This beach connects tunnels/ Hā'ena beach park and makua altogether…read more Use Makua Beach /hAena state beach park to park is the access you can use to get to tunnels beach! Tunnels is great for snorkeling Once you get there it's super gorgeous! Definitely worth the 1 hour drive from lihue for a sunrise/sunset in Kauai!

Secluded, uncrowded, and beautiful, Makua is a peaceful spot to park yourself, picnic, and splash…read morein the water. Because there is no shade, I highly recommend a chair and umbrella. For snorkeling, today was a bust due to the rough water which includes poor visibility and rocks that you cannot see. Ironically, all the beaches leading to Makua have a restroom, but not this one which is why I docked a star.

A Hawai'i beach.. it's great! ;)…read more Exploring the west side of the Island, I pulled off the side of the road to this beach. Plenty of beach with views. Some tree shaded parking, to boot. And about 30-40 off the road parking spots. This spot is seemingly popular with tourists and locals alike. Not crowded, but I did visit on a windy Sunday in November. One note: it was windy and I had to leave after an hour or so because the sand was whipping around and made it sadly not the best experience. Overall, a beach well worth the visit on the West side if you're looking for an approachable, easy beach.

I love that this beach is accessible right as you're driving through the highway! How beautiful! My…read morefriends and I took a scenic drive to see the sunset and we ended pit stop here. We drove all the way from Wahiawa all the way to Makaha. It was about a 1 hour and 30 minute sunset drive to see all the beaches. I enjoyed every minute!

Great place - best in weekdays to be honest. There are some hidden gems inside the park area.read more

If you take a drive to the west side all the way at the end of road you'll find Yokohama bay. Gates…read moreopen at 6am. A lot of people hike, some fish and most just enjoy the sun sand and beautiful view. Sometimes you'll catch monk seals on the sand - please stay 50 feet away! And sometimes you'll see a pod of dolphins, some doing flips too.

Pokai Bay Beach Park is a nice little local park without a lot of tourists and a perfect place to…read morehobnob with locals. The beach is protected by a sea walk, so the water is a bit calmer than other beaches making it perfect for small children. The park has restrooms (although, they need some attention) and a small playground. My granddaughter spent a good hour playing on the playground. A lot of picnic tables are scattered throughout the park. Signs request no feeding of ferrel animals in the park. The highlight of the park for me is the presence of Ku'ilioloa Heiau historical Hawaiian ruins, which are protected within the park. The temple ruins are on a small peninsula at the center of the park. The ruins are maintained by the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation. Fishing is a popular pastime in the park. Fishermen perch themselves on the seawall or on the volcanic rocks below the point to fish. The beach area is lovely with the mountains in the background and ocean in front. The park is a perfect place to watch the sunset. There is plenty of free parking at the entrance of the park.

Our usual place, but bathrooms aren't in good shape, sand is a bit more rocky, occasionally smelly…read more Water is beautiful!

Small for a beach, but we saw sea turtles. We didn't intend to stay to relax or swim, just wanted…read moreto see if we could see any wildlife

Best kept neighborhood escape! Love to share this beautiful…read morebeach with the ones I love! Some days it's calm, and other days full of perfect waves with keike and ohana on boogie boards and surfing of all ages! Icing on the cake, TURTLES ! (Please stay at least 10 feet away! Respectful with so much Aloha!)

We camp here often with our ohana. Please treat this place with utmost respect. That means "read…read morethe signs" and follow the rules, and mind others space. Rule #1 say hello, wave and smile.

Really nice beach and great place to watch the sunset. Very clean and water is nice with sandy…read morebottom. Good wave but shore break. Big barrels!

Very cool hike. Unexpected difficult hike I would guess 2 miles round trip with some steep…read moreclimbing. I wouldn't bring kids unless they experienced hikers and no small dogs. But very rewarding hike with a beautiful 360 view at the top. Bring extra water and snacks and can have a nice picnic at the top.

This west side Pink Pillbox Trail isn't as famous as the east side's Lanikai Pillbox Trail, but…read moreit's only about a 15-minute drive from Aulani and way less crowded -- definitely a nice bonus. Just set your GPS to Puʻu O Hulu (Pink Pillbox) Trailhead, and you'll find plenty of street parking along that stretch. Still, I'd recommend parking closer to the entrance for safety because we noticed broken glass scattered on the ground further down the road, probably from past break-ins. We actually parked once, saw the glass right by our car, and quickly moved closer to the entrance instead. Right after we parked, it started raining. The forecast said it would last about 30 minutes, so we just waited it out in the car before starting our hike. The trailhead is right between a yellow "Falling Rocks" warning sign and a white "Speed Limit 25" sign on a utility pole. The hike starts with a steep incline, but overall it's not too hard and just a bit narrow at parts. There are three pillboxes total. It took us around 30 minutes to reach the first one at a relaxed pace, stopping for photos along the way. The first pillbox is painted in blue graffiti inside, and from there you can continue up to the famous pink one. When we got to the pink pillbox, there were surprisingly tons of flies swarming around the entrance for some reason, so we didn't stay too close. The wind was really strong up there -- strong enough that I had trouble keeping my balance! It looked like reaching the third pillbox would require climbing over quite a few rocks, so we decided to turn back instead. On the drive back, we passed Ulehawa Beach Park, where we saw a whole row of homeless encampments right by the ocean -- literally parked and camped along the beachfront. We even saw a few people running across the road and one guy riding his motorcycle the wrong way, yelling at drivers passing by. If that's a regular thing, really sad to see this.

Love, love, love this place. Directly across from a great brunch place, it's clean, clear water,…read moreand generally pretty open with not a lot of people. Definitely in my top 2 favorite places on the island so far.

When driving along the Leeward coast of Oahu, it's hard not to marvel at the beauty of the…read moremountains on your right, and the long stretches of ocean on your left. There are countless state and city parks on this side of the island, and one of our favorites is Maili Beach Park. It's a long green stretch of land with palms lining the coast. Parking is ample with various entrances into each lot. They have restroom facilities as well as outdoor exercise equipment. The grass areas are big and flat, perfect for outdoor gatherings to set up tents and room to play. The beach areas here are mostly rocky, not the best for swimming. Be sure to stop here to watch the sunset!

Now this was a fun and short hike! The older I get and the older age of the guests I take on hikes,…read morethe more interested I am in completing hikes that get straight to the point - the view! This hike falls in that category. Make your way to Makaha and park on a neighborhood street. Please be respectful of where and how you park to show respect to the locals living in the area. Please ensure to not leave any trash and if you see any, please pick it up and dispose of it properly. It's just a short 3-minute walk to the base of the little hike. I believe it took us 15-20 minutes to make it to the top. I felt comfortable enough to allow my 5 year old daughter hike on her own with my supervision. There were a couple challenging spots, but as long as you push through, you should be good. The view from the stop is absolutely stunning. Since the hike is on the makai side, you can capture a full 360 view around. P.S. Waianae/Makaha is synonymous with choke homeless people and Hawaiians. Please plan appropriately.

SUPER short hike, but really breathtaking views! Came with a friend, and we hiked up about half the…read moremountain. She decided not to do the bit of "rock climbing" involved, and stayed behind with my dog. Still a very worthwhile view for just 10 minutes of work (or less). I went on, and while the rock climbing was very short, it is not for everyone. It is not extremely clear how to climb it (for someone without a lot of rock climbing experience aka me), but if you were to fall, the probably of it being fatal seems low. Gorgeous views to your left and right when you get to the top. Skip the "right fork". Just a little beach walk. We were done with both sides in less than an hour.

Very interesting- and scary. You have to climb down into the cave .a d you get into the water and…read moreswim your way out.. dangerous as f.... Don't ever go alone and make sure you have help getting out.. you better be a strong simmer.. this is not a joke and not for beginners.. there were people to help me out of the water . My first time - I did it and don't need to go back... it's not a bright idea and dangerous as can be.. just look with your eyes.. don't do it .

Mermaid Caves is almost a secret place hidden in the middle of nowhere, right in front of a private…read moreproperty. I did the research before I go and even my friend who live in Hawaii never come to this cave. You have to find the entrance that is not noticeable. Luckily my friends and I met some local and they point it out for us. The hole to get down is very small and when I got there the water had coming up if you get there in the morning it should be better, and we can go deeper to the cave but in the afternoon, it is too dangerous to deal with the wave. Even that inside the cave is very beautiful with reflection of the sun and water to the ceiling of the cave. WARNING! you shouldn't go alone. It must be group of friends to go together for a safety purpose unless you can't clam up and someone can help you. Since I try to visit a site of nature, it is something need to be considered, some place and be dangerous and must have company to go with.