Getting to the sand
Kaanapali Beach parking, all 196 stalls.
Kaanapali has no public beach lot in the ordinary sense. It has 196 free public stalls hidden inside seven resort properties, two free county lots at either end, and one paid garage. Here is every one of them, and the law that says nobody can turn you away.
- Free resort stalls
- 196 across 7 properties
- Free county lots
- Hanakaoʻo · Kahekili
- Paid option
- $8/hr · $50 day cap
- Arrive by
- 8:00 a.m. (inter-resort)
- Your right
- HRS §115-5
The short answer
Before 8 a.m., take one of the small resort public-access lots — they put you closest to the sand. After 8 a.m., go straight to Hanakaoʻo Beach Park at the south end or Kahekili Beach Park at the north. Both are free county lots, both hold spaces all day, and both have restrooms and showers.
If you are set on being near Black Rock and it is midday, the Whalers Village garage is the honest fallback: $8 an hour, capped at $50 a day, with validation available on a minimum purchase.
The 196 stalls nobody publishes
Seven properties along Kaanapali are required to provide free public beach-access parking. These are not a courtesy — they are conditions attached to the Special Management Area permits the developers were granted in the late 1970s and 1980s, and they are entirely separate from guest and employee parking. The county minimum for the resort area is 192 stalls. The actual count is 196.
| Property | Public stalls | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa | 74 | Two above requirement. The biggest public block, at the south end of the resort strip. |
| Marriott's Maui Ocean Club | 30 | Access off Nohea Kai Drive, shared with the Kaanapali Alii public access. |
| Westin Maui Resort & Spa | 30 | Mid-beach. Walk out past the pools to the beach walk. |
| Whalers Village | 21 | Designated public beach-access stalls — separate from the paid garage below. |
| Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa | 20 | The closest parking to Black Rock and the sunset ceremony. |
| Kaanapali Alii | 11 | One above requirement. Condition of a 1979 SMA permit. |
| OUTRIGGER Kaanapali Beach Resort | 10 | Shares the Kaanapali Beach Public Access Trail with the Sheraton. |
| Total | 196 | County requirement: 192 |
Source: The Maui News, April 2016, reporting the compliance audit by Michele Chouteau McLean, then Deputy Director of the Maui County Planning Department. These are 2016 figures — treat them as a baseline. We are confirming current counts with the Zoning Administration & Enforcement Division, and the 2026 beach restoration plan promises “additional beach parking,” so the number may change. No other travel site publishes this breakdown at all.
The two free county lots — your reliable option
South end
Hanakaoʻo Beach Park
Also called Canoe Beach, off Honoapiʻilani Highway near mile marker 23.4. Free, no time limits, restrooms, showers, picnic tables, pavilions and barbecues.
This is the only lifeguarded spot on Kaanapali — tower staffed 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. It is a 10–15 minute walk north along the sand to the main resort beach. Outrigger canoe clubs launch here; give them room during practice.
North end
Kahekili Beach Park
“Airport Beach,” off Kai Ala Drive from Hwy 30 near mile marker 25.1. Free, ample, with restrooms, showers, a covered pavilion, barbecues and lawn.
No lifeguard. About 15 minutes’ walk south along the beach walk to Black Rock — and the best beginner snorkeling on this coast is right in front of the lot, so many people never make the walk.
The Whalers Village garage
$8 an hour, capped at $50 for the day. Mall hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Validation is available with a minimum purchase at Whalers Village stores and restaurants — and this is where we are going to be annoying and refuse to give you a number.
Why we will not tell you how many hours validation gets you
Because nobody actually knows. The official Whalers Village FAQ says only “validation with a minimum purchase” and states no hours. Competing guides confidently say “3 free hours then $2 per half hour,” “2 hours free,” and “$2 per 30 minutes” — three different answers, none of which reconcile with the published $8/hour rate.
We are calling Whalers Village and will publish the verified terms here. Until then: budget for the posted rate and treat validation as a bonus.
What time to arrive
| Time | Inter-resort lots | County lots |
|---|---|---|
| Before 7:30 a.m. | Wide open. Best pick of the beach. | Empty. |
| 7:30 – 8:00 a.m. | Filling fast. | Plenty. |
| 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. | Usually full. | Comfortable. |
| 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Full. Circling does not help. | Spaces most days. |
| After 3:00 p.m. | Turnover begins. | Fine. |
A 2016 complaint to the county alleged that roughly half the public stalls were taken by commercial vendors by 9 a.m. Whether or not that is still true, the practical effect is the same: the small lots are an early-morning option, not a midday one.
If you are coming for the sunset ceremony, arrive at least an hour before sunset. Everyone on the beach has the same idea at the same time.
Your legal right to be on this beach
This is the part every other guide skips, and it is the part that matters if someone in a polo shirt tells you the lot is for guests only.
Sources: Hawaii DLNR Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (beach access and transit corridors); HRS Chapter 115 and Chapter 205A; The Maui News, February 2018 (the Kaanapali Alii Notice of Violation). We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice — it is what the statutes and the county enforcement record say.
The public access trails
Kaanapali Beach Public Access Trail
Runs between the Sheraton Maui and the OUTRIGGER Kaanapali Beach Resort, coming out on the sand just south of Puʻu Kekaʻa. This is the one you want for Black Rock, for the snorkel entry and for the ceremony. The Puʻu Kekaʻa historical marker stands on the beach walk just north of it.
Nohea Kai Drive access
Between Kaanapali Alii and Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club, mid-beach. Handy for the middle of the resort strip, Whalers Village and the calmest swimming water.
From Honoapiʻilani Highway (Hwy 30), the turn for the resort area is Kaanapali Parkway near mile marker 24. Full driving detail, drive times and the beach map are on the map and directions page.
One thing worth knowing before you walk out
The south end of the beach walk is an active erosion work zone as of summer 2026, with detours in front of the Hyatt Regency. If you park at Hanakaoʻo and plan to walk north, expect to be routed inland for part of it.
Free field guide
The field guide has the full parking map — every lot, every access trail, walk times, and what to do when they are all full. Twelve pages, on your phone, before you get in the car.
FAQ
Parking and access questions
Is parking free at Kaanapali Beach?
Yes, if you know where to look. Seven resort properties are required by their development permits to provide free public beach-access parking — 196 stalls in total — and two free county park lots book-end the beach. The Whalers Village garage is paid at $8 an hour, capped at $50 a day, with validation available on a minimum purchase.
Can a resort tell me there is no beach parking after a certain hour?
Generally, no. Public beach parking is supposed to be available around the clock. In February 2018 the Kaanapali Alii was issued a Notice of Violation and a $1,000 fine by Maui County’s Zoning Administration and Enforcement Division after staff told a visitor there was no beach parking after certain hours — the property is required to keep at least ten public stalls available all day, seven days a week. Some properties are permitted to close a beach lot overnight for security, but only where alternative beach parking is readily available and clearly signed.
What time should I arrive to get a parking spot at Kaanapali?
Before 8 a.m. for the small inter-resort access lots — they are the first to fill, and a 2016 county complaint alleged that half were taken by commercial vendors by 9 a.m. Hanakaoʻo Beach Park at the south end and Kahekili Beach Park at the north hold spaces longest and are your fallback at midday.
Where is the public beach access at Black Rock?
The Kaanapali Beach Public Access Trail runs between the Sheraton Maui and the OUTRIGGER Kaanapali Beach Resort, coming out on the sand just south of Puʻu Kekaʻa. There is a second public access off Nohea Kai Drive between Kaanapali Alii and Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club.
Do I have a legal right to use the beach in front of a resort?
Yes. Shoreline public access in Hawaii is a common-law right held equally by residents and visitors, and the beach transit corridor — the area seaward of the shoreline — is public property protected under HRS §115-5 and §205A-1. Intentionally preventing someone from traversing a beach transit corridor is a misdemeanor, with penalties escalating to $1,000 and $2,000 on repeat convictions.
Who wrote this
Written and photographed on Maui by Shane Perry. Every fee, rule, stall count and hazard on this site is checked against a primary source — the county, the state, the resort, the marker on the beach — before it goes on the page. Where the sources disagree, we say so instead of picking the one that reads best.
Last reviewed · July 2026 · Corrections welcome