CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsBeach· Molokai· Hawaii
Papohaku Beach
21° 10.1′ N · 157° 15.6′ W
About two to three miles of wide white sand on Molokai's west shore, one of the largest white-sand beaches in Hawaii, with views across the Kaiwi Channel to Oahu's Diamond Head.
Practical
Papohaku Beach Park has restrooms, showers, picnic tables and grills; camping by permit; no lifeguards (to-hawaii.com). No protecting reef: strong rip currents and open-ocean shorebreak make swimming unsafe except on flat calm days. Kiawe thorns in the sand. From the sea it is an exposed coast in north and west swell; a lunch stop only in calm summer conditions.
Best for
Long empty beach walks and west-end sunsets
Season
Calmest in summer