Beach · West Maui Scenic Drive
A shaded family stop with a reef-sheltered swimming pocket.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
West Maui Scenic Drive Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for West Maui Scenic Drive. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the West Maui Scenic Drive audio tourRecorded for this place
Honokōwai: Playgrounds and a Beach Picnic“Honokōwai Beach Park is coming up, a neighborhood beach with broad shade trees and two playgrounds.”
Plays as you drive up to Honokōwai Beach Park in the Parkwolf West Maui Scenic Drive Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Honokōwai Beach Park is a 4.6-acre neighborhood beachfront park with a grassy lawn, sandy shoreline and broad shade trees. Keep it in mind for a relaxed stop with young children: two playgrounds and a reef-sheltered shallow pool give the park more to do than a quick swim.
Rocky reef ledges shelter a shallow pool along the shore. Snorkeling is mixed: some visitors spot fish or turtles, while others find little marine life, and the entry to deeper water can be rocky. There is no lifeguard.
Eight picnic tables, three grills, two playgrounds, a comfort station and an outdoor shower make it practical to stay awhile. The one-way parking area has 27 spaces. Water taps are at the comfort station, though whether that water is potable is not specified. ADA parking and paths reach the restroom and playground; an accessible route to the beach itself is not confirmed.
Winter is the season to watch offshore for whales. For a photo, include the broad shade tree at the beach edge with the reef and water beyond it; its canopy gives the shoreline a foreground instead of a flat strip of blue.
Wildlife
152 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
71 sightingsHawaiian Monk SealMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
23 sightingsSpinner DolphinMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
401 sightingsGreen Sea TurtleMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
14 sightingsHawksbill Sea TurtleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
92 sightingsWedge-tailed ShearwaterMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across West Maui Scenic Drive. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyKāʻanapali Beach Walk5.3 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayAn easy coastal walk links two public parks by Black Rock.
ModerateKapalua Coastal Trail3.5 mi · 2 hr · 3.3 mi awayA paved bay walk that turns rugged at Hāwea Point.
ModerateKapalua Village Cardio Loop1.3 mi · 54 min · 3.8 mi awayA hilly circuit through forest reclaimed from the old golf course.
EasyDragon’s Teeth Trail0.7 mi · 30 min · 3.9 mi awayA short coastal walk to jagged lava fins at Makaluapuna Point.
ModeratePineapple Loop0.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 4.1 mi awayA short pineapple side loop with a long uphill approach.
EasyUluhe Loop0.3 mi · 20 min · 4.1 mi awayA short arboretum loop on the long, strenuous Mahana Ridge route.
ModerateMahana Ridge Trail4 mi · 2.5 hr · 4.1 mi awayA reservoir turnaround makes this rough ridge climb manageable.
EasyʻĀkia Loop0.6 mi · 30 min · 4.2 mi awayA short loop on the Mahana Ridge trail
Beach · 1 mi awayPōhaku Park (S-Turns)A compact surf-side stop for turtles, sunsets, and picnics.
Beach · 1.4 mi awayKahekili Beach ParkReef snorkeling starts close in, with a grassy picnic lawn behind.
Sight · 2 mi awayBlack Rock (Puʻu Kekaʻa)A black lava headland with shoreline snorkeling and a story.
Beach · 2.1 mi awayKaʻopala BeachA tiny pocket beach with little sand left at high tide.
Beach · 2.3 mi awayKeonenui BeachA small cove with a long fishing and gathering history.
Store · 2.4 mi awayWhalers VillageShops, dinner, and a walk to the beach in one easy stop.
Beach · 2.5 mi awayKāʻanapali BeachThree miles of sand, a beachwalk, and sunset over the Pacific.
Beach · 2.8 mi awayHonokeana BayA rocky cove for turtle watching, with a tricky water entry.Parkwolf’s West Maui Scenic Drive ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
