Mokulēʻia Bay (Slaughterhouse Beach)

Mokulēʻia Bay is a small sandy beach below northwest Maui’s coastal cliffs, locally called Slaughterhouse Beach. Its appeal is the cliff-framed cove and coral around both points. Snorkeling can be rewarding when the water is calm, but winter high surf often makes this a shore stop instead. Fish and turtles are part of what snorkelers hope to see, though neither calm water nor wildlife is guaranteed.

The beach is reached from Honoapiʻilani Highway (HI-30), where parking is alongside the road, followed by a stairway down the cliff. Expect limited roadside space and no step-free route. There are no beach facilities, so plan for restrooms and showers elsewhere and bring drinking water.

Mokulēʻia and neighboring Honolua waters form the 45-acre Honolua–Mokulēʻia Marine Life Conservation District, established in 1978. Coral grows around both points; the sandy bottom also has submerged boulders at one end and lava fingers at the other. Fishing for or taking marine life, and removing sand, coral or rock, are prohibited.

Mokulēʻia Bay sits just southwest of the separate Honolua Bay. The name Slaughterhouse comes from the Honolua Ranch slaughterhouse that once stood on the cliffs above the beach; local accounts say the buildings were removed in the 1960s. The nickname points to the ridge’s ranching history, not a different beach.

The green headlands make the beach’s shape easy to read from shore. Include the curve of sand and one of the cliffs in a photo; the cliff-framed view is what sets this cove apart from a generic stretch of coastline.