Beach · West Maui Scenic Drive
A compact surf-side stop for turtles, sunsets, and picnics.
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
Pōhaku Park: A Short Surf Break“Pōhaku Park is ahead, also known as S-Turns, with a small beach and a shaded lawn beside the surf. I’d give it fifteen minutes to watch the surfers, or bring a picnic and stay longer.”
Plays as you drive up to Pōhaku Park (S-Turns) 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
Pōhaku Park (S-Turns) is a one-acre county beach park in Honokōwai on Lower Honoapiʻilani Road, with a small shoreline, lawn and shade trees. It works best as a short pause to watch the surf, sit by the water or picnic; the beach is narrow, so it is a harder fit for a large group setting up for the day.
Surfers use the break, but swimming is more of a maybe: water can be calm on some days, while conditions vary and swimming can be marginal. No lifeguard is listed, so treat this first as a surf-watching stop and decide at the shore whether to enter.
There is a 20-space parking area, three picnic tables and a grill, plus two portable toilets and an outdoor shower. The small lot can feel tight. Bring food and drinking water; food service and potable water are not listed at the park.
Green sea turtles (honu) are a recurring sighting in the water or along shore, though there is no guarantee. In winter, the oceanfront is also a whale-watching spot. For a photo, include beach or dark shoreline rock in the foreground with the Pacific and neighboring islands beyond; sunsets are another strong draw.
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 · 2.3 mi awayAn easy coastal walk links two public parks by Black Rock.
ModerateKapalua Coastal Trail3.5 mi · 2 hr · 2.3 mi awayA paved bay walk that turns rugged at Hāwea Point.
ModerateKapalua Village Cardio Loop1.3 mi · 54 min · 2.8 mi awayA hilly circuit through forest reclaimed from the old golf course.
EasyDragon’s Teeth Trail0.7 mi · 30 min · 3 mi awayA short coastal walk to jagged lava fins at Makaluapuna Point.
ModerateMahana Ridge Trail4 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.2 mi awayA reservoir turnaround makes this rough ridge climb manageable.
ModeratePine Loop6.3 mi · 4 hr · 3.2 mi awayA short Cook pine circuit is a long climb up Mahana Ridge.
ModeratePineapple Loop0.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 3.4 mi awayA short pineapple side loop with a long uphill approach.
EasyʻĀkia Loop0.6 mi · 30 min · 3.5 mi awayA short loop on the Mahana Ridge trail
Beach · 1 mi awayHonokōwai Beach ParkA shaded family stop with a reef-sheltered swimming pocket.
Beach · 1.1 mi awayKaʻopala BeachA tiny pocket beach with little sand left at high tide.
Beach · 1.3 mi awayKeonenui BeachA small cove with a long fishing and gathering history.
Beach · 1.8 mi awayHonokeana BayA rocky cove for turtle watching, with a tricky water entry.
Beach · 2.1 mi awayNāpili Bay BeachA sandy crescent for reef swims and west-facing sunsets.
Restaurant · 2.3 mi awayMerriman’s KapaluaPlan dinner around the open-air lanai and long ocean view.
Beach · 2.3 mi awayKahekili Beach ParkReef snorkeling starts close in, with a grassy picnic lawn behind.
Beach · 2.4 mi awayKapalua Bay BeachA crescent cove where coral reefs put snorkeling front and center.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.
