This review is for day use in rec area and not camping. Stopped here on our day trip around the…read moreisland. This seems like a great place to be outside and enjoy a beach. It was a Thursday afternoon and it was not busy! Beautiful sandy beach and tons of shade and places to lay out or sit. The bathroom facilities was good. Honestly I can't stand the crowds so if I ever stay on Oahu over the other islands I'd probably pick this area to stay away from crowds of Honolulu and north shore area.

Beautiful large area for camping, swimming and outdoor activities. Lots of families come here to…read morehang out and party. Pack a lunch and have some great breezes and beautiful view of the bay. Super relaxing.

Very nice beach super private. We parked in the neighborhood and walked down. If you're visiting…read moreHawaii get away from the crowds in Waikiki and try a different beach. I did get stung by a Portuguese man o war here but that's not the beaches fault lol

A cute little beach not crowded seems more for the residences but it's sad to see that people do…read moreleave there trash behind there is joined to clean up so clean up after yourself and if possible pick a little extra up as well..

This is my new favorite beach!…read more Mostly locals, super calm water and an easy way to just chill!! Looking around this beach screams island life!! The waters are calm and my daughter was pretty far out and the water really shallow. Perfectly place to bring a cooler some snacks, a good book and enjoy a beautiful Hawaii day. That's what we did today. I wish we had brought a small grill, maybe next time. So many cool things to see! Of course it's February and the water was perfect! You can see straight to bottom! I will be back to This beach plenty more!!!

Celebration of Life at the beach on the Windward side of O'ahu, Hawai'i…read more.. My high school classmate's Memorial Service was posted on Facebook. I had been working with her son, so I wanted to see him in person and drop off a sympathy card. I asked a bunch of classmates to join me, but Kahana Bay is about a 45-minute drive from Honolulu without traffic. Most people had to work or had other plans. Two gals were able to attend! Towards the end of the journey to Kahana Bay Beach, the road narrows down to one lane. Along the way, the scenery is breathtaking because some of the road is right next to the ocean. Using GPS, I entered the first parking lot, but I didn't see any signs. I parked at the next parking lot - which was for Kahana Bay Camping Site - and I walked on the sand to the Beach Park. I found the large tent with many white picnic tables and benches. I signed in at the reception table and presented my envelope. My friend's son was there - so I had a chance to chat with him before the service. The parking was all free. Some parts of the lot weren't paved. The sand was white and almost powdery-fine in texture. The foliage grew wildly. The shade from the trees was much appreciated. This was a peaceful area with no cell phone service. It was a place where my friend had spent her childhood... and now she has been laid to rest here... Aloha 'oe, Lyanne... until we meet again...

One of my pledges this year is to complete reviews of more dive sites and shops. Three Tables…read moreBeach is the first beach north of Waimea Bay, and it is marked by 3 reefs that have relatively flat formations ("tables) that pop out of the water. Parking nearby is limited, so come early on a summer weekend! There isn't a comfort station, nearest one is about 50 yards north facing the Firehouse area. No shower either, we've taken solar shower bags or portable shower pumps to clean off. It's got one of the biggest beach areas around Pupukea with very soft sand that your feet will sink into around the tidal area. Once in the water, there is a relatively steep drop and you will quickly get into water up to your shoulders. The diving is superb! Lots of topography, with all sorts of interesting rock & reef formations that fish and other critters hang out. In the past we've had all sorts of rays (especially manta) swiftly come out and photo bomb us before leaving. This year in the aftermath of the two Kona Low storms a lot of sea life was taken out in the mud, fresh water, & general pollution run off in the water. Although the water has mostly cleaned itself out, the sea life hasn't returned in the numbers that you would expect in the summer North Shore diving season. It is still very tranquil and theraputic to dive, even we don't see our favorite critters! Our favorite route is to surface swim due west, dive and follow the topography as it bares toward Waimea Bay, until you hit the sea wall and go north back to the beach. There's a number of caverns and other underwater structures leading back to Three Tables Beach up to about 5-7 feet from shore. We've found some cool nudibranches such as Spanish Dancers in the caverns- it was a great end to the dive! Will repeat and highly recommend, let's go diving!

Reading random reviews of this North Shore spot, I added this as a stop on our final full day on…read morethe island. Due to our schedule, we didn't get here until a little after 1 pm on a Thursday. The parking lot was full but we were fortunate that a car was pulling out as we searched for a space. It was a convenient stop as my friend and I felt nature's calling so the public restroom here came in handy. As the winds kicked up and the skies darkened, I looked in both directions in looking for the calmer beach area which turned out to be to the right, eastward. I could see a cove area with a number of people wading in the shallows. Other posted photos show a variety of marine life easily seen there. On our next visit, we'll need to decide whether to come in the morning before hitting those eating spots. With the lines at that popular east side beach, this may be the best alternative if you're like me and not fond of crowds.

Beachcombing on the North Shore Oahu…read more Ke Iki Beach and Oahu's North Shore is less than an hour from famous Waikiki. The beach is located in a north shore residential neighborhood off of Kamehameha Hwy. It is long, wide and not crowded... and we came on a Saturday afternoon! I love the laid-back vibe here! We originally wanted to go to Pūpūkea Beach but that hidden gem is not so hidden anymore and we couldn't find parking because of the crowd. Not really a beach for a refreshing dip as powerful shore breaks pounded in the sand. Not sure if the island was feeling a weakening Hurricane Darby that moved south from the Bis Island. We spent about an hour here before heading to the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie. During winter time north shore swells can reach up to 30 feet making it popular with surfers. Holoholo before returning to another stressful workweek back in the mainland. Review #2645

Came here with my sons to do some shell hunting ... we all loved it. It's not crowded, and if you…read morecome at the right time, a small pool forms where kids can safely swim or wade in the water, away from the shore break. The only downside is that there are no showers or bathrooms here, but I guess that's what keeps this beach off the beaten path.

Beautiful beach and amazing golden sand. Had a beach picnic here and it was amazing. Quite and…read morequick walk from the road.

Such a beautiful beach!! We recently came to Kawela Bay for…read morea photoshoot. We loved it so much that we came back a few days later to swim. The only downfall is you have to leave your car on the main road and walk in.

We weren't even looking for Sunset Beach…read more We were doing our North Shore food pilgrimage: garlic shrimp shave ice meandering with no particular plan, when this absolutely gorgeous stretch of beach caught our eye. So of course we stopped. And WOW. Wide golden sand, ridiculously blue water, and that very Hawaii moment where you wonder how something this beautiful was just sitting there on the side of your drive. Then I learned this is Sunset Beach, one of the legendary North Shore surf spots and part of one of the longest stretches of rideable surf in the world. In winter the waves here can get up to around 30 feet and the serious surfers take over. We were here in the calmer season, and looking at that peaceful water, it was almost impossible to imagine. We didn't plan it, didn't research it, didn't even come for the sunset. We just saw a beautiful beach and stopped. Sometimes those are the best travel moments

North Shore. Not crowded. Clear skies. Away from the tourism and hustle and bustle just relax on a…read morelong sandy beach and the sun facing the sunset. It's beautiful.

My friends and I were planning a Moms Only Beach morning while our kids were at school and were…read moretrying to figure out which beach to go to. Our conversation went something like this: Military friend: how about Pua'ena Point? Me: Oh you mean Ka'ena Point? Military friend: no Pua'ena Point, next to Hale'iwa Beach Park Me: I just asked D (Baby Daddy who is from Waialua and grew up playing soccer at Hale'iwa Beach Park and many beach days at Ali'i Beach) and he's never heard of it --- A few days later my friend parked her Soccer Mom van in the small empty lot to the right [if you're facing the ocean] of the bathrooms. The rest of us got out of her van like Clowns do a Clown Car and followed her down the shaded path. I won't lie: we were all skeptical because the walk wasn't pretty. A few homeless camps a couple hundred feet from the path, shaded dirt path, but finally...there was an empty beach complete with clear blue waters, clean squishy sand, and a gorgeous view of The Waianae Mountain Range. It was like our own private beach! A few hours later several surf schools came with their tourist wanna be surfers but compared to most other beaches, it was pretty quiet. I've since brought my friend and our 3 year olds and experienced the same serene experience: secluded beach, clean warm waters, and only a few homeless far from the main path and beach.

Is there such a thing as a hidden gem in Hawaii?…read more This place comes very close to it. While Wifey and I were exploring North Shore after having crossed off Giovanni's Shrimp Truck and Matsumoto's Shave Ice from our bucket list, we needed a place to wind down and relax. We drove along Kamehameha Highway and pulled into Kahalewai Place and found a parking spot along the side road. One thing we noticed right away that it seems to a a local spot and there weren't too many tourists around, even though we were up in North Shore. We walked towards the beach and followed some people with surfboards in tow. I could see a bunch of locals out by the beach on their paddle boards and surfboards, and most of them were kids and young adults. It seems to be the local surf spot for beginners as the waves were pretty tame, but it was consistent with the North Shore winds behind them. It also seems to a be a good fishing spot for locals as there was a Filipino family enjoying themselves having a picnic. I got into a conversation with one of the local fisherman (P. Sherman), who told me what types of fish he was catching and how to cook 'em. He showed me his bucket of his catches of the day, and they were enough to feed his family. He didn't have to, but he was nice enough to let me take photos of him as he was more than accommodating. I thanked him for his time and appreciated his hospitality with my intrusion on his daily life. We explored the area some more as there were trails to follow, but there were also "Private Property" signs posted everywhere. I was beginning to wonder if Mark Zuckerberg bought half of this place with all those signs around. But we skirted around it as we went around the beach and enjoyed the relaxed vibe and energy of the beach. We also liked that it wasn't very crowded compared to the hustle and bustle on the main strip of Haleiwa as it felt like a cocoon shielded us from that source. We could have spent more time on this beach, but we wanted to see and experience as much as possible on the North Shore of Hawaii. Definitely a place you could spend a day at if you were a local.