Papalaua Beach Park

Papalaua Beach Park is the first beach you come to after passing through the tunnel on the road along the Pali (cliff) on your way to Lahaina (this road is called the Honoapi'ilani Highway, or State Route 30). It is a long beach right along the road. If you hate road noise, this is not the beach for you! Still, it makes a nice place to stop for "one last swim" or to watch the sunset on the beach.

This beach allows camping by permit (except on Thursdays). See the page on county camping permits for more details. Enforcement of camping permit requirements seems minimal at best. Some locals camp here for extended periods of time: this is illegal but often tolerated by the local authorities. They are generally well-behaved, and since the beach is so long they are easy to avoid. There are also sometimes abandoned cars here.

All that said, portions of this beach have nice smooth sand and beautiful clear water for swimming and snorkeling.

Weather Forecast

(As of 329 PM HST Wednesday July 11 2007)
Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows 65 to 76. East winds 10 to 15 mph.
Thursday: Sunny. Highs 80 to 88. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear. Lows 66 to 77. East winds 10 to 15 mph.
Friday: Sunny. Highs 81 to 89. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear. Lows 65 to 76. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. Highs 81 to 90. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows 65 to 76. Northeast winds around 10 mph.
Sunday: Sunny. Highs 80 to 88. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear. Lows 65 to 76. East winds 10 to 15 mph.
Monday: Sunny. Highs 80 to 88. East winds 10 to 15 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear. Lows 65 to 76. East winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny. Highs 80 to 88. East winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear. Lows 65 to 76. East winds 10 to 15 mph.
 
Sunrise: 5:50am Sunset: 7:08pm. Visit Maui Weather Today for a daily discussion of the current weather patterns affecting Maui. For the surf conditions, visit the Maui Surf Report.

See our Webcams page for up to the minute conditions all around Maui!

Activities

Towards the east end of the beach is the snorkeling area known as "Coral Gardens". True to its name, just offshore there are hundreds of coral heads, many of them extending right up to the surface of the water, creating a fun maze of coral and canyons. The sandy beach makes for an easy entry into the water for novice snorkelers.

At the west end of the beach is the surfing area known as "Thousand Peaks". Depending on the conditions you may find novice or expert surfers playing on the waves here.

Hours of Operation

There are no posted hours of operation for Papalaua Beach Park. The camping area is open to permitted campers overnight.

Getting There

Papalaua Beach Park is between mileposts 11 and 12 on the Hono'apiilani Highway, on the way to Lahaina from Maalaea. It is after the Pali, the scenic overlook, and the tunnel.

Map

You may also view a more detailed full-screen version of this map on Google Maps.

Facilities

Papalaua has very few facilities:
- Picnic tables with barbeque grills
- A camping area (camping permits required)
- Trash receptacles
- Porta-potties
- An Emergency callbox at milepost 10.5 on the Hono'apiilani Highway

There are no showers, bathhouses, running water, or lifeguards at Papalaua.

What's Nearby

There is literally nothing nearby except the road. Across the street from the park is undeveloped kiawe woods.

Copyright 2006 by Maui Beach Guide.

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