Kamaole Beach Maui: Kihei's Family Beach Trio

Kamaole Beach Maui is three beach parks in a row on South Kihei Road - Kam I, Kam II, and Kam III - and together they're the best family beaches on the island: a mile and a half of golden sand, calm morning water, full facilities, and a lifeguard tower on each one.

Here's the part the brochures skip: the parking is the one part of a free beach that's no longer free, the three beaches differ, and the afternoon wind treats your towel like a sail. None of it is a reason to skip Kamaole Beach - just to come early and know which Kam you want. This guide covers which beach is which, swimming and snorkeling, parking, timing, and where Kamaole fits on the south shore, for families and first timers. Conditions and facilities are current as of June 2026.

Table of Contents

• Kam I, Kam II, and Kam III: which is which
• Swimming, snorkeling, and the lifeguards
• Parking, facilities, and directions
• The best time to go
• Nearby south Maui beaches and where to stay
• FAQ

01

Kam I, Kam II, and Kam III: which Kamaole beach is which

The single most useful thing to know is that the three Kamaole Beach Parks are not the same, and locals pick on purpose. They number them like sequels - Kam 1, Kam 2, Kam 3 - and opinions differ on which is best. All three are located along South Kihei Road within a mile and a half, with lifeguards, restrooms, and picnic areas, and the rocky points between them hold what little marine life Kamaole has.

Kamaole Beach Park I (Kam I)

Kam I is the biggest at about a third of a mile, with the calmest, clearest waters - the swimmer's pick, and the easiest beach access for families and children. Its quiet north end is Charley Young Beach, a residential pocket reached by a stairway off Kaiau Place that most visitors miss.

Kamaole Beach Park II (Kam II)

Kam II is the shortest beach and the steepest sand, tucked between two rocky points. The soft golden sand makes it the sunbathing and sandcastle beach; the points hold the best of Kamaole's modest snorkeling, particularly on a calm, clear morning.

Kamaole Beach Park III (Kam III)

Kam III is the smallest beach but the biggest park - a huge grassy area with a playground, BBQ grills, volleyball, and picnic tables, the local pick for a whole-day spot. The waters run rougher, so Kam 3 is the bodyboarding beach and the famous sunset beach. The whole neighborhood shows up with a cooler; you should too.

02

Swimming, snorkeling, and the lifeguards at Kamaole Beach

For swimming, the Kamaole Beach Parks are some of the easiest entries in the area - a sandy bottom, a gentle shelf, and calm morning waters, calmest at Kam I. These are the family beach parks, so the headline feature isn't the snorkeling, it's the three lifeguard towers, on duty daily, which on Maui is three more than most beaches get. A green sea turtle (honu) wanders in to graze the shoreline rocks now and then; give any turtle at least 10 feet, per NOAA Fisheries.

Snorkeling here is a bonus, not the reason to come. The reef is thin and lives on the rocky points between the beaches, and the best snorkel spots are off the points at Kam II on a calm morning. If snorkeling is the whole point, the better reefs are a few minutes away at Keawakapu and Ulua, and the marquee trip is Molokini, the crater you can't reach from shore. Our best snorkeling in Maui guide sorts the reefs by who they're for.

The flip side of the calm is the shore break at Kam III, which folds a boogie boarder in half, gently, when the surf is up. A big swell can stir rip currents, and there's no lifeguard after hours, so check the state's ocean safety report and watch the kids.

Photo: Randall Omel on Unsplash

The move: Swim at Kam I, snorkel the points at Kam II, save Kam III for the lawn and sunset. Good for: Families, beginner swimmers, easy beach days. Note: No lifeguard after hours.

03

Kamaole Beach Park parking, facilities, and directions

Getting to Kamaole Beach Park is simple - it runs right along South Kihei Road, with a paved lot behind each of the three beach parks and crosswalks between them. From Kahului airport it's about 25 minutes down South Kihei Road, often past Kihei restaurants worth a stop; from West Maui, closer to an hour.

Here's the 2026 change the brochures still call free: the lots are now metered under Maui County's PARK MAUI program - residents park free with a Hawaii license, everyone else pays. On weekends and holidays the Kam I and III lots go residents only until 10am, so non-residents should aim for a weekday morning or Kam II, and check current rates in the ParkMobile app. The sand itself is free and public, as every Hawaii beach is by law; it's the parking that found a way to charge admission.

Facilities are the real draw and they're genuinely full: restrooms, outdoor showers, picnic tables, BBQ grills, and a playground and volleyball at Kam III. This is what makes the Kamaole Beach Parks ideal for families, and why locals pick them over the prettier but barer beaches up the coast.

• A beach umbrella or shade - the grassy parks have some tree shade, the sand has none.
• Reef safe mineral sunscreen - the chemical kind is banned in Hawaii, and the south shore burns you through a hazy sky.

The move: Park behind the beach you want, app ready. Cost: Residents free; visitors pay (check PARK MAUI). Note: Lots gate around 8pm.

04

The best time to visit Kamaole Beach Maui

The best time to go is early in the morning, when the waters are glassy, the lot is open, and the families haven't claimed the lawn yet. By midafternoon the onshore trade winds pick up, kick up small waves and chop, and treat your towel like a sail - fine for a walk, rough on a swim. South Maui is the island's driest coast, so the Kamaole Beach Parks make a reliable beach day most months, and the water activities are best before the wind.

The exception to the morning rule is sunset, which belongs to Kam III. Kamaole Beach Park III faces west, with views toward the islands of Lanai and Kahoolawe, so the sun drops into the ocean rather than behind a hill; the grassy area fills with locals and coolers, and it's the best free sunset spot on this stretch. From about December into April it doubles as whale watching - humpbacks (koholā) winter in the channel offshore, and you'll spot spouts from the sand, particularly in the calm of the morning, between the kids' sandcastles. Summer can send a south swell that bumps up the shore break and the waves, so check conditions before you let children in. Following a big swell the waters take a day to settle, especially at Kam III, where the shore break is strongest.

Photo: Ganapathy Kumar on Unsplash

The move: Morning for the calm and parking, Kam III for the sunset. Best months: April to October for calm water; December to April for whales.

05

Nearby south Maui beaches and where to stay near Kamaole

The Kamaole Beach Parks anchor the Kihei beach strip, and the rest of the area's beaches are a short drive south, all located along the same sunny coast. Keawakapu Beach is the quieter, longer beach just past Kam III, with easier snorkeling; Ulua Beach in Wailea is the beginner-snorkel cove a few minutes further; and the manicured Wailea resort beaches sit beyond that. For how they all stack up, our best beaches in Maui guide maps the area's beaches end to end, and our other Maui travel guides cover where to stay near Kamaole.

Where to stay is the easy part: Kihei is where you stay when you'd rather spend the money on the beach day than the view of it. The Maui Coast Hotel sits a short walk from Kam II, the closest real hotel to the sand:

For a Wailea splurge a few minutes south, the Grand Wailea is the marquee pick; our where to stay in Maui guide compares the regions:

So, is it worth it? Yes - if you've got kids, Kamaole Beach Maui is the most useful beach on the island, with a lifeguard, a lawn, and a bathroom all in one stop. Come early, pick your Kam, and the only thing you pay for is the parking. Skip Kam III if you want the calmest swim, and skip the midday Saturday scene if you want quiet. We run beach picnics on Oahu, not Maui, so we've no stake in your plans here. For the quieter beach next door, read the Keawakapu Beach guide next.

FAQ: Kamaole Beach Maui

Can you walk between the three Kamaole beaches?

Yes. A sidewalk runs along South Kihei Road past all three, and at low tide you can walk much of it on the sand. End to end it's about a mile and a half, so most people drive and park behind the one they want.

Which Kamaole beach is best for kids?

Kam I for swimming, Kam III for the park. Kam I has the calmest water; Kam III has the playground, the grassy lawn, the BBQ grills, and the most facilities. Many families base at Kam III and walk down to the water from the lawn.

Is Kamaole Beach free?

The beach is free; the parking is not anymore. Every beach in Hawaii is public by law, so there's no charge to use the sand. The lots, though, are now metered under the PARK MAUI program - residents free with a Hawaii license, visitors pay.

What does "Kamaole" mean?

It translates to "the childless one," or barren. The name described the dry, sparse landscape long before the lawns and condos arrived - a coast that, ironically, is now one of the island's most family-loved beaches.

Cover photo: Alan Rodriguez on Unsplash.