Polihale Beach

The road to Polihale may seem a little less like a tropical island and a little more like a desert highway. On a bright sunny day the flat stretch of Highway 50 between Highway 552 and Polihale Beach can create a mirage that looks more suited to Arizona than Hawai'i.

Near mile marker 30 on Hwy 50 take a look to your left and observe the high security of the Pacific Missile Range Facility (yet another thing that isn't quite so "tropical"). Once you pass mile marker 32, the highway ends and you will have to take a right inland. The first road on your left will take you to Polihale State Park and the large beach itself. Be warned, this is no pleasure ride in a small vehicle. The drive is a long, bumpy sand road which can be a bear in a normal car. Fragments of front bumpers are strewn along the road as testament to motorists who were ill-prepared for some deep ditches. Keep your eyes on the road, and you should be fine. After a little over three miles, the road ends at a massive monkeypod tree which is rumored to be haunted. One local tale is that the ghost of a man who was hung there haunts the tree.

By now you're probably like, Hmm, bad roads, mirages, and haunted trees... why are we going here again? Trust us, it's worth the trek, just look at what's next.

Take Highway 50 from Waimea west, all the way to the end of the paved road. Continue on the dirt/sand road. The first turn on the left leads to Barking Sands Beach. If you continue to go straight you will come to Polihale. The State Park is at the north end of the beach. Queen's Pond is at the south end of the beach.

Location: Polihale Beach is located in the Na Pali Kauai