Avoid the Crowds by Visiting These 11 Hawaiʻi Spots

Hawaiʻi welcomes millions of visitors every year, so it may seem hard—sometimes impossible!—to escape the crowds, especially during peak travel seasons.

But there are beaches, trails, parks and places a little off the beaten path, not highlighted in guide books, and not all over social media. Here are 11 of our favorite less-crowded locales.

Waimānalo Beach, Oʻahu

Waimānalo Beach on Oʻahu.
Photo: Getty Images/SOYEONG KANG

Up until Dr. Beach named it the best public beach of 2015, Waimānalo Beach on Oʻahu’s Windward Side wasn’t on many visitors’ radars. And it’s still not nearly as popular—or as crowded—as Lanikai and Kailua beaches just 8 miles away. Its unassuming location along a single-lane highway in the rural neighborhood—with its farms and flower nurseries—has kept visitors away. Simply because they miss it! At 5.5 miles, it’s the longest stretch of sand on Oʻahu, with calm conditions great for swimming, snorkeling and sunbathing.

Waimea, Hawaiʻi Island

Horseback riding in Waimea on Hawaiʻi Island.
Photo: Courtesy of Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority/Heather Goodman

While most visitors to Hawaiʻi Island head to Kailua-Kona, there’s a quaint town 40 miles north that feels like a different world. Rolling hills, green pastures, vast ranch lands—this is Waimea (or Kamuela), where paniolo (Hawaiian cowboys) still work the land. You can dine at farm-to-table eateries, ride horses, wander farmers markets and shop at cute boutiques. Head north along Kohala Mountain Road (Highway 250) and you’ll find yourself in Hāwī, a former site of the Kohala Sugar Mill and a tiny neighborhood with plantation-style buildings housing boutiques and cafés. The lookout to Pololū Valley is here, too.

Polihale State Park, Kauaʻi

Polihale State Park on Kauaʻi.
Photo: Getty Images/YinYang

You’ll need a four-wheel drive vehicle to get here, but trust us, Polihale State Park will be worth it. The park is located 30 miles northwest of Poʻipū, at the end of Kaumualiʻi Highway. The 5-mile dirt road to the state park isn’t well-paved—hence the 4WD—and may flood during periods of heavy rain. But the challenge in getting to this remote beach, with the Nāpali cliffs looming overhead, is exactly why it’s uncrowded. Swimming is great in the calmer summer months, and sunsets are breathtaking. You can even camp here.

Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge, Kīhei, Maui

Walking along the boardwalk in Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge on Maui.
Photo: Courtesy of Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority/Mathieu Duchier

Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge on Maui was established in 1992 to protect the habitat of two endangered wetland birds—the ae‘o and ‘alae ke‘oke‘o. Spanning 700 acres, it’s one of the few natural wetlands remaining in the Hawaiian Islands and it’s the largest lowland wetland on Maui. You can visit this national refuge and walk along its coastal boardwalk, which is open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Located next to Mā‘alaea Bay, walk through these ancient wetlands and catch glimpses of the Hawaiian coot and Hawaiian stilt, and other migratory and shorebirds. It’s tranquil and peaceful—and a perfect escape.

The Kahuku Unit, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Hawaiʻi Island

Hikers rest atop a puʻu in the Kahuku Unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
Photo: Courtesy of the National Park Service/Janice Wei

Located on the slopes of Mauna Kea, the Kahuku Unit, a often-forgotten part of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Nattional Park, was once one of the biggest cattle ranches in Hawaiʻi, producing beef and hides for more than 150 years. These 116,000 acres are now part of the national park with several hiking trails and a fraction of the crowd. Some of the options for day hikes include the 2-mile Puʻu o Lokuana loop along historic ranch roads to a hidden pasture to the Glover Trail that skirts a pit crater with a pristine Hawaiian rainforest within its sheer walls.

Hāna, Maui

Hāmoa Beach in Hāna, Maui.
Photo: Getty Images/digital94086

It takes about three hours along Hāna Highway to get from Kahului to the sleepy coastal town on the rugged eastern coastline of Maui. While many people make the 52-mile drive, not many actually stay in Hāna, considered one of the last unspoiled frontiers in the Islands. You can stay at the luxurious Hāna-Maui Resort, walk around the historic Hasegawa General Store and Hāna Ranch store, lounge the uncrowded Hāmoa Beach or the black sand beach in Waiʻānapanapa State Park (advanced reservations required), or visit Hale Piʻilani, the state’s largest heiau (Hawaiian temple). Ten miles beyond Hāna is the Kīpahulu district of Haleakalā National Park, where you can hike to the 400-foot Waimoku Falls.

Kōkeʻe State Park, Kauaʻi

Hiker looking into Waimea Canyon on Kauaʻi.
Photo: Getty Images/pawel.gaul

The drive to get to Kōkeʻe State Park on Kauaʻi—a 90-minute drive from Līhuʻe Airport—is part of the reason why this state park isn’t crowded with visitors. Sure, many make the drive to the Waimea Canyon Lookout, but fewer drive all the way to the park (advanced reservations required), located between 3,200 and 4,200 feet above sea level. The park offers about 45 miles of hiking trails—some of the best in the state—through a diversity of terrain and ecosystems. See native plants and birds like the ‘apapane and ‘amakihi. You can stay overnight in cabins or at one of the park’s campsites.

Mānoa Valley, Oʻahu

Lyon Arboretum in Mānoa on Oʻahu.
Photo: Catherine Toth Fox

Verdant Mānoa Valley on Oʻahu is a quick drive from the congested neighborhoods of Waikīkī and Downtown Honolulu. There are hiking trails, lush gardens and a recently updated neighborhood shopping center with great eateries and shops. Visit the 200-acre Lyon Arboretum, a public botanical garden with more than 7 miles of hiking trails, or grab a coffee and housemade scone at Waioli Kitchen & Bake Shop, which has a lovely outdoor setting area that’s relaxing and beautiful. You can even visit the small grass shack that writer Robert Louis Stevenson stayed in for the six months he lived in Hawaiʻi; it’s located on the property.

Pololū Valley, Hawaiʻi Island

It takes more than 2 hours to drive from Hilo to Pololū Valley on Hawaiʻi Island.
Photo: Getty Images

At the end of Highway 270 is the Pololū Valley Overlook on the northeastern coast of Hawaiʻi Island. Gaze at the verdant cliffs or walk down the trail to the rocky, black sand beach. Ancient Hawaiians cultivated taro in this lush valley.

Lānaʻi

Hulopoʻe Bay on Lānaʻi.
Photo: Courtesy of Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority/Heather Goodman/@hbgoodie

There are only about 3,000 residents on the island of Lānaʻi, of which Oracle founder Larry Ellison owns 97 percent. Much of it is still untouched and pristine, with few paved roads and hardly any visitors. (The beaches here are virtually empty.) Lānaʻi City is the main town, founded in the early 1900s as a plantation town during the island’s booming pineapple industry. Today, most of the island’s shops and restaurants are located here. There are two luxe accommodations on the island—The Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi, which overlooks Hulopoʻe Bay, and Sensei Lānaʻi, an upscale wellness resort. The 1930s-era Hotel Lānaʻi is a charming boutique hotel with just 11 guest rooms and a popular restaurant.

 Molokaʻi

Scenic view of aliʻi loko iʻa (fishpond) at sunrise on Molokaʻi.
Photo: Courtesy of Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority/Heather Goodman

Molokaʻi may have more residents than Lānaʻi—around 7,000 at last count—but the island feels open and spacious. It’s the fifth-largest island, only 38 miles long and 10 miles across at its widest point, but it boasts the highest sea cliffs in the world and the longest continuous fringing reef. The rural, laid-back lifestyle here makes you feel like you’re truly on vacation. There are no stop lights or tall buildings. Just palm trees, empty beaches and lots of room to breathe.