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Polihale State Park

Off Kaumuali'i Highway, Hwy 50, Waimea, Kauai, HI 96796
808-587-0400
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Ranked #2 of 14 attractions in Waimea
Type: Beaches, State Parks
Description: A historical state beach park with breathtaking views and landscape.
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195 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    161
    25
    6
    2
    1
Date Rating
Boston, MA
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 May 2013 NEW via mobile

Fantastic beach if you want seclusion. Road getting there is like a washboard. Good road for a rental car! But the road is bad enough that only those who really want privacy will make the trip. We did the nasty at high noon right on the beach. Twice. No problems.

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Southlake, Texas
Senior Contributor
31 reviews 31 reviews
17 attraction reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 May 2013 NEW

We had a jeep, but any rental car can get there on a bumpy dirt road. The beach is HUGE. Not for letting kids play in the surf--very rough, high, and dangerous. NO lifeguards. Beautiful--bring picnic supplies and enjoy the best of uncrowded beaches

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Portland, Oregon
Top Contributor
50 reviews 50 reviews
18 attraction reviews
Reviews in 23 cities Reviews in 23 cities
25 helpful votes 25 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 May 2013 NEW

The road here is slow and bumpy but worth the drive to see this spectacular beach and coastline. The waves were quite strong making this a not so friendly beach for swimming. Plan to spend the day and to bring all that you need in terms of water, food, lotions, etc as there are no convenience stores. Those with 4... More

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Cocoa, Florida
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 May 2013

So worth the drive out. The road really wasn't that bad. I was hitting 30mph on some parts in my economy rental car. I took the right at the tree where the facilities are and there was a great parking area, no sand = no problems. Yeah it took a while to get out there but I enjoyed the scenery.... More

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Top Contributor
199 reviews 199 reviews
45 attraction reviews
Reviews in 59 cities Reviews in 59 cities
93 helpful votes 93 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 May 2013

Ok the beach is unswimmable, but it has a long gorgeous strech of sand and I can vouch that we saw the best sunset from here! It was worth the drive on the dirt track roads. The beach was pretty much secluded so made a lovely romantic spot!

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Los Angeles, California
Senior Contributor
31 reviews 31 reviews
13 attraction reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 May 2013

Definitely worth the drive if you're on that side of the island, because it's gorgeous, but since you can't swim there it's more of an excursion than full day trip. The rental car companies say you can't drive there but everyone does it anyway. The road is bumpy but definitely doable in even a compact as long as you go... More

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See 4 more reviews by SGS310 for Waimea
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 May 2013

You need to be aware that you will be driving on a desolate sandy extremely bumpy road for at least 15 min. to get to the beach. This was a little hard on the rental car, and on my head! So if you have a headache, or get car sick, I would not recommend this beach. Due to the extreme... More

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Orange, California
Senior Contributor
35 reviews 35 reviews
20 attraction reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
15 helpful votes 15 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 May 2013 via mobile

This is a great beach to hit after Waimea Caynon, it is a 20 minute drive to the dirt road after you leave the canyon, another 15 minutes on the dirt road. Keep off the sand in the rental car park where the hard pack dirt ends and take the walk over the small hill. This beach sits right next... More

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Boyd
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 2 May 2013

This beach is absolutely Beautiful!! Yes, you have to go down a 5 mile dusty pot hole road, but it is so worth it. At the end of this dirt road is a very secluded and beautiful beach. The water is clear, the scenery is breathtaking, it's the beginnning of the Napali Coast, both together make it AMAZING!! Bring you... More

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San Diego, California
Senior Contributor
26 reviews 26 reviews
10 attraction reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
22 helpful votes 22 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 May 2013

No problem driving out in our rental car. Some big mud puddles after rain two days before but easy to go around. It's a beautiful beach and had the most shell fragments I found on the island and the softest sand I've ever felt anywhere I can remember.

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