Located along the southern edge of Hanalei Bay, Waioli Beach Park serves as an excellent starting point for all your beachside adventures. Getting here is easy, too. You just have to park in one of the small lots located at the end of the nearby roads, and then stroll across the lawn to the sandy shores.
The easy access allows you to bring along all your gear, so you can settle down for a long day of fun. It’s also fantastic for when you just want to zoom over to the beach just for a moment to watch the sunrise or sunset light up the sky in brilliant hues.
To make the most of your day trip to Waioli Beach Park, you’ll want to bring a big beach umbrella and blanket to create your home base. Don’t forget the cooler full of icy cold drinks and plenty of snacks as well. In addition, consider bringing your boogie boards, floaties, paddleboards, and all your other water toys.
The ultra-soft sand is perfect for building sandcastles, so make sure to bring at least one bucket and a shovel as well. Since you’ll undoubtedly make many fast friends while visiting this beach, it never hurts to bring extra sandcastle building tools to share.
Don’t hesitate to bring Frisbees, beach balls, and the like for impromptu games on the sand. There’s often plenty of room to run and play despite the popularity of Waioli Beach Park. You can also find beach volleyball courts near the grass just to the east of the Anae Road parking lot. You’ll likely need to bring your own ball but expect the other beachgoers to ask to join your game once it starts.
Since many local surfers come here often to ride the waves, you’ll also want a pair of binoculars on hand. Dubbed Pine Trees, the western section of the beach gets most of the surfing action since the waves come in fast at that point. If you would like to try your hand at surfing, it’s best to practice over by the Hanalei Pier where the waves are a lot slower and gentler.
Otherwise, you can simply enjoy the water with confidence that you’re relatively safe. Lifeguards are usually on duty at Waioli Beach Park, intently watching the water from their stands near Amaama Road. If there are any signs of trouble, they will zoom out to the water’s edge on foot or in their truck before diving in to bring the person in distress back to shore.
After you’re done having a fantastic time at this beach, you can zip on over to the showers to rinse all the sand off. Near the showers, you’ll also find restrooms where you can freshen up before you go. Although it might be tough to leave this fantastic beach, you can always come back for even more fun whenever you have a free moment.
Insider Tips:
-Always be ready for the weather and water conditions to shift without warning. You can check with the lifeguards if you’re uncertain if the water has taken a hazardous turn.
-If you get caught in a riptide, stay calm and just float while calling for help. Instead of trying to fight against the current, you want to swim parallel to the shore until the riptide lets you go. Then, you can come back in toward the shore at an angle, letting the breaking waves do the bulk of the work.
-The lifeguards are onsite at Waioli Beach Park seven days a week from 9 am to 5 pm.