Kauai Forum: Glass beach

Aloha from Kaua'i!

Glass beach is on a very pitted dirt road past the big tanks on the hill at Port Allen boat harbor -- I wouldn't recommend taking a rental car down there - it will negate your insurance and depending on just how rutted the road is - you might get stuck. If you have a jeep or other 4WH you will be fine however.

While I personally don't think it is a great place to visit (it is directly underneath ugly large industrial tanks for gas ? on the hill above) if you do go -you could park your car and walk down the short dirt road to the beach area.

There is a lot of very, very finely crushed glass that washes up on parts of the beach from an old off shore dumping site. Don't walk barefoot on the beach and be cautious as this area has an unfortunate reputation as an after-hours area for illegal activities -- I've found syringes there on 2 occasions and chickens dumped there also after chicken fighting.

The view from the end of the dirt road (up by the Chinese cemetery) is indeed beautiful though - so if you do go, don't miss that.

Malama Pono,

Janet

I collect sea glass so I thought this would be a cool place to check out. Will I even find any glass big enough for jewelry? If not then I will stick to my maui beaches.

If you collect sea glass, I think you would find it interesting:) We took our rental car there last December. We found it pretty interesting.

We have gone to Glass Beach, we actually found it rather spooky. I didn't feel comfortable at all, we also had no problem driving the road with our vehicle but we just did not feel comfortable in the area. My feeling was someone was gonna pop out from behind a rock. Didn't spend enough time there to see if there was actually sea glass or not.

I'm not sure you'd find anything big enough for jewelry, the pieces are not significantly larger than grittier sand.

I found the place quite interesting and yes... spooky. The old engine blocks integrated with the shoreline, constantly pounded by the surf, the old cemetery, swiss cheese like shoreline, and all in a kind of industrial nowhere makes it a bit other worldly.

Glass Beach--Mrs. z & I were there just 2-3 days ago. The majority of the beach was a small amount of very finely crushed glass mixed in with a lot of dark colored sand. However if you go all the way to the right (past the small cave) the mixture is different, a lot more glass than sand, and larger pieces. I can see some jewelry being made with some of the larger pieces from that side (think about how small some of the ni'ihau shells are) however the blue book says not to take the glass from the beach.... not sure why but it at least makes sense to leave it so others can enjoy. If they wanted it gone they could come in with a backhoe and scoop it up and put nice clean white sand instead.....

We went during the day and had no issues at all, just a half a dozen other folks there beachcombing and fishing. I can see it being a little weird at night but I'd say that for any unlit beach in a remote industrial area. :)

If you have the blue book you will find it easily. Just take the road east of the ele'ele shopping center towards the south, swing a left onto the road mentioned in the blue book, take that a minute until it turns to dirt and turn right immediately. It'd be a bad situation if it rains because the road is rutted and steep, but if you're reasonably careful and the weather is OK, your rental care will make it. "IF I HAD DRIVEN THERE" (OJ style..get it?) our car "would have made it".

Overall--Mrs. z thought it was not as impressive as she'd hoped.. so don't get your hopes up too high ;)

/pbz

Janet,

Is is on the road that goes past KIUC? I drive there twice a day but have never ventured out past the power plant.....interesting topic.

Marti

Aloha from Kaua'i!

"martik" -- you drive down the harbor road to Port Allen (left at McDonald's) -- just past the big warehouse building for "Red Dirt Shirts" you turn left -- you go past some diesel gas pumps on the left - there are a couple big tanks on the hill on the right -- if you continue past that you will see a rutted dirt road that goes down to the beach area -- that is Glass Beach.

Is that where your hubby works?

Malama Pono,

Janet

Yep! I asked him about it. It's just past the Chevron site across from the power plant (he also works at the one in Lihue). He has driven down to "Glass Beach" and said it was kind of cool. Lot's of neat sea glass. I guess the other stuff down there depends on what's been washed ashore, etc. Reminds me of the place we gather firewood at near salt Pond. I'll have to check it out in December. Learned something new!!! Funny though, I've never seen anyone driving down there. I drop him off and pick him up there every day....