Before you go — Permit-controlled access, and a serious hike
Reached only on foot via the Kalalau Trail from Hāʻena State Park — roughly a 4-mile round trip to the beach, with entry reservations required for non-residents. There is no road access and no facilities at the beach.
Reserve / check availability · Hawaiʻi DLNR Division of State Parks · checked 2026-08-19. Requirements and closures change — confirm with the official source before travelling.
Hanakapiʻai Beach runs about 314m (0.3km) along the Kauai coast — a mid-sized beach by Hawaiian standards. It faces north-west so it takes the afternoon sun and faces the sunset. No parking area is mapped within 600m, so plan how you'll arrive. On-beach facilities mapped here include toilets.
Getting there & parking
No parking area is mapped within 600m of this beach.
Distances are to the nearest point of the beach. Only formal, mapped parking areas are counted — informal roadside and verge parking is common in Hawaii and is not recorded in OpenStreetMap, so there may be closer options than shown.
What's there
| Toilets | yes nearest 65m |
| Showers | not mapped |
| Drinking water | not mapped |
| Changing rooms | not mapped |
| BBQ | not mapped |
"Not mapped" means OpenStreetMap has no record — it may still exist on the ground.
Where it is
Who it suits
- Sunset — the sun sets over the water here year-round, as late as 7:25pm in July
Derived from mapped features, not opinion.
When to go
Driest months are July, June, September. Warmest are August, September, July.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Rain in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64.7 | 47.5 | 7.9 |
| Feb | 65.1 | 47.2 | 5.8 |
| Mar | 65.4 | 49.2 | 7.4 |
| Apr | 67.0 | 51.3 | 4.2 |
| May | 68.8 | 51.6 | 3.2 |
| Jun | 70.7 | 54.8 | 2.2 |
| Jul | 72.0 | 56.3 | 1.8 |
| Aug | 72.7 | 56.9 | 2.3 |
| Sep | 72.3 | 55.5 | 2.2 |
| Oct | 71.3 | 54.6 | 4.6 |
| Nov | 68.6 | 52.6 | 6.1 |
| Dec | 66.1 | 50.7 | 9.6 |
Nearest reporting station is 11km away — Hawaii's microclimates vary sharply over short distances, so treat these as indicative for the area.
30-year normals (1991–2020) from NOAA NCEI station KANALOHULUHULU 1075, 10.8km away.
Sunrise & sunset at Hanakapiʻai Beach
In June the sun is up at 5:54am and down at 7:24pm — 13h 29m of daylight, the longest days of the year here. By December that shrinks to 7:10am–5:57pm, 10h 47m.
This beach looks north-west (320°). The sun goes down out over the water here in every month of the year — it is a sunset beach whenever you come. The sunset point itself swings about 51° across the year, from WSW in December to WNW in June.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Sun sets toward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7:20am | 6:16pm | 10h 56m | WSW 248° |
| Feb | 7:09am | 6:36pm | 11h 26m | WSW 257° |
| Mar | 6:47am | 6:48pm | 12h 01m | W 268° |
| Apr | 6:18am | 6:59pm | 12h 40m | W 281° |
| May | 5:59am | 7:11pm | 13h 13m | WNW 291° |
| Jun | 5:54am | 7:24pm | 13h 29m | WNW 296° |
| Jul | 6:04am | 7:25pm | 13h 21m | WNW 294° |
| Aug | 6:16am | 7:10pm | 12h 54m | WNW 285° |
| Sep | 6:25am | 6:42pm | 12h 16m | W 273° |
| Oct | 6:35am | 6:13pm | 11h 38m | W 261° |
| Nov | 6:51am | 5:55pm | 11h 04m | WSW 250° |
| Dec | 7:10am | 5:57pm | 10h 47m | WSW 245° |
Times are for the 15th of each month in Hawaii Standard Time. Hawaii does not observe daylight saving, so these hold all year.
Calculated from this beach's coordinates using the NOAA solar position algorithm and checked against US Naval Observatory tables (agreement within a minute). Which direction the sun sets is worked out from the shoreline's orientation, not from the skyline — a headland, an offshore island or high ground behind the beach can hide the last few degrees.
Photos
Where to stay
No lodging is mapped within 1.5km of this beach.
Find places to stay near Hanakapiʻai Beach →Booking link is an affiliate link — it costs you nothing extra.
Things to do nearby
Snorkel trips, surf lessons & tours near here →OpenStreetMap rarely records gear rental, so bookable activities are searched via GetYourGuide (affiliate link).
Where Hanakapiʻai Beach ranks
- Sunset beaches on Kauai — ranked #5
Positions come from mapped facilities and shoreline orientation, and each list explains exactly how it is ordered.
Other beaches on Kauai
- Keʻe Beach · 2.3km · 912m long · faces north-west
- Ha'ena Beach · 3.5km · 410m long · faces north
- Tunnels Beach · 4.4km · 924m long · faces north-west
- Lumahaʻi Beach · 7.5km · 1,276m long · faces north
- Kalalau Beach · 7.5km · 1,143m long · faces north-west
Safety
We don't have confirmed lifeguard information for this beach. Never assume a beach is patrolled. Check locally before entering the water.
Rip currents cause around 100 drownings a year at US beaches and account for over 80% of beach rescues, yet only 44% of beachgoers know it. If caught in one, the National Weather Service advises: flip, float and follow.
Safety guidance from the National Weather Service. Beach Beast is not a safety or rescue service. Conditions change rapidly — always check on arrival, obey posted signs and flags, and follow lifeguard instructions. The absence of a warning here does not mean a beach is safe or patrolled.