ALOHA!
You can call Little Beach one of Maui’s hippie beaches.
This is located on the shores of South Maui.
It’s another beach that’s known to be a clothing optional beach in Hawaii.
If you’re young and looking for a party, or if you have an inner hippie spirit, you might want to check out Little Beach on Sunday evenings.
The Sunday beach happenings have been called “Maui’s biggest sunset jam.” There have been known to be drum circles, fire dancers, and body paint.
Although the legality of these beach parties can be questionable (alcohol is not allowed in state parks, and clothing is required in state parks), through normal times they were basically regularly occurring weekly beach parties that were going on.
Ask your accommodation for details! If you stay at Aloha Surf Hostel in Paia or Banana Bungalow Hostel in Wailuku, they do a group thing to Makena Beach on Sundays that you can join in. See more about staying in a Maui hostel. Otherwise, you can go on your own too.
This is the “Little Beach” compared to the “Big Beach” which is the neighbor beach. If you hear of Makena Beach on Maui, it’s likely referring to Big Beach. There is also a beach at Makena Cove, but that’s in a completely separate area up the road – it’s a slightly hidden beach on Maui!
Well, Little Beach is also a bit of a hidden beach!
And it does require a trail going UP to get to Little Beach.
And even if you are not so much interested in going to a hippie type beach, it can still be worth taking the trail up to get the wide expansive views of Makena Beach (Big Beach) from above!
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Here are some ideas for your time on Maui!
Among the most popular things to do on Maui are Haleakala National Park, the Road to Hana, and Waianapanapa State Park!
For Haleakala National Park, the most famous spot is the Haleakala summit at high altitude of 10,000+ feet! For an epic hike, you will want to be sure to do the Sliding Sands Trail to hike into a crater with a volcanic desert landscape.
Most people do the Road to Hana as a day trip. There are so many Road to Hana stops that it can turn into a really long day. You can make it into a more relaxing 2-day trip by staying overnight in Hana at the Waianapanapa State Park cabins (bring your own everything) or the Hyatt Hana!
Waianapanapa State Park is home to the best black sand beach on Maui. (Reservations required.) You may also want to hike the Waianapanapa Coastal Trail so you can see lava fields with ocean views!
Some more of the best Maui hikes with views you need to see are the Pipiwai Trail (bamboo forest!), Waihee Ridge Trail, and Kapalua Coastal Trail.
Also head to West Maui to see the famous blowhole of Maui, the Nakalele Blowhole.
Read more for your Hawaii trip prep:
Save the Maui video playlist to watch on youtube later!
IMPORTANT!!! If you wanted to see the famous Iao Valley in the West Maui Mountains, unfortunately it will be closed through April 2023. Check the Hawaii State Parks website to confirm.
So…
How to get to Little Beach
The access for Little Beach is at Makena State Park, which is the same access point as Big Beach.
Can you get to Little Beach by bus?
The nearest bus stop to Makena Beach is near the Shops of Wailea. The entrance to Makena State Park is over 4 miles away from the bus stop.
So for most people, this probably isn’t walking distance, and this would mean that you can’t get to Little Beach by bus.
So…
Driving to Little Beach!
Makena Beach is a popular beach, and there’s a big parking lot here.
There is a parking fee at Makena State Park if you’re not a Hawaii resident, and it’s self-pay. See current fees.
In January 2020 it was posted as a $5 parking fee, but the state park website currently lists the parking fee as $10.
You might see a Jawz food truck in the Makena Beach parking lot, and if you do, you might consider getting some food here! You might see them in a few places around Maui, and they are known for their fish tacos.
So once you’ve parked, you can make your way to Makena Beach!
And then you will arrive at Big Beach! And yes, it will look like a “big” beach! Lots of sand! Lots of space!
Now to get to Little Beach, facing the ocean, you’ll head to the right, until it “dead ends.”
And that’s where you’ll find the trail that goes up!
And then once you reach the top, you’ll see those Big Beach views from above!
And then you can take the path to keep going to the hidden Little Beach.
And you’ve arrived at Little Beach!
And that’s a bit of how to get to the hidden Little Beach at Makena State Park!
Also have a look at another slightly hidden beach down the road from Makena State Park!
HAPPY BEACH TIME AT MAKENA STATE PARK!
See the list:
- Things to do on Maui (for VIEWS!)
- Things to do in Haleakala National Park
- Road to Hana stops (for views!)
- Things to do on Lanai
- Maui to Lanai ferry
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