Laniakea Beach

Located in northwestern Oahu, Laniakea Beach – also called Turtle Beach, Lani’s Beach, and Lani’s – is a beach with light brown sand, a few rocky portions, and a large nearby reef.  This beach was listed as one of the 10 must-see beaches on Oahu by USA Today, and is a favorite or Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  This beach should not be confused with another beach with a similar alternate name called Papaoneone Beach – this beach is also alternatively known as Turtle Beach.

Laniakea Beach usually has lifeguards between 9 am to 5:30 pm.  However, this beach does not have any other amenities, so please plan accordingly.

Dogs on leash are allowed in portions of Laniakea Beach that are below the high tide line.

Laniakea Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing, kitesurfing, fishing, windsurfing, bodysurfing, scuba diving, boogie boarding, parasailing, water-skiing, boating, jet-skiing, wakeboarding, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching.  

Laniakea Beach is ideal for beginner swimmers during summers because the calm and mostly shallow water here offers gentle waves.  The beach is ideal for expert surfers during winters because the water here offers powerful and thrilling surfing waves during this time.  This beach is part of a coastal area of Oahu named the “Seven Mile Miracle” that is known for having fun surfing waves.

In addition, snorkelers also visit here to explore its vibrant biodiversity and the northern part of this beach offers a fun Laniakea Beach snorkeling experience. 

If you are planning to swim, kayak, canoe, or surf here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves – the water here is particularly known to be turbulent in the western part of the beach and during winters.  In addition, the water here is known to have submerged rocks, which can cause injuries.  Jellyfish and sharks have also been known to live nearby.  

If you like taking pictures with amazing views, this beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Pacific Ocean and the northern Oahu shoreline, particularly during sunset.

This beach is known to be popular with Hawaiian green sea turtles – these turtles frequently visit this beach to sunbathe, eat, and rest.  If you are planning for a fun Laniakea Beach turtle watching experience, we recommend visiting between 11 am and 1 pm during the summer season – the central and eastern portions of this beach are ideal sites for watching turtles.

Laniakea Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.

Getting to Laniakea Beach is easy – the access trail for this beach is located near Kamehameha Highway’s intersection with Pohaku Loa Way and this beach is located a couple of miles northeast of the town of Haleiwa.    

There are multiple free street parking spaces near the beach, along with a nearby free dirt parking lot – this lot is located on the other side of Kamehameha Highway.  We recommend being careful while crossing the highway after parking at the dirt parking lot because visitors have been known to get injured by oncoming traffic.  In addition, we also recommend being careful while parking here because burglaries have also been reported in this area.  

We recommend visiting this beach early on summers and winter weekends because the parking lot here can get filled up fast.

We also recommend checking Laniakea Beach weather reports before visiting this beach because the weather here can get turbulent in winters.

The name of Laniakea Beach – Laniakea – loosely means “wide sky” and “open skies” in Hawaiian.

There are many attractions near Laniakea Beach.  You can check the Laniakea Beach map and explore the nearby Waimea Valley, which is a historical nature park that has many historical sites from the Ancient Hawaiian era including stone terraces, a heiau (a  Hawaiian temple), and hale iwi (a traditional burial site) – the valley also has a vibrant botanical collection consisting of around 5,000 taxa of plants non-native plants.  Waimea Valley also has a popular 45-feet tall waterfall named Waimea Falls.  Dole Plantation is a popular plantation that offers a unique insight into Hawaii’s cultural and agricultural history, along with interesting information about its main produce – pineapples.  The plantation also has one of the world’s largest mazes and gardens exhibiting fruits, flowers and native Hawaiian plants – it also offers fun mini train rides.  Wahiawa Botanical Garden is a 27-acre botanic garden that is a 24-minute-drive away and has tropical plants that grow in relatively cooler environments and it primarily exhibits Native Hawaiian plant species.  Kaena Point Trail – also called Kaʻena Point Trail – is a hiking trail that passes through a coastal plain and this trail leads visitors to Ka'ena Point Natural Area Reserve, where you can see many kinds of migratory and resident birds – you can also see many native plant varieties here.  If you are looking for another attraction near the Laniakea Beach North Shore, Waialua District Park is a recreational park that offers many amenities including a baseball field, a swimming pool, basketball court, picnic areas, restrooms, and tennis courts. 

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Laniakea Beach.  Haleiwa Beach House is known for serving excellent Hawaiian-style seafood and it also offers a variety of other dishes including salads, soups, and sandwiches.  Haleiwa Joe’s has a koi pond and a tropical garden and it offers amazing seafood and steaks.  Teddy’s Bigger Burgers offers amazing burgers and it also offers salads, fries, sandwiches, and corn dogs.  Surf-N-Salsa is a Mexican restaurant that is known for serving excellent Mexican dishes including burritos, tacos, chimichangas, and fajitas.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, North Shore Tacos - Food Truck offers delicious Mexican dishes including tacos, nachos, and quesadillas.

If you are looking for a hotel near Laniakea Beach, there are many great nearby options within a 28-minute-drive.  The 4-Star Turtle Bay Resort offers many amenities including a spa, two pools (including one with a waterslide), two golf courses, seven restaurants and bars, two hot tubs, access to a fitness center, multiple tennis courts, and snorkeling gear loaner facility.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Courtyard by Marriott Oahu North Shore that offers many amenities including an exercise room, a hot tub, a pool, and a bistro.   Another moderately-priced hotel is the Ke Iki Beach Bungalows that offers accommodation in beautiful oceanfront cottages – it offers many amenities including grills, hammocks, picnic areas, showers, a meditation area, gardens, and a nearby biking path.  Owen’s Retreat is another moderately-priced accommodation option that offers accommodation in oceanfront cottages and it also offers outdoor picnic areas.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby accommodation option, Malaekahana Beach Campground offers accommodation to tent and RV campers and it also offers accommodation in brightly colored cabins – the campground offers many amenities including a camp store, watersporting equipment rental facilities, picnic tables, fire pits, and  water spouts.