Kauapea Beach — Attraction in Kauai

One of my favorite beaches on Kauai! Also called "Secret Beach". Parking can be found by mapping to Kauapea (Secret) Beach trail head. There's a short drive on a dirt road to get there and parking spots are limited and in a residential area so it's important to be respectful and not block the road/driveways.. I'm sure on weekends and peak season it gets busier, but I've always found it to be much quieter and more chill here than other popular beaches. This is probably due to the short but steep climb down to the beach. It's not too tough, but can be dangerous after rain (which of course is common). I'm a destination wedding photographer and I love this location for elopement ceremonies and sunset portraits. (Note you do need a permit for ceremonies/photos here). The beach is long with wide stretches of sand, some small streams, and lava rock "cliffs". No bathrooms or amenities here. On clear days, the sunsets...

Hands down one of the best beaches in Kauai. Also known as Secret Beach. To find this beach, follow the directions which leads you on a dirt road in front of a residence. Take the path to the left of the private residence. It is a fair hike down but not too difficult. You can see the Kilauea lighthouse from the beach up on the cliff. It is truly a beautiful, pristine spot. At the very far end of the beach (on our last visit while walking the entire length of the beach), we noticed some nudity in the distance past the rocks. Stay away from that end if you want to avoid that. We had never encountered that before and we've been here several times. This is also a great spot for surfers if you are willing to carry your board down the path. The surf is esp. rough in January with explosive waves. Not really a swimming beach but you can dip in and get cooled off along the shore....

We had one of the best times of our lives at “Secret Beach” enjoying the seclusion and beauty of this wonderful beach. The trail in was relatively short but fairly steep. We were warned not to swim because the strong currents had the potential to take us on a one-way trip to Guam (a great test of how long we could tread water that we decided to forego). But we had this gorgeous beach all to ourselves for a good part of two days, and shared it with a maximum of two others (who were friendly tourists, and one took our picture for us). It could be that my memory is a little fonder because it was our honeymoon… but objectively this is a spectacular place. It even has a little waterfall and a view of the lighthouse that marks the north side of Kawaii. The only caveat is that it may have changed in the ensuing 39 years—but the aerial photos suggest it is still enchanting...