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Polihale State Park
Near mile marker 30 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. 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.
After you reach the tree bear right and drive until you see an area where a lot of other rental cars are parked. Then it is just a short hike up the dunes to the breathtaking vastness of Polihale. On the right are the majestic cliffs of Na Pali and to the left in the distance is the forbidden island of Ni‘ihau. The pristine sands of Polihale can sometimes form 100-foot dunes. Local residents will drive their trucks and SUVs right onto the beach for camping or lounging. We advise you not try the same with your rental unless you have a 4x4. We’ve seen several people get caught in the sand in regular rental cars, and this is not a place you want to get stuck. Polihale, which is joined with Barking Sands Beach, is 17 miles long, which makes it the longest beach in Hawai‘i. This is the end of the line on Kaua‘i, as far as you can go by car.
The cliffs stretch all the way around the island back to the north shore at Ke‘e Beach. If the weather is cooperating, this is a good location to also catch a glimpse of Ni‘ihau on the horizon. The views from the Ni‘ihau Lookout (page 187) on Waimea Canyon Drive are good, but we’ve found the best view from this beach. It’s probably as close as you’ll ever come to the forbidden shores of the island (see page 29).
Polihale is a mysterious place. Local legends say that the sheer cliffs at the end of Polihale are the “jumping off” place for all spirits that have entered Po, or the underworld.
After you reach the tree bear right and drive until you see an area where a lot of other rental cars are parked. Then it is just a short hike up the dunes to the breathtaking vastness of Polihale. On the right are the majestic cliffs of Na Pali and to the left in the distance is the forbidden island of Ni‘ihau. The pristine sands of Polihale can sometimes form 100-foot dunes. Local residents will drive their trucks and SUVs right onto the beach for camping or lounging. We advise you not try the same with your rental unless you have a 4x4. We’ve seen several people get caught in the sand in regular rental cars, and this is not a place you want to get stuck. Polihale, which is joined with Barking Sands Beach, is 17 miles long, which makes it the longest beach in Hawai‘i. This is the end of the line on Kaua‘i, as far as you can go by car.
The cliffs stretch all the way around the island back to the north shore at Ke‘e Beach. If the weather is cooperating, this is a good location to also catch a glimpse of Ni‘ihau on the horizon. The views from the Ni‘ihau Lookout (page 187) on Waimea Canyon Drive are good, but we’ve found the best view from this beach. It’s probably as close as you’ll ever come to the forbidden shores of the island (see page 29).
Polihale is a mysterious place. Local legends say that the sheer cliffs at the end of Polihale are the “jumping off” place for all spirits that have entered Po, or the underworld.
Location: Polihale State Park is located in the Na Pali Kauai Region
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Response by: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/11/2009 at 04:09 PM
I heard this park was closed in Dec.2008, due to heavy flooding.
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