Puu Poa Beach

Located in northern Kauai, Puu Poa Beach - also called Pu’u Poa Beach - is a large beach with golden sand, many black lava rocks, nearby reefs, and many nearby trees. The Hanalei River flows near the southern end of the beach - once this river passes the area near the southern end of Puu Poa Beach, it flows into the Hanalei Bay. The beach gets narrow during winter (usually between November and March) because turbulent water currents wash away sand from the beach during this time - the beach gets larger in size during summers because the sand is again deposited here due to water currents. There is a marshy area near the beach - this marshy area was once an ancient Hawaiian fishpond. As an interesting fact, Puu Poa Beach was featured in the 2011 George Clooney movie The Descendants. 

If you want to visit another beach, you can walk south across the sandbar formed at the mouth of the Hanalei River during low tide to reach Black Pot Beach - we recommend visiting this beach during calm water conditions as attempting to cross the Hanalei River when it is turbulent would be dangerous.

Puu Poa Beach does not have lifeguards or any other amenities, so please plan accordingly.  

Puu Poa Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, wildlife watching, picnicking, hiking, swimming, surfing, bodyboarding, tidepooling, bodysurfing, skimboarding, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, surf skiing, jet-skiing, water-skiing, boating, snorkeling, and wakeboarding. The water near Puu Poa Beach offers manageable waves, which makes it ideal for beginner swimmers - the summer season is a particularly great time for swimming here. In addition, surfers also visit Puu Poa Beach. There is a great surfing site near Puu Poa Beach that is located near the outer edge of the nearby reef and the winter season is a particularly great time for swimming here. In addition to surfing, snorkelers also visit Puu Poa Beach to explore its vibrant marine biodiversity - depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of animals near Puu Poa Beach including sea turtles, migrating whales between December and May, rare Hawaiian monk seals, and wide varieties of fish including reef triggerfish (which is also called humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa and this fish is also the state fish of Hawaii), barracuda, eel, and parrotfish. 

If you are planning to swim or surf near Puu Poa Beach, we recommend being careful because the water here can have extremely dangerous currents and waves, especially during winter (usually between November and March) - the offshore water here is particularly known to have dangerous currents. It is also important to note that the nearshore water here can also be extremely shallow during summer, making water activities difficult here. In addition, the water near the southern part of the beach near the mouth of the Hanalei River can also get occasionally murky and it can also have high levels of microbial contaminants. We also recommend being careful while swimming around the coral reef near Puu Poa Beach, because accidentally stepping on it can irreversibly damage it. If you like taking pictures and beautiful views, Puu Poa Beach offers amazing views of Hanalei Bay and the Kauai shoreline, along with views of the Makana mountain (this mountain is also called the Bali Hai), particularly during evenings and early morning. If you like tidepooling, you can explore the interesting tidepools along the beach during low tide. There is a path near the trees behind the beach - this path leads to the ruins of a hotel named the “Club Med Resort,” which used to exist near Puu Poa Beach in the 1970s. 

Getting to Puu Poa Beach is easy - from Hawaii Route 560 - which is also called Kaua'i Belt Road-North Shore and that is also a part of Kuhio Highway - you need to turn towards Ka Haku Road. The free public parking lot for Puu Poa Beach is located near the end of Ka Haku Road - Puu Poa Beach shares this free parking lot with another nearby beach named Hideaway Beach. This parking lot is located near a hotel named 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay. It is important to note that this hotel is not currently open to the public. We recommend visiting Puu Poa Beach early because the parking lot can get filled up quickly. Once you park at this parking lot, you need to walk to an access path that is towards the left side of the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay’s gatehouse area. This path is slightly long, steep, and occasionally slippery and it will eventually lead to Puu Poa Beach. If you are staying at another nearby hotel named Hanalei Bay Resort, you can easily walk to Puu Poa Beach. It is important to note that there are no street parking spaces in the residential areas near Puu Poa Beach and your car will be towed if you park on any of the streets in the residential areas of Puu Poa Beach.

There are many attractions near Puu Poa Beach. Princeville Makai Golf Club is an oceanfront golf facility that has been recently renovated by Robert Trent Jones Jr. - this beautifully landscaped golf facility offers a fun and challenging golf experience. Emmalani Parkis a recreational park that is situated within the community of Princeville and has many amenities including basketball courts, pickleball courts, a volleyball court, grassy areas, and a restroom. If you are looking for another attraction near Puu Poa Beach, Hanalei Bay Lookout (also called the Hanalei Valley Overlook) is an observation area that offers amazing views of the Hanalei Valley, the Hanalei Bay, and the northern Kauai shoreline - the observation area is popular with photographers and it offers the best views, particularly during sunset and sunrise.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Puu Poa Beach. Postcards Restaurant (also called Postcards Cafe) offers amazing gourmet dishes infused with local Hawaiian and international culinary influences. Bar Acuda is another upscale restaurant that serves delicious Hawaiian-inspired tapas-style dishes. The restaurant has been praised by many publications including Honolulu magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper. Tiki Iniki is a restaurant and bar which offers amazing Hawaiian-style dishes including seafood, pork dishes, sweet ribs, huli huli chicken, burgers, salads, and hot wings. Happy Talk Lounge Restaurant & Bar is a restaurant and bar that offers excellent sandwiches, burgers, barbecued ribs, poultry dishes, salads, fries, and seafood. The restaurant also offers live music performances and it was also awarded OpenTable’s Diners’ Choice award in 2016. Hideaways Pizza Pub is an Italian restaurant that offers excellent pizzas. In addition, it also offers delicious salads and desserts. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Puu Poa Beach, Sandwich Isle serves a variety of amazing sandwiches.

If you are looking for a hotel near Puu Poa Beach, there are many great nearby options. The 4-Star The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villasoffers many amenities including a bar, a grocery store, a restaurant, four pools, three hot tubs, jogging routes, exercise classes, and a spa. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Hanalei Bay Resort which offers many amenities including two pools (including a sea-view lagoon-style pool with a lava rock waterfall), eight tennis courts, a hot tub, a complimentary 24-hour golf cart beach shuttle, water sports rentals, laundry facilities, and a bar. Another moderately priced hotel is The Cliffs at Princeville which offers many amenities including barbecue areas, a gym, a pool, a putting green, a playground, shuffleboard courts, a basketball court. a terrace, a wedding machine, a garden. The hotel also offers yoga sessions, ukulele lessons, and botanical walks. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Puu Poa Beach, the 2-Star Hanalei Dolphin Cottages offers many amenities including showers and barbecue areas.