polihale state park

You are looking at a long drive to get here. Count on about 20 minutes from the end of the paved road. It is a bumpy ride - we had a jeep wrangler - but we saw plenty of people driving in sedans. We drove the whole way to the end of the beach right by the west end of the Napali coast. The raw power of the ocean and the wind, combined with the beauty of the coast rising from the water was amazing. This is a great place to go and feel how small you are on this planet. Another perk (if you're a bit adventurous) is that the drive out is lined with sunflower plantations! There is a short ditch/fence that you have to hop, but when else are you going to get the chance to run through a field of sunflowers??

If you don't want to see a gorgeous, remote beach at the edge of the Napali Coast that will leave you in awe with its stunning natural beauty, then stay home. It may leave you wanting to back repeatedly and you'd have to go down that bumpy road again. If you do go take a beach chair and a picnic and just soak in the best mother nature has to offer. But if you want a beach full of other people that us easy to get to this is not for you.

After a long windy road you will arrive to a few amazing lookouts and the hiking is pretty amazing too. If you go right to the last lookout you can get a perfect view of the Napali Coast backside and there are some really neat hikes in the area. Definitely worth the drive.

This is a must on Kauai and absolutely worth the drive all the way down a bumpy country road. It's really hard to describe the beauty of the place, highly recommend to see and experience it for yourself.

My husband and I, along with our adult son (24) recently visited Kauai. We debated even trying to get to Polihale State Park because of all the warnings about the bumpy road you have to take to get there. Since our rental vehicle had 4 WD (It was a Jeep Compass so not a terribly high clearance vehicle) we decided to give it a try. Yes....this park is off the beaten path. Yes....You have to take a bumpy dirt road to get to the park. Yes....it isn't the easiest place in the world to find. However.....the payoff is HUGE! We actually found that the road was not as horrible as we expected. It is definitely all dirt and it is definitely bumpy. We just took the 4 mile drive in stride and found ourselves laughing as we would get jostled around the vehicle at times. It is certainly a passable road. We did not even need the 4 WD option. If we had driven on the sandy beach we would have needed the 4WD but just on the road to the beach...we didn't find it to be necessary at all.Once we arrived at the beach, we found the most amazing place we had ever seen. We went on a Monday so everyone was back at work and we literally only saw a handful of other visitors the entire time we were there. To be on this stretch of beach alone was just an amazing experience. The water is so blue...the rugged coastline rising from the waters in the distance. I couldn't even find words to describe the beauty of this area let alone describe the feeling of being there. If you are on the Island of Kauai....find a way to get here...you will not be sorry you made the trek. Couple small tips 1. The dirt road you need to take is marked by a small sign and is easy to miss. Our Garmin actually took us past the correct road to a private dirt road that is not accessible. Make sure you turn left at the first dirt road. 2. There is no food here or anywhere nearby. There is a picnic area with restrooms if you would like to bring your own picnic lunch.

Must see! Travel about 4 miles down a dirt road to the most spectacular beach... wide beach, overlooking the Napali coast. Highly recommend checking out!

A 5 mile drive off of paved roads. VERY bumpy ride. Well worth it! If you have an evening that you would like to watch the sunset in Kauai, this is the place to do it! Soft sand beach and very rough seas. They do not want a lot of people on the beach because there are no lifeguards. Strong surf and rip tides mean that you need to be safe in the water.

Yes, the road in is bumpy (for about 5 minutes) and yes, it is a bit far (15 from Waimea). But sometimes the best things in life take a little bit of effort - like getting to Kauai! This is the most beautiful beach! The sand is so soft - no rocks - and clean. This beach is 1 miles long! The cliff walls to the north are covered with green and so spectacular. And the sunset from Polihale Beach is second to none. I strongly recommend you make the MINOR effort to enjoy this paradise - the best beach on Kauai!

The dirt road drive to this beach is a bit rough, was fun in a wrangler but would be hard with a car. The sunset was beautiful from this beach, and it has a long stretch of sand. Wish I camped here a night or two.

The drive going in is not to friendly, the dirt road is almost as bad as driving on a Michigan road during the winter. We had a Mustang so we had to be extra careful. The beach and water is gorgeous as is the mountains. The beach can be pretty much isolated if you choose it to be , by moving around on the beach. We stayed here for probably two hours and enjoyed every beautiful minute of it.

You are way better off with a four wheel drive for this trip , the road is horrendous ! At the end is a beach ... that's all just a beach ... a really big beach ... but just a beach ... and some scuzzy toilets and a few shelters with picnic tables that have been vandalised with spray paint ... Who takes spray paint to a beach ???

We have been here before on day trips and it was wonderful. We bought a camping permit for $17. The camp sites are not marked. We found a spot, but a seemingly homeless guy would not approve of us camping there. He had a irrigated garden! He said a bunch of people were coming back . He made us so uncomfortable we left Why aren't the campsites marked? I don't think any park Rangers are patrolling the park. It seems out of control

This is a beautiful place to escape the crowds and take long walks on miles of beach. We were driving a Jeep, but the road wasn't nearly as bad as I expected by the descriptions here. There are bathrooms and a picnic area. We loved it so much we visited twice.

Although beautiful and rugged, don't do the 5 mile drive unless your vehicle can do an unpaved rough road. There's a pretty picnic area and, when we were there, rough surf, but it is also remote.

Not to sound dramatic, but this is truly the most beautiful place we have ever vistied. The beach is amazing, the mountains meet the see as the Napali Coast begins here. Only accessible by 4 wheel drive on a dirt road, you are not bombarded with tourists. It's like having your own semi-private beach.