5 black sand beaches in Maui 🌴 + THE Maui black sand beach you need to see! Honokalani Beach! 🌴 Hawaii travel blog

ALOHA!

So you know that there are black sand beaches in Hawaii.

And you’re headed to Maui.

Yes, there are black sand beaches on Maui!

I spent 3 weeks on Maui and saw several black sand beaches!

Best black sand beaches in Maui

1. Waianapanapa State Park black sand beach (THE must-visit black sand beach on Maui!)

Honokalani Beach at Pailoa Bay is the most famous black sand beach on Maui, and it’s the most popular one too.

This black sand beach is located at Waianapanapa State Park.

So you want to go to Waianapanapa State Park to see the best black sand beach on Maui!

And if this is the only black sand beach you see in Hawaii, you won’t be disappointed! In terms of how black it is and how much you can see the black sand, this is a great black sand beach! (Really, the BEST!)

You cannot go to this black sand beach without a reservation.

You will need a reservation for Waianapanapa State Park.

You can see it from above at the black sand beach overlook, and then you can walk down to it and get a closer look at the black sand!

Off to the side of the black sand beach, there’s also a little lava tube that opens up to the ocean. 

There is also the Waianapanapa Coastal Trail (aka Piilani Trail) that goes in both directions from the black sand beach.

This will give you grand ocean views and you’ll see lava rock formations and sea arches along the way.

You can see one of the best lava fields on Maui by doing this hike.

There’s even another black beach!

Or maybe a black rock beach.

I didn’t go down to it, but it is possible to do so.

There seems to be trail access from directly behind this beach.

From the main black sand beach, you’ll take the trail that is off to the left of the beach as you’re facing the ocean.

I think this is one of the best hikes on Maui, so it’s worth walking at least a little bit on the Waianapanapa Coastal Trail!

See how much time you want to spend at the black sand beach state park:

• What you can see with a 30 minute hike near the black sand beach
• What you can see with a 2+ hour hike near the black sand beach

You get to Waianapanapa State Park by driving the popular Road to Hana.

👆 Map of the best black sand beach on Maui. Explore the map.

If you want to spend an overnight on the Road to Hana, then there are overnight stays possible at Waianapanapa state park, including camping and cabins.

IMPORTANT!!! You need to make a time slot reservation in order to visit Waianapanapa State Park if you’re not a Hawaii resident. And this costs money. This means that you need a permit of sorts in order to see Maui’s famous black sand beach. See Hawaii State Parks for updates.

See more about Waianapanapa State Park black sand beach.

2. Oneuli Beach (South Maui)

Oneuli Beach is the South Maui beach that is sometimes mentioned as a black sand beach to visit as an alternative black sand beach if you don’t want to do the Road to Hana drive. 

As far as super black colored black sand beaches in Hawaii go, Oneuli Beach isn’t all that black.

But if you’ve never seen anything close to a black sand beach before, then Oneuli Beach might be the most accessible beach to see black sand if you’d rather not go to the Road to Hana, and/or if you’re staying in the South Maui Wailea resort area.

It is a fairly easy drive (about an hour) from the West Maui Kaanapali resort area.

This is a quiet beach that doesn’t get as many visitors, and it’s located right near a more famous South Maui beach that’s a part of the more visited section of the Makena State Park.

If you’re making a trip to this beach, see more things to do in South Maui!

See more about Oneuli Beach and the best South Maui beaches.

🌴

3. Honomanu Bay beach (the “other” Road to Hana one)

This is often listed as another black sand beach on the Road to Hana.

This is another quieter beach on Maui that doesn’t get as many visitors, and it’s also not the blackest black sand beach.

But it can be a nice quiet stop to make as you are driving the Hana Highway.

See more about Honomanu Beach and the best Road to Hana beaches.

4. Alelele Beach (back road to Hana)

I am not sure the name of this beach, but since it is right in front of Alelele Bridge, and it’s right near the start of the Alelele Falls trail, we will call it Alelele Beach!

This is on what’s considered the back road to Hana. This means that this will also be a quieter beach. It’s located right alongside the road.

Maybe because it’s wet sand it looks really black.

See more about Alelele Beach and the back road to Hana.

5. Waioka Beach (near Venus Pool aka Waioka Pond)

I am also not sure of the name of this beach. It’s near the Venus Pool which is also called the Waioka Pond. 

No matter the name, this is a hidden black sand beach!

As you are walking on the trail to the Venus pool, you’ll see a large field to the left.

Once you get to the point on the trail to go down towards the Venus pool to the right, you can just generally go in the direction to the left across a large field. This will take you to an area that overlooks a black sand beach!

I was not expecting to see this, so it felt like an even more magnificent sight to see!

So…

There is more than one black sand beach on Maui.

Maui is generally known as having one main black sand beach.

That is the Waianapanapa State Park beach.

There are a couple more “black sand” beaches on Maui that are kind of known.

But as far as black sand beaches go, I might not consider them to be a super black black sand beach.

But, if you’ve never seen a black sand beach before, they can be a sight to see!

After that, the other Maui black sand beaches on this list are ones that are pretty unknown to tourists.

Some aren’t even listed on google maps, and I am not even sure of the names of the beaches, or if they even have names.

So Maui has a few black sand beaches, and then there are a bunch more black rock beaches. To me, there’s a difference! 

Sometimes from far away it looks like it might be a black sand beach, but when you get closer, it seems like it just may be all black rocks, with not so much (if any) sand to be seen, like at one of the Ahihi Kinau snorkeling spots.

But, it’s possible that there’s black sand underneath these rocks and maybe they are seen at certain times! 

You can come across these types of beaches more when driving the smaller coastal roads of Maui.

And that’s a bit about black sand beaches in Maui!

To summarize?!

The most famous (and possibly the best) black sand beach on Maui is on the Road to Hana. There’s another kind of black sand beach on the main Road to Hana. There’s a hidden black sand beach further along on the Hana Highway. There’s yet another black sand beach on the back road to Hana. In Maui’s resort areas, there’s a kind of black sand beach in South Maui.

So… to see black sand beaches in Maui… Make sure you plan for a day on the Road to Hana! Aside from black colored beaches, there are other beaches on the Road to Hana, including a hidden red sand beach.

How about black sand beaches on other Hawaiian islands?

I think my favorite island for black sand beaches is the Big Island. There’s an area that you can drive like 30 minutes and stop and see 3 distinct (and very black) black sand beaches. It’s also a very scenic drive.

Maui’s black sand is a result of a volcano’s old lava flows eroding over time. Explore more of the famous Maui volcano:

• Where to see old lava flows on Maui
• How to walk through a lava tube on Maui
• Hike into a crater near the Haleakala volcano summit
• Things to do in Haleakala National Park

Explore more volcanic activity in Hawaii outside of Maui:

• Where to see old lava flows
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Explore even more volcanic activity outside of Hawaii:

• Lava tubes in Idaho
• Things to do in Craters of the Moon National Monument (lava fields!)

Also see how to spend your days for a short trip to Maui!

More of the best of Maui beyond the black sand beach

Going to see the best black sand beach on Maui is one of the best things to do in Maui!

So if you’re interested in the black sand beach, you may also be interested in these top things around Maui:

• Hana Highway
• Nakalele Blowhole
• Lahaina Banyan Court
• Hookipa Beach
• Maui Ocean Center (Aquarium of Hawaii)
• Iao Valley State Monument
• Haleakala National Park
• Things to do in Maui (for VIEWS!)

PLUS: Punaluu Beach (black sand beach on the Big Island + turtles!)

HAPPY SEEING A BLACK SAND BEACH IN MAUI!

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👇 Explore the Road to Hana map on google maps!


See the list:

• Road to Hana stops (for views!)
• Things to do on Maui (for views!)
• Things to do in Haleakala National Park
• Things to do on Lanai

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Top things to pack for your Hawaii vacation!

The ultimate beach towel for travel?!

Turkish towels are considered to be more absorbent and lightweight than your average beach towel. Be sure to check out turkish towels like these!

The cheapo way to waterproof your phone

You can take underwater pictures with a simple waterproof phone case like this. Touch screen may not work well underwater - try the volume button to snap the pic instead!

Get your suitcase more organized!

Packing cubes can make it so you're spending less time on your vacation looking for things! They are basically a form of drawers in your suitcase. Take a look at these packing cubes.

Wear less sunscreen by wearing a UPF swim shirt!

Wearing a swim shirt means less skin that's exposed to the sun which means less sunscreen you need to apply! See about wearing swim shirts with UV protection like these when you're snorkeling.

More for your Maui packing list

• How a cheapo waterproof phone case works
• Why wear water shoes for the beach
• Why a personal swim buoy is an essential for snorkeling and swimming in the ocean
• Essentials to pack for Maui
• Best shoes for Maui

ALOHA!