Kahana Bay Beach Park

Beautiful location on Oahu. Visited for the first time on 12/01/2025 and fell in love with the majesty of Kahana Bay. Gives one a surreal feeling of spirituality and peace. If you like quiet, this is the place. Bring a folding chair and relax. Be mindful of the quiet and respect what is here as it feels sacred.

Beach is sandy with a very gradual slope. Can stand up even 40-50 ft from shore. Easy for kids to play and don't have to worry about scraping up on underwater rocks.

Update: we came back and stayed longer to enjoy the tranquility here. The waves were gentle and the views were stunning. The shore had a sandy bottom , thus the color of the water was not as pretty as else where on the island. There were a lot of shady spot to lay out your towels and it was very clean. There were no bathrooms except for two pretty filthy ports-potties.. there were a couple changing stalls and a water faucet to rinse your feet off. A nice little beach/cove right off the highway. There’s no service here, ie., no shower or bathrooms. Plenty of parking spaces. There were children practicing their outriggers here, so that was fun watching them.

Debatably my very favourite beach on the island. It’s usually fairly quiet, and the water is shallow and calm. You’re surrounded by ocean, beach, and mountains.. not sure what else you need 🥹 side note: the cell service in the area is limited ALWAYS REMEMBER to respect the ‘āina (land) and leave it cleaner than you found it. Please show kindness to the locals and support local businesses ❤️

Nice, quiet beach with beautiful views although the water is not as clear/blue as at some other beaches on the island. Very few people, we had the entire beach to ourselves for a while. At the north end of the beach there are restrooms, but the "stalls" are just low walls between toilets for both the men's and women's - a bit weird. In the center of the beach, there is a foot wash shower, 2 port-a-potties, and an enclosure where you could change clothes while someone stands guard (there's no door but the wall wraps around you).

Great little beach of the main tourist path and on a bus route. They have showers and a change area with bathrooms across the road.

Camping: great straight-up on-the-beach spot, it requires a simple permit but there's no campground host. There's not much space or separation between sites, they're just all in a row. Very windy but not chilly. There's outdoor water supply, unsure if potable but convenient for washing off sand. Didn't stay long enough in daylight to see if there were any bathrooms on site. Also the bus stop is right behind campsite 2

Beautiful sunrise morning! The park maintenence and cleanup could use some tending.

This is my new favorite beach! Mostly locals, super calm water and an easy way to just chill!! Looking around this beach screams island life!! The waters are calm and my daughter was pretty far out and the water really shallow. Perfectly place to bring a cooler some snacks, a good book and enjoy a beautiful Hawaii day. That's what we did today. I wish we had brought a small grill, maybe next time. So many cool things to see! Of course it's February and the water was perfect! You can see straight to bottom! I will be back to This beach plenty more!!!

Celebration of Life at the beach on the Windward side of O'ahu, Hawai'i... My high school classmate's Memorial Service was posted on Facebook. I had been working with her son, so I wanted to see him in person and drop off a sympathy card. I asked a bunch of classmates to join me, but Kahana Bay is about a 45-minute drive from Honolulu without traffic. Most people had to work or had other plans. Two gals were able to attend! Towards the end of the journey to Kahana Bay Beach, the road narrows down to one lane. Along the way, the scenery is breathtaking because some of the road is right next to the ocean. Using GPS, I entered the first parking lot, but I didn't see any signs. I parked at the next parking lot - which was for Kahana Bay Camping Site - and I walked on the sand to the Beach Park. I found the large tent with many white picnic tables and benches. I signed in at the reception table and presented my envelope. My friend's son was there - so I had a chance to chat with him before the service. The parking was all free. Some parts of the lot weren't paved. The sand was white and almost powdery-fine in texture. The foliage grew wildly. The shade from the trees was much appreciated. This was a peaceful area with no cell phone service. It was a place where my friend had spent her childhood... and now she has been laid to rest here... Aloha 'oe, Lyanne... until we meet again...

Beautiful place to stop and admire the scenery. The cove is a secluded place to parasail, surf, swim, or play in the sand. Parking and restrooms are available. The restrooms are a little strange since the stalls are half the height of typical stalls. If someone is already in there you may just want to wait until they are finished. We saw some dogs here that seemed homeless. Hopefully we were wrong and their owners were close by. We did not stay too long since it was raining and chilly. Overall, it was a nice place to stop and rest before continuing our drive.

Very scenic small beach area. Great for going for a walk along the waters or taking photos. Water is a bit too rough to swim in though. You can view quite a few hang gliders take off from the cliffs to the left. Parking is free and people do camp in this area.

I absolutely loved this beach! Everyone there was super polite and the beach was very chill. Water was crystal clear and a little rough, but that's ok. Also had a lot of cool greenery around the beach and the rocks were so amazing to see!

Loved the country side of Oahu. You see the true beauty of this Island. Aside from the road that drives through, to me, this is as pure as it gets. No development, no tourist eye sores. Just the land and all her gloriousness.

I've always passed by this park and actually never set foot in till today. I think it was the tents. Some are homeless, some are just camping. The park was decently clean when I went. The local bike store set up some ramp to do bike flips into the river on the east side of the beach. It was just Keiki when I got there so we just walked the beach and let our dog frolic in shallow water. There's a network of trails stemming around the area of the park. There's some run down fishing and hunting communities in the vicinity at Ahupuaa O Kahana State Park across the street . Abandoned cars and appliances. Litter the road to some of the main trailheads. The beach itself is pretty beautiful with a panoramic view of the nearby mountains and relatively calm water. Good shoreline to go for a nice long walk. Wouldn't mind coming back. Seemed pretty chill.

Beautiful mountains. Not the best clear Hawaii ocean water because the river that flows into the bay. But still amazing and serene.

I had just had the most amazing massage, and the last time I had gone, I didn't have time to stop anywhere along the way. I saw this beach on the way to Punaluu, so on my way back I stopped. This is one of those hidden beaches that's not hidden, but during the week, it's not busy at all. Some tourists came by...not very friendly, and some of the cars drive the two lane road a little fast, but once you find a spot, the rest of the world far away. I did wish I had a beach chair, but I sat against a tree and read my book. Good breeze and the soft crash of waves. A great place to relax! I'm not sure what it looks like on the weekend, but I wouldn't come here at that time. There's a porta potty, but if you're too haole for that, walk across the street to the state park, there are restrooms. Aloha!

We were just beach hopping during our family vacation and spotted this area and once again took some shot for my memory book. Beautiful view!

So beautifully serene!! First time camping here but our new favorite spot - we'll be back for years to come!!

Perfect calm beach for the keikis! The road is right behind you, but the beach is clean

Beautiful! My favorite thing about this beautiful beach is that it is not crowded, even on a Saturday afternoon in July. After visiting this beach for a year , I still have never seen it crowded. Easy parking. It's great for swimming, no big waves. The water is freakishly warm and so easy to jump into.

Drive further down for the better beach. The water was brown and the sand wasn't soft

The beach is great. Barely anyone here, some good shady spots and spots in the sun.. What got me when we arrived.. was the trash.. everywhere. Even though we did stay and make the best out of it.. I won't be coming back. My son even found a cup holder floating in the ocean.. saved a small fish from a piece of plastic that held soda cans. My heart broke for this beach.

Five stars. Kahana Bay is always a scenic view when I used to pass through frequently over the years. The bay's waters have been murky lately, but just the view from either side of the bay is just so spectacular. Highly recommend to check it out.

Great place to relax. Not very touristy and not packed at all. The water isn't very clear. Its a bit murky. But Great place for photos too! The waves aren't big so also a great place to learn how to surf and to paddleboard.

Kahana Bay brings back lots of memories growing up. If your from the country side you definitely remember jumping off the tree or the bridge into the fresh water. The beach is so beautiful you must see to appreciate the view with the mountains and ocean. I love how it's sandy so kids can play on the sand or in the shallow. Parking isn't a problem they have parking across the street by the restrooms. There is a shower by the beach as well to rinse off! They have camp ground areas you can get a permit for! I love Kahana Bay!

Visit was Summer 2013 ========== PARKING: unmarked dirt lot under trees WATER TEMP: 5pm - warm; 12am midnight - slightly warm, but can still swim comfortably WATER CLARITY (1 clear - 10 murky): 8-9 WAVES (1 soft - 10 crashing): 7; depends on time, waves in the bay can get pretty high and push you up if you're just floating/treading water THINGS IN WATER: lots of seaweed BEACH SAND (1 soft - 10 rocky): 2 BEACH SIZE: a small bay surrounded by the hillside/mountains, lots of pieces of wood washed up on shore CROWD: campers, para-sailing folks, locals SUN/SHADE: lots of trees, but still an area to catch some rays on the beach ABILITY TO PARTY: bbq area and picnic tables (unsure if reserved for campers though) RESTROOM: port-a-potty WASH AREA: small foot washing station near parking area ========== OVERALL Hidden beach for locals that live on the east side of the island. We loved how fine the sand felt between our toes and how warm the water was, even after sunset! A great place to hang out with friends if you don't want to go to a crowded beach!

It was nice to get away from the crowds at Waikiki Beach but the water here was so murky I was scared to go in too deep. I personally don't like swimming in water where I can't see the bottom... creeps me out. Especially when the possibility of sharks is a reality! There are trees close to the shore so you can stay out of the sun but still be close to the water. There were a few coconuts laying on the sand which I thought was so cool! How Hawaiian! The porta-potty is sooo gross but better than nothing, I guess. There is also a changing "station" so you can change in/out of your swim suit. Parking for about 20 cars.

Back in 1/14. I was just driving around the island and after leaving Haleiwa instead of driving back to Honolulu, I decided to just keep cruising. Couldn't help but to stop in Kahana Beach Park. I was so taken by The View! and thought to myself. "O' I would love to live out here, but that would never happen". Got in my car and kept on driving & dreaming if there was a way that I could live out here! 5 months later I was moving to Makaua Village just 4 minutes from Kahana Bay. I give God the glory for only He made it possible for me.

We were only there at the beach for about twenty minutes and from what I saw this would be a good park to spend some time for a few hours to a couple of days. Since we were just passing by to an other location we decided to stop and take in the views for a few minutes.

Beautiful views of the mountains and the bay. Plenty of roadside parking. The beach was covered in broken glass though. It's a pity for such a pretty spot. There appeared to be homeless people bathing or netting nearby too.

I knew the water wouldn't be clear before arriving. No problem. The beach itself is pretty to look at and not very crowded. But the sand/beach area isn't super clean and is just lackluster. Looks nicer from afar. Glad I stopped and checked it off my list of beaches. No need to return.

Hands down one of the best beaches if you are looking to get away from everyone. Living in Honolulu can get a bit hectic when it comes to the beaches. So many people. While driving back from the North Shore we spotted this beach and had to stop. The site was perfect for teaching some of our friends how to paddle board. Water was very clear once you got a little further out and all the sand. The lack of rocks in the water was the best part. I would for sure go back to this beach and make it my go to paddle board spot.

We only saw locals here. There's a porta potty and picnic benches. Watch out on the sand cuz we had to avoid some dog poop! It can frequently get overcast here also. Otherwise pretty quiet and the waves are pretty small. We came in early April.

I came here with my brother, his friend, and several other UH students to go kayaking. The waves are calm at this bay and it was surprising to find out that we weren't going to kayak on the ocean but going the back way which is just like a calm river. We paddled for about a good hour enjoying the scenery. My brother and I took the double kayak so we were able to power through much of the narrow waterway, my brother steering while I paddled through. This is a great place to do beginner's kayaking and a great place to either picnic, sunbathe, or swim.

Scenic and not crowded. This is a beach to visit to avoid the crowds of Waikiki.

Great hidden beach to stop by and check out. The way it's structured, it curves inwardly so that you get spectacular views all around. It's also one of those beaches that I pass by on the Kamehameha Highway all the time when visiting the area. lots of trees in one part of the beach that you'll have to go through to get to the shore itself. I've also seen quite a few people camp out along the beach or around where the trees are. Waves are pretty calm for the most part.

This review is only for a view. I did a couple of runs right by this little gem of a mini bay around sunset. It looks gorgeous, many locals are here, grilling their food and hangin' out. You would know this place is so cool, unless you walked or ran by. Maybe room for 30 people at most; a small place but special. Easy access, just park on the road.

This beach is horrible!!!! There is plenty of shaded BBQ areas and a Port-a-Potty...... The water is very murky and cold, there is tree debris & coconuts all over the sand. There is a descent stretch of beach, but it wasn't enjoyable. We were there less than 5 min & moved on to Turtle Bay.

Just went camping here. So awesome. Great insta photos. We stayed at camp ground 6. Close enough to cars. And farther away from highway. Check in is 2 pm. And check out is noon. Make sure to have your parking permits. Cops look at your cars at night. Google Kahana camping to get your permit online. 6 people up to 5 cars costs $12.

As you drive by, you can't miss it and you wonder how do I get to it. Easy, park in the unmarked dirt area. The beach itself is small, but beautiful in scenery especially the mountains and the gorgeous waters. It can be humid and/or windy here. But how often can you get a view like this with zero crowds. For us tourist, it is a long way to drive from Waikiki so it may not merit the trek. But if you're driving around the island, pull aside many of these small beaches and absorb the quaint beauty of all of them.

This is one of the North Shore beaches in Hawaii. ABSOLUTELY STUNNING AND BEAUTIFUL. Get away from the city and just close your eyes on the beach and let the sun ray do the work on your skin.

This is a nice beach for a picnic or just to chill. I wouldn't suggest swimming here because for some reason the water looks more brown than clear/blue, and when it washed up to shore the bubbles it left behind were orange! Yes, orange. The sand was so soft and there were many crabs (but they don't bother you). This is also a very secluded beach, which I like.

This is my favourite beach..... And I have been to several on the island. It is so calm and soooooo relaxing. It is great for a family gathering, we had a family cook out and all ages love the area.