This is in my thought the best beach in Hawaii (that i've been to). Getting to the beach is a little tricky. Follow the signs for Polihale state park and look for a dirt road to the left.. pretty close to the end of the highway. The signs say park closed but i go ahead and ignore that. The dirt road is a bit bumpy and muddy at times....especially if was after a heavy rain, but forge forward and you'll find yourself at a fork in the road where a huge tree stands. I think i saw a few other reviews say go to the left... but we took a right and that led us to the end of the 17 mile long beach where the south end of the Napali coast line begins. The 5 mile dirt road took as about 30 min to get through.

why is the beach so great...because no one really goes there...My wife and i were the only two soles on the beach that we could see at one time (remember the beach is 17 miles long). The sand is soo soft that your foot sinks in about 4-5 inches when you walk...you'll get a nice work out there. Be careful going into the ocean though.. the waters are a bit rough. Try to get there a few hours before sunset... it gets a bit more busy then.

I was camping in Kauai at Anini Beach and decided to try out Polihale for a nite. It was amazing. After traveling down a dirt road for 35-40 minutes in a Chevy Trailblazer, I found a campsite near a local. He didnt have 4WD as he was driving an old Honda Accord and didnt need it to get to his site. But mine was another 20 feet or so and a 4WD was necessary if I wanted to park right on top of my tent. The site was directly overlooking the beach but not actually on the beach. The nite was perfectly clear and I never saw so many stars/planets in my life! The temperature at nite was perfect too. During the next morning , I drove to the end of the beach where the Napali Coast starts and just looked up at the mountain in sheer disbelief ( 4WD needed to get to this point as the road was unpacked sand in spots). I did get a permit for the nite but noone ever came around tocheck. The condtion of the dirt road was not good (pothole city) and I doubt if the ranger frequently takes the trip (5 miles in and out) to check permits. Definitely worth it!

Polihale Beach is incredible! We were staying on the east shore and we went there two days because we enjoyed it so much! At first, the long dirt road leading there is kind of creepy, but totally worth it! This beach is not crowded at all either. There is no shade there so be sure to take plenty of water to drink with you and an umbrella if you would like shade. Also, be careful of the extremely hot sand. Wear your shoes during the walk down. This side of the island rarely ever gets rain, therefore the sand never cools down. If you're going to Kauai, you have to go to Polihale!

Hot dry side of the island, but a lot less crowded especially since everyone leaves right after sunset to get back to their hotels. We only camped here one night. The facilities are less than crummy, with a shower in the back that we didn't notice until to late, and there were loud locals here, but not as bad as the county campgrounds. It cooled off surprisingly at night, which was welcoming. We arrived two hours before sunset and left at around 10am, I don't know about being there during the hot of the day, it would be pretty awful and sticky.. but if you are truly a beach bum, you'll love this beach more than any other on Kauai. Bring a 4Wheel drive if possible, not needed, but would of been nice to have so we could of driven right up to the site and possibly even camp on the beach. It is a 30 minute bumpy ride to the camping on a unpaved road.