Kauai Beaches – West Shore

Polihale State Park.

The last beach on the paved road on Kauai’s westernmost point, Polihale State Park is an extension of Barking Sands Beach making it Hawaii’s longest beach with 17 miles of sparking white sand. Framed by the west end of the NaPali cliffs, the remote, 7-mile beach has sweeping sand dunes and Ni’ihau capped ocean that offers a breathtaking experience. The beach is unprotected from the ocean so surfing and swimming is challenging in the fierce currents. On the northern end of the 300-foot wide beach is Polihale State Park, which offers Queen’s Pond, an encircled reef for safe swimming. The beach and park offer picnic tables, showers and scenic views of the NaPali Coast.

Kekaha Beach.

This beautiful and long sandy beach is the first stretch of 15 miles of beaches that stretch along the west coast up to the cliffs of Polihale. This beach is a popular spot for sunbathing, swimming, body boarding, surfing, and windsurfing, but be cautious of the strong currents.

Salt Pond Beach Park.

Named for its traditional Hawaiian salt collecting ponds, this white sand beach is protected by a reef and is one of one of Kauai’s top windsurfing and swimming beaches. Snorkelers enjoy clear, blue waters at both ends of the pond, and tidepools are fascinating to explore. This beach offers great, fishing and swimming. The beach also offers picnic pavilions, a shaded area, grass and camping. Salt is panned by native Hawaiians in the summer.