ALOHA!
Honokalani Beach is located at Pailoa Bay in Waianapanapa State Park.
This is the black sand beach you need to see when you go to Maui!
You can see Honokalani Beach from the Pailoa Bay overlook, and you can also go down the stairs to walk across it and hold the black sand in your hands!
Honokalani Beach is one of the best things to do in Waianapanapa State Park.
This beach is also where you can go to start a hike across one of the Maui lava fields!
So Pailoa Bay is home to THE famous black sand beach in Maui.
This is located in Waianapanapa State Park.
The black sand beach is one of the top things that makes it one of the best state parks in Maui!
Once you get to the state park, you won’t have to look very hard for a paved trail along the coastline. It’s a trail with ocean views!
This is also the trail that will take you to the Pailoa Bay overlook aka the black sand beach overlook!
There is the Waianapanapa Coastal Trail (aka Piilani Trail) that is THE hike to do in Waianapanapa State Park. This goes for a couple of miles along the coast in both directions of Pailoa Bay, to the north and to the south.
The trail to Pailoa Bay is basically the “middle” part of the Waianapanapa Coastal Trail.
Walking along this middle part of the trail will give you views of Pailoa Bay and the vast ocean that it opens up to!
Side note!
Things to buy on Amazon for your adventures!
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- Lightweight quick-dry hiking shorts (comfortable shorts that are good for movement!)
- for women: hiking shorts | for men: hiking shorts
- Lightweight quick-dry hiking pants
- for women: hiking pants | for men: hiking pants
- capris for women
- Some of the best outdoor travel brands:
- When you fly: If you have an iphone, you can put an airtag tracker in your luggage so you can better keep track of it! Buy just one, or buy a pack of 4. (Read the reviews!) This also makes a good travel gift!
How much time do you need for the Pailoa Bay overlook?
If the ONLY thing you want to do is SEE the Waianapanapa black sand beach from above, then you can give yourself 15-20 minutes to only walk along the trail that overlooks Pailoa Bay.
This paved trail that overlooks Pailoa Bay is not that long. So this will be enough time to walk around at a leisurely pace and take in the ocean views of Pailoa Bay and the Pacific Ocean!
How much longer you want beyond seeing Pailoa Bay from above will depend on how much time you want to spend at the black sand beach, and how much time you want to spend hiking the Waianapanapa Coastal Trail. You can make it a 30 minute Waianapanapa hike from Pailoa Bay, or you can make it a 2+ hour Waianapanapa hike from Pailoa Bay!
More pictures below of what you can see from walking the trail to the Pailoa Bay overlook, and then some!
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Top Maui tours
Read the reviews at partner website Viator!*
- Road to Hana small group adventure tour
- Turtle town snorkeling tour (with photo and video)
- Lahaina ATV adventure tour
- Horseback riding tour with Hawaiian cowboys
Things you might want to pack for your Maui vacation
Read the reviews on Amazon! I'm an Amazon Associate.*
- For women: Search for a rash guard for swimming and you won't have to worry as much about putting on sunscreen!
- Search for a rash guard for men
- Water shoes for snorkeling if you won't be wearing fins, or just generally for the beach!
- Cheapo waterproof phone case so you can capture pictures of colorful fishies swimming underwater!
- I always have a camera float attached to my phone case that I put around my wrist
- Snorkeling set: mask and fins
- Fins allow you to propel further faster (aka see more in less time and energy!)
- Go cheap if you accept that you need to come up for air frequently: regular swimming googles. They are not as fashionable but if you get swimming goggles, make them the clear kind so you won't be seeing dimmed colors of the colorful fishies!
- If you are able, I recommend trying out the mask at your local lake (in summer) or pool so you will be good to go in Hawaii when there's actually stuff to see!
- Travel-friendly turkish towel for the beach (lightweight compared to regular beach towels)
- For women: Teva walking sandals (one of the best sandal brands for the outdoors, perfect for lots of walking around outside - that's not a lava field!)
- For men: Teva sandals
- For women: Merrell hiking shoes (one of the best outdoor shoe brands, perfect for walking over rugged terrain like lava fields!)
- For men: Merrell hiking shoes
- Moisture-wicking tech t-shirt for women perfect for hiking and hot days when you'll be outside a lot sweating
- tech-t-shirt for men
- For more ideas, do a search for hiking clothes or swimming clothes!
*As a Viator partner and Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission.
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So…!
Here’s more of what a quick trip to the Pailoa Bay overlook can look like!
First a bit off to the right as you’re facing the ocean… (aka away from the black sand beach…)
And then saving the best for last, you can head for the “main event” of Waianapanapa State Park, THE black sand beach, and THE main overlook of Waianapanapa State Park! Or, if you want to go straight to the black sand beach, then that will be off towards the LEFT as you are facing the ocean.
And that’s a bit of what you can see at Pailoa Bay from above!
And then if you want to make time for it…
You can take the stairs that you’ll see from the overlook down to Pailoa Bay so you can see the black sand beach up close and personal!
There’s also a small little cave formation off to the right side of the beach too!
And then if you want to make time for even more…
You can further walk across the black sand sand beach and continue on the Waianapanapa Coastal Trail! (Yes, I do think it’s worth going at least a little bit! I consider this hiking trail one of the best hikes on Maui!)
More about hiking the Waianapanapa Coastal Trail from the Pailoa Bay overlook:
And those are ideas for your trip to Pailoa Bay!
Nearby food stops in Hana:
More more stops for your Road to Hana drive:
- More Hana beaches
- The Hana lava tube cave
- Things to do in Hana
- The big list of things to do along the Hana Highway
HAPPY SEEING THE BLACK SAND BEACH FROM THE PAILOA BAY OVERLOOK!
👇 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
There are affiliate links on this page. Among other partners, as an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission from this.
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