking you on your butt and pushing you all the way in to shore. We saw more than one person get knocked off their feet.

From here you can hike the Ke Ala Loa o Maui/Piilani trail. A three mile, moderate round trip hike that takes you along the rugged coastline over lava fields with fantastic views.

Maui Revealed

This is my go-to resource for Maui and I cannot recommend this book enough!

Andrew is the real deal. He (and now his team) live and breathe Hawaii in a way that seriously makes me jealous, spending two years on the ground researching, exploring, and doing all the things before publishing their blue guidebooks.

All written with a dash of humor and a smattering of sarcasm, it’s the perfect companion for your Maui trip planning.

The Maui Collection