Beach · West Maui Scenic Drive
A tiny pocket beach with little sand left at high tide.
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 area
The Fish That Locks Itself In“A reef triggerfish can lock itself into a crack in the reef. It raises a sturdy spine on top of its head, then a smaller spine behind it holds that first one upright.”
Plays on the road 0.1 mi from Kaʻopala Beach 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
Kaʻopala Beach is a tiny pocket beach on West Maui, with a narrow mix of sand and dark rock rather than a broad stretch of shore. It makes a modest pause for the ocean, and visitors often describe it as quiet. Around high tide, the usable sand can shrink sharply, so treat it as a short stop rather than a place to count on hours of beach space.
The approach is from Lower Honoapiʻilani Road near mile marker 29. Visitors describe a steep, uneven stair descent and rocks at the water’s edge, so this is a poor fit if you need a smooth, step-free route. Public parking is uncertain, and no on-site facilities are confirmed; bring what you need and don’t assume there is a dedicated lot.
Go nearer low tide if you want more room on the sand, and keep bags well above the waterline. For a photo, include the dark foreground rocks to show the cove’s small scale; on a clear day, Molokaʻi is visible across the channel.
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
ModerateKapalua Coastal Trail3.5 mi · 2 hr · 1.2 mi awayA paved bay walk that turns rugged at Hāwea Point.
ModerateKapalua Village Cardio Loop1.3 mi · 54 min · 1.8 mi awayA hilly circuit through forest reclaimed from the old golf course.
EasyDragon’s Teeth Trail0.7 mi · 30 min · 1.9 mi awayA short coastal walk to jagged lava fins at Makaluapuna Point.
ModerateMahana Ridge Trail4 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayA reservoir turnaround makes this rough ridge climb manageable.
ModeratePine Loop6.3 mi · 4 hr · 2.2 mi awayA short Cook pine circuit is a long climb up Mahana Ridge.
ModeratePineapple Loop0.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.8 mi awayA short pineapple side loop with a long uphill approach.
EasyʻĀkia Loop0.6 mi · 30 min · 3 mi awayA short loop on the Mahana Ridge trail
EasyUluhe Loop0.3 mi · 20 min · 3.2 mi awayA short arboretum loop on the long, strenuous Mahana Ridge route.
Beach · 0.2 mi awayKeonenui BeachA small cove with a long fishing and gathering history.
Beach · 0.7 mi awayHonokeana BayA rocky cove for turtle watching, with a tricky water entry.
Beach · 1 mi awayNāpili Bay BeachA sandy crescent for reef swims and west-facing sunsets.
Beach · 1.1 mi awayPōhaku Park (S-Turns)A compact surf-side stop for turtles, sunsets, and picnics.
Restaurant · 1.2 mi awayMerriman’s KapaluaPlan dinner around the open-air lanai and long ocean view.
Beach · 1.3 mi awayKapalua Bay BeachA crescent cove where coral reefs put snorkeling front and center.
Beach · 1.8 mi awayOneloa BeachA quiet quarter-mile beach on the Kapalua Coastal Trail.
Beach · 2.1 mi awayHonokōwai Beach ParkA shaded family stop with a reef-sheltered swimming pocket.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.
