Hanalei Beach

Hanalei Beach runs about 2,053m (2.1km) along the Kauai coast — a long beach by Hawaiian standards. It faces north-west so it takes the afternoon sun and faces the sunset. There are 12 mapped parking areas nearby, the closest about 37m from the sand. On-beach facilities mapped here include shower, drinking water, toilets.

Getting there & parking

Closest mapped parking is about 37m from the sand, with 12 parking areas within 600m. At least one is marked free. At least one charges a fee.

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

"Not mapped" means OpenStreetMap has no record — it may still exist on the ground.

Where it is

Who it suits

• Families and long days — toilets nearby and parking close to the sand
• Sunset — the sun sets over the water here in 9 months of the year, as late as 7:25pm in July
• Eating without driving — 12 places to eat are mapped within 1km
• Walkers and runners — about 2,053m of continuous shoreline
• Arriving without a car — 4 bus stops are mapped within 500m

Derived from mapped features, not opinion.

When to go

Driest months are June, May, January. Warmest are August, July, September.

30-year normals (1991–2020) from NOAA NCEI station PRINCEVILLE RCH 1117, 2.6km away.

Sunrise & sunset at Hanalei Beach

In June the sun is up at 5:54am and down at 7:23pm — 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 (330°). The sun sets out over the water February to October; the rest of the year it goes down at the far end of the beach rather than out to sea. The sunset point itself swings about 51° across the year, from WSW in December to WNW in June.

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.

Where to stay

4 hotels, resorts and rentals are mapped within 1.5km of this beach, the closest about 147m away.

Booking link is an affiliate link — it costs you nothing extra.

Things to do nearby

OpenStreetMap rarely records gear rental, so bookable activities are searched via GetYourGuide (affiliate link).

Where Hanalei Beach ranks

• The best-equipped beaches on Kauai — ranked #3
• The best-equipped beaches in Hawaii — ranked #6
• Sunset beaches on Kauai — ranked #8
• Family beaches on Kauai — ranked #4
• Family beaches in Hawaii — ranked #9
• Kauai beaches you can park at — ranked #7

Positions come from mapped facilities and shoreline orientation, and each list explains exactly how it is ordered.

Other beaches on Kauai

• Pu'u Poa Beach · 1.5km · 425m long
• Hideaways Beach · 2.3km · 387m long · faces north
• Lumahaʻi Beach · 2.4km · 1,276m long · faces north
• Sealodge Beach · 3.8km · 91m long · faces north
• Wyllie's Beach · 4.7km · 587m long · faces north