Maui’s Hidden Gems: The 7 Least Crowded Beach in Maui

A quiet Hawaii beach makes for a great vacation or just relaxation. What are the least crowded beaches on Maui?

What are the least crowded beaches in Maui?

Beaches in Maui without typical crowds include:

• Kaihalulu Red Sand Beach
• Honokalani Black Sand Beach
• Chang’s Beach
• Secret Cove Beach
• Makena Beach

We’ll let you know which beaches in Maui are the best and what kind of amenities they have.

How do you find the least crowded beach in Maui?

Kaihalulu Red Sand Beach

Amongst all the beaches in Maui, we’ll recommend, this is one of the hardest to get to.

A truly secluded beach. Kaihalulu is a bit of a hidden cove, and as you might expect, an uncrowded Hawaiian beach means that there is a blend of beauty and just a bit of hazard here. 

Getting to Kaiahulu might mean walking along cliff edges with the potential for landslides, and according to multiple reviews for the place, sometimes it is just inaccessible.

The plus side: This beach is just a beautiful place to be. Surrounded by volcanic black rock, the water is also quite blue and a sight to see.

We do recommend wearing sandals here as the rocks and sand can be sharp and pointy. As you might suspect, given the hard-to-reach nature of this beach, there aren’t any amenities so bring water, snacks, and everything else you want for a day at the beach with you. 

We call some beaches a secret beach, but this really is one!

Honokalani Black Sand Beach

Black Sand Beach is aptly named for the presence of unique black sand. We should also mention that the waves and currents here are strong, so this is not truly a swimming beach, especially for kids. 

The park surrounding Black Sand Beach offers its own magnificent views in addition to lava caves and other local sights. 

Honokalani is much easier to get to than Kaihalulu, evidenced by a local highway and a parking lot, in addition to a need for reservations that started in 2021.

While we believe this was actually COVID related, the result is having a beach that isn’t overly crowded, which is nice. Also, like Kaihalulu, the rocks, and sand here can be sharp. Make your reservation and go enjoy Black Sand beach!

Chang’s Beach

Chang’s Beach tends to be pretty quiet, though it does have softer sand than the other beaches we already mentioned. 

The sand makes a big difference for kids, who can run on it more easily without sandals on. 

Curiously, reviews from locals also call this a secluded beach, indicating that it isn’t overly touristy, including claims they make video and voice calls from the beach because it isn’t too crowded and makes an excellent backdrop. 

Chang’s is also a calm beach though windsurfing is possible – this is a great place for snorkeling. There are also turtles and palm trees of course at this picturesque beach.

Makena Beach

Makena Beach is a larger beach than most of the places we’ve talked about so far – with sand stretching nearly ⅔ of a mile. 

The sand here is brown and white, and fairly easy to walk on. The state park attached to the beach manages to have a few amenities like a lifeguard, restrooms, and food while remaining relatively quiet and peaceful as an undeveloped beach.

While Makena Beach is known as Big Beach, there is Little Beach nearby. The difference is that Little Beach doesn’t have a lifeguard or any amenities.

Secret Cove

Not far from Makena Beach is a place known as Secret Cove. This isn’t completely secluded, literally despite its own name, but this is a good, quiet, one of Maui’s secluded beaches. Secret Cove has a mix of white sand beach with some volcanic rocks. 

This is more of a beach for wading into the water, but the sizes of the waves here make it less than safe for snorkeling or swimming, especially for kids.

This is a great secret beach though it can be busy.

Slaughterhouse Beach

We are betting you didn’t expect a beach named slaughterhouse! The simple explanation for the name is that there used to be a slaughterhouse nearby until the 1960s. 

Slaughterhouse is in west Maui and has gorgeous cliffs around. This beach is a good place to go surfing and swimming, but in the winter, the water can become dangerous and choppy to some – just be sure to respect both your limits and the ocean!

The best part of this beach is that the parking lot is quite close to the beach – with less than 100 steps needed to find yourself there. 

Despite that, it’s often rather quiet compared to other bigger beaches.

Don’t worry – you won’t get slaughtered either at this hidden beach. West Maui has beautiful beaches!

Lahaina Baby Beach

Baby Beach is a bit different from other beaches. The ocean is actually relatively shallow here and isn’t great for adult swimming. 

An exposed reef also protects the beach from harsh ocean conditions, creating a serene atmosphere. 

Overall, minus the presence of some sharp coral rocks, Baby Beach is a great option for little kids who wouldn’t be interested in surfing or water sports anyway and will enjoy the otherwise soft sand. Kids and soft sand go together well.

Baby Beach isn’t very secluded, but the fact that watersports are available makes it feel like one of the more secluded beaches in Maui.

The area also gives a great view of the other islands of the Hawaiian chain.

What makes beaches in Maui special?

Maui and the other Hawaiian islands have many beaches with many unique specialties. Some will like the look of volcanic rock cliffs in the background. 

Given the number of reefs surrounding Maui, and the depth of the bays, Maui also has a huge variety of beaches that are good at some things and not great for others. 

We suggest checking out a beach on Google Maps or another source to learn more about what beaches in Maui are like.

Key Takeaways

• Maui does have secluded beaches, believe it or not.
• Baby Beach is great for little kids, with its soft sand and palm trees.
• Chang’s Beach, Slaughterhouse Beach, and others have a hidden beach.
• There are many beaches in Maui, some of which are hard to access like Kaihalulu.
• The closest to a secret beach is Kaihalulu.