Keʻe Beach

Located in the western portion of Haʻena State Park, Ke’e Beach – also known as Kee Beach, and Ke’e Beach Park – is an extremely popular beach with light brown sand, a nearby few large rocks, a nearby reef, and a backdrop of oceanfront mountains in northern Kauai. There are forests near the beach that have many kinds of trees including coconut trees, almond trees, guava trees, and palm trees. This beach has been listed as one of the best beaches in Kauai by many publications including HAWAII Magazine, Travel+Leisure magazine, and Lonely Planet. This beach is open between 7 am and 7:45 pm in summer and between 7 am and 6:45 pm in winter. 

Ke’e Beach has many amenities including lifeguards between 9 am and 5 pm, restrooms, a payphone, picnic tables, nearby hiking trails, and showers.

Ke’e Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, picnicking, fishing, swimming, snorkeling, tidepooling, scuba diving, surfing, jet-skiing, bodysurfing, boogie boarding, water-skiing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching. 

The water here is usually calm during summers, and this makes it ideal for beginner swimmers. In addition, the nearshore water around the reefs here is also shallow. Snorkelers also frequently visit this beach to explore its vibrant marine biodiversity and landscape – you can enjoy a fun Ke’e Beach snorkeling experience here. If you plan to snorkel, surf, kayak, scuba dive, or swim here, we recommend being careful because the water here has unpredictable rip currents and rogue waves, particularly during winter. In addition, the water beyond the coral reefs here can also be considerably deep. There is a reef channel named Puka Ulua near the western end of the beach – the water near this channel is known for having dangerous rip currents and waves.  

Fishermen often visit this beach to catch ulua fish here. If you like tidepooling, you can explore the interesting tidepools here at low tide. If you like taking pictures with beautiful views, this beach offers excellent views of the north Kauai shoreline and the Pacific Ocean, particularly during sunset – the beach’s eastern portion particularly offers amazing views. In addition, the beach’s eastern part does not have many visitors and this makes it ideal for visitors looking for a quieter beach experience. If you like hiking, here is a short trail near the beach which leads to two Hawaiian shrines named heiaus – these heiaus were dedicated to the Ancient Hawaiian deity Laka and they are associated with the Hawaiian dance Hula. In addition to these two sites, Ha’ena State Park offers many other fun things to explore, including two famous wet caves, a popular and dangerous hiking trail named the Kalalau Trail, and fields of taro plants. 

Kee Beach Kauai does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.

Getting to Ke’e Beach is easy – the paid Kee Beach parking lot – which charges $10 per vehicle – is located near mile marker 10 of Hawaii Route 560, which is also called Kuhio Highway. Once you park at this parking lot, you need to walk half-a-mile on a Ke’e Beach walking path to reach the beach.      

It is important to note that you need to purchase a paid Ke’e Beach reservation to be able to access Haʻena State Park and park near the beach – you can visit the state park’s webpage at the website of the Division of State Parks for more information regarding the online reservation booking rules and fees.  

In addition, you can also get a shuttle service to Haʻena State Park from the nearby community of Waipa – this shuttle service starts at 5-5631 Kuhio Highway and eventually drops you off near the parking lot for Ke’e Beach. You can then walk to the beach from the drop off site. If you are planning to use this shuttle, you can visit gohaena.com for more information regarding the shuttle service and its fees.   

We recommend removing any valuables from your parked car at the parking lot here because burglaries have been known to occur here. We recommend visiting this beach while wearing sturdy footwear because the rugged reefs around the beach can get slippery. In addition, please note that there are many wild chickens here – we recommend avoiding leaving any food unattended here because these chickens can eat it and cause trouble. We also recommend visiting this beach before 9 am because after this time the beach’s parking lot is usually full.

Ke’e Beach was also used as a shooting location for the 1983 television series The Thorn Birds and the 1974 movie The Castaway Cowboys. The name of the beach – Kee or Ke’e – means “avoidance” in Hawaiian and is pronounced as “Keh-eh” or “Keh-AY. In addition, there was a hippie community named Taylor Camp nearby – this community was started in the late 1960s and hippies lived here till the late 1970s. 

There are many attractions near Ke’e Beach within a 30-minute-drive. Maniniholo Dry Cave is a popular cave that is about 300 yards deep – it is named after Maniniholo, the chief fisherman of the legendary Menehune people – exploring this cave is a popular activity with visitors. Limahuli Garden & Preserve is a nature preserve and botanical garden which has a wide variety of Polynesian-introduced and Native Hawaiian plant species – in addition, you can also see endangered birds in this garden and preserve. The preserve also has restored taro terraces that date back to pre-European contact-era Hawaii, a historic Hawaiian house, and it also has a trail named the Whale Trail. Hanalei Pier is a pier that was built in 1912 and it offers amazing views of the northern Kauai shoreline and the Pacific Ocean. This pier is also an amazing fishing site and you can catch many kinds of fish here – this pier was also featured in the 1957 movie South Pacific. Waioli Huiia Church and the Waioli Mission House were built in the 1830s and have architectural influences from the mainland United States – the beautiful Waioli Huiia Church has stained glass windows. The house and the church offer a unique insight into the vibrant history of Hawaii. If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge is a 917-acre refuge that was established to protect endangered local bird species, including the Hawaiian duck, the Hawaiian coot, and the Hawaiian goose. You can explore the park’s vibrant coastal biodiversity through a hiking trail named the Okolehao Trail – this wildlife refuge also has a historic rice mill that offers an insight into the local history.  

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Ke'e Beach within a 30-minute drive. Opakapaka Grill and Bar offers amazing seafood, burgers, sandwiches, different kinds of pastas, steaks, flatbread, soups, and salads. Postcards Restaurant – also called Postcards Cafe – offers amazing gourmet dishes infused with local Hawaiian and international culinary influences. Tahiti Nui serves amazing pizzas, steaks, seafood, different types of pastas, barbecued ribs, Hawaiian-style dishes, and salads – this restaurant has also been featured in the George Clooney movie The Descendants.  Kalypso Island Bar & Grill offers a variety of delicious dishes including pupu platters, salads, wraps, chicken sandwich, Mexican dishes, pasta, and seafood. If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Federico's Fresh Mex Cuisine serves a variety of dishes including burritos, flautas, tacos, and nachos. 

If you are looking for a hotel near Ke’e Beach, there are many great nearby options within a 30-minute drive. The 5-Star 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay offers many amenities including a spa, multiple restaurants and bars, multiple pools (including an infinity pool), a hot tub, a fitness center, a salon, and a retail shop. The 4-Star The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas offers many amenities including a bar, a grocery store, a restaurant, four pools, three hot tubs, exercise classes, and a spa. A more affordable hotel is the 3.5-Star Hanalei Colony Resort which offers many amenities including a restaurant, a coffee shop, a spa with yoga classes, a pool, and a hot tub. A more affordable accommodation option is The Cliffs at Princeville that 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, and a garden. If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Makai Club Resort offers many amenities including a hot tub, a pool, a fire pit, a nearby golf course, barbecue areas, and a picnic area.