A collection of travel and adventure stories

Polihale Camping Trip

Description and Directions >>

Description:
Polihale Beach is a long stretch of beach located at the end of the road on the western end of the island of Kauai. The beach is an extension of Barking Sands Beach. From the northern end of Polihale, you can see the beginning cliffs of the Na Pali Coast. A camping area is available.

Activities:
kayaking, hiking, camping, picnicking, swimming, sightseeing

Directions:
To reach Polihale Campground from Hanapepe, travel northwest on Highway 50 to the end of the road at Barking Sands Missile Range. Follow Highway 50 north of the base to a dirt road, which leads through sugar cane fields and toward the mountains. Be prepared for a very bumpy ride. Follow the signs to the state park. At the second sign turn left. From here the park is approximately five miles.

Story Date 6/13/2001
Publish Date 4/15/2004

Story Perspectives >>

According to Mikala: Camping at Polihale is a great experience. If you are looking for campsites with all the amenities, this is probably not the place for you. But the location, privacy and views more than make up for some of the disrepair (see some of the pictures). We had previously camped at Kalalau Beach the year before, where we had to hike a strenuous 11-mile trail. Getting to Polihale is much easier, if you don't mind driving on a bumpy dirt road.

Phil and I were camping with family and friends, so it was a fun time. There weren't many other people around, so we were able to select pretty much any campsite we wanted. Our campsite had a great view of the ocean. Each campsite originally had a picnic table and barbecue, but most of these items are pretty much wasted away. Our campsite table had only one bench. The barbecue was crumbling apart. We had to scramble around for some kind of grate and wedge it on some rocks.

Once everything was set up, we explored, chatted, and relaxed. We enjoyed an old hammock that had been left tied to the trees at our campsite. Later on, we all headed closer to the beach to watch a fabulous sunset. It was awesome. After sunset, we enjoyed a great barbecue dinner. That night, there was a full moon, which was so bright; we didn't need any flashlights to walk around camp. The sight of the full moon rising over the dark cliffs in the back of the campground was surreal. The stars were also very bright here. I would have to say that the first night was one of the best camping experiences I have ever had.

The next day, we enjoyed laying around the beach and wading in the water. Polihale has miles of white sand beach, so we were not surrounded by many people. Some of our group headed into the water to swim. The waves at Polihale are very strong and looked dangerous. I would not recommend swimming for anyone who is a little anxious about the water (like me). We enjoyed another fantastic sunset that day.

The second night, I started noticing more of the bugs around camp: big cane spiders, cockroaches, flying gnats. I was wondering why I didn't notice any of these the first night. I guess my senses were so overwhelmed by the beauty of the place. Oh well...that's camping for you. This is a very peaceful and beautiful place to spend with nature.