Sugar Beach
Overview:
If your picture-perfect vision of Hawaii is enjoying a long, lonely stroll down a windswept, isolated beach, then Sugar Beach is going to be your favorite place on Maui.
Bordered on one side by Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge and Ma'alaea Bay on the other, this undeveloped strip of sand runs for five miles between Ma'alaea and North Kihei.
You can occasionally find waves for bodyboarding on a west or southerly swell, and while it's technically possible to snorkel when it's calm, the island has better spots.
Bordered on one side by Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge and Ma'alaea Bay on the other, this undeveloped strip of sand runs for five miles between Ma'alaea and North Kihei.
You can occasionally find waves for bodyboarding on a west or southerly swell, and while it's technically possible to snorkel when it's calm, the island has better spots.
Good For:
Sunbathing, swimming, standup paddling, bodyboarding, and long walks on the beach.
Not So Good For:
Snorkeling, facilities, finding shade, relentless afternoon tradewinds.
Maui Expert Tip For Sugar Beach:
On most afternoons the wind is relentless, but that doesn't take away from the fact this beach is gorgeous in early morning before the wind picks up.
If you're planning on going for a jog down the beach, avoid high tide since the beach will have a slope. If the wind and waves are calm enough to snorkel, the best section of reef is about a mile north of Kihei Canoe Club.
If you're planning on going for a jog down the beach, avoid high tide since the beach will have a slope. If the wind and waves are calm enough to snorkel, the best section of reef is about a mile north of Kihei Canoe Club.
Directions and Parking Situation:
There are multiple access points for Sugar Beach:
On the southern end, parking is available by Kihei Canoe Club along South Kihei Road, which is right across from ABC Store and Ululani's shave ice. On the northern end, there's a small parking lot at Haycraft Beach Park at the end of Hauoli Road (lock your car and leave valuables out of sight!) Both of these access points have beach showers, port a potties, and sundry stores within walking distance.
In the middle of the beach there's a small parking lot that's right by the Kealia Boardwalk, and this is where you'll also find the widest section of sand.
On the southern end, parking is available by Kihei Canoe Club along South Kihei Road, which is right across from ABC Store and Ululani's shave ice. On the northern end, there's a small parking lot at Haycraft Beach Park at the end of Hauoli Road (lock your car and leave valuables out of sight!) Both of these access points have beach showers, port a potties, and sundry stores within walking distance.
In the middle of the beach there's a small parking lot that's right by the Kealia Boardwalk, and this is where you'll also find the widest section of sand.
Facilities:
There's a beach shower at Haycraft Beach Park on the northern end of the beach, and a basic hose you can use to rinse off in the lot by Kihei Canoe Club. There are port a potties at the northern and southern end, but no public facilities are available on the middle section of beach.
