Big Beach in Makena State Park

BIG beach, it has been 10 years since I have been back. The sand is like a sugar scrub for your feet. It can be crowded, but plenty of space to spread out. Easy parking, access, and cute lifeguards. :) Just be aware of the waves can be strong to knock you down.

Yes, this is a BIG BEACH. This beach is long and the sand is like sugar in your feet. THe water is enjoyable and I remember the day I went, they did have a Shark sighting warning. Still went in the water though and all was find.
Came a little earlier to avoide the crowds, the access was easy and they do have toilets. I was looking for a food truck but did not see one. I was told there would be one, but its a beach so no big deal. Bring your surfboad!

The sand was sandy. My dog got dirty which in turn made my car dirty. The water was salty and I had to take a shower when I got home. One lady had my exact bathing suit on in pink and she was skinnier than me. What a jerk. The sun gave me red spots on my face and a stupid turtle kept trying to swim near me. Overall, I’m not sure who runs this beach, but they aren’t doing a good job.

Nice place to spend the day if you don’t mind sharing. Can be crowded.
Easy parking.
Easy access.
Toilets.
Lifeguards.
Food Truck at north parking lot.
For all those reasons it’s very inviting to most anyone. Crowded.
It’s a very wide, clean, sandy beach. With a nice sandy bottom for swimmers. Even when the surf is coming in fairly good you can still get out past it and relax and enjoy. If you are smart and familiar with various ocean conditions.

Nice soft sand. Great place to snorkel. Saw a turtle! Does get a bit crowded but worth it if you get there early.

Let me speak people. This a review of Big Beach in December.
This beach has a lot of potential, but what I’m trying to say is that it’s not a 5 star beach every single day. It has one star days here and there and on December 14^th, 2015, it was a one star beach. As I was sitting on the beach, I saw a white male eagerly walking with his bodyboard onto the beach. As soon as this man saw the waves, he stopped, put his head down, and continued to walk to the beach, with the life sucked out of him. This was my exact emotion as I saw the beach today. It was gloomy, there were no waves. maybe 75 degrees with no sun. I guess as December comes, South Maui gets ready for the winter time.
Definitely would not recommend coming here to bodyboard. Waves crash directly into the sand. YOU will hurt yourself. This beach is for chillin and surfin.
I’m sure there are tons of people that love this place, and 80% of the time it’s perfect. But on this December day, it sucked. Even Jesus had his bad days, but just no one Unilocaled about it.

Huuuuge beach. Few people. Great soft sand, but you’ll want slippers or shoes if you’re walking near trees as those trees with the hooked spike drop their pointy pods. Trust me, you don’t want to have one of those in your tender tootsies.
Surf had wicked shore break today. Caution is needed, that wave can bang you around in no time.
People watching your thing? We watched a hilarious number of folks enter the water who might want to consider a snorkel lesson. Seriously, one dude put on his gear and CRAWLED into the surf.
There are two lifeguard stations-​each with its own parking lot. Great PA system-​someone turned in found car keys and we could clearly hear the announcement over the crashing surf. Good to know if there’s an emergency announcement. We’ve been pulled out previous years for sharks in the area, it’s good to be informed.
Porta-​potties… fairly clean, but wish they were closer to the beach.
Parking lot not busy this year. We got to park in the main lot. In the shade at 11 am!

Lovely beach but big, thundering waves/​surf. Be warned if you’re bring the little ones, Big Beach, Makena isn’t suitable for children. I had a great time with my brother in law and nephew (as we are adults), but my poor son couldn’t jump in the water with us because of the strong waves and currents. Even as adults, we were knocked over a few times by the big waves.
Lifeguard on duty. Even the lifeguard made an announcement as a warning. Just make sure you «dive under the waves» and face towards the waves and don’t get hurt. If you can do all that and understand the signs and instructions by the lifeguards, you’ll have fun. You don’t get big rough waves like these at Big Beach in LA.
Big parking lot, porta-​potties and a food truck nearby. No umbrella or beach chair service here. Go for the big waves and views!

I had to pick a favorite for my 100^th review! BIGGS! It’s one of our favorite beaches here on Maui.
This is one of those beaches with pure emotion. If you haven’t been there to see, hear and FEEL the waves, you won’t understand. After you’ve been here, you’ll get it.
Parking. We always park at the first entrance. There are 3 lots to choose from.
Parking tip: Get there early so you can save yourself a long walk. Big beach is a local and a tourist spot so it fills up. Especially on weekends. Get up and get to the beach.
A few other tips:
*Hit the porta-​potties on the way in to the beach.
*Bring a hat, sunscreen and water – you can thank me later.
*Listen to the lifeguard. The shore break here is really strong and unlike so many other beaches.
*Do not turn your back to the ocean. Especially here.
*Don’t go over the hill unless you want to see lots of skin.
*Do go up to the top of the hill (all the way to the right when looking at the beach) and turn around and take a picture. It’s a beautiful sight to see.
*If you visit in winter (Dec-​March), watch straight out at the island of Kaho’olawe and patiently wait for whales to breech. They will – and you will get to enjoy seeing the big splashes.
*I’ve also seen dolphins here. Keep your eye on the water.
*Do pick up trash, keep the beach clean and spread the aloha.
This is a super great beach with so much room to spread out. It’s also a beach where lots of people are hurt, so watch the local kids and throw them a shaka. Just don’t try to copy them. It usually doesn’t end up going so well.
See you at biggs!

This is a lovely beach, but the waves and surf are very rough, and if you are a tourist you probably shouldn’t be in the water. There is usually a food truck for lunch, and beautiful views across the water.

Boy this beach sure has changed since the last time we visited 16+ years ago. Back then there was no lifeguard and not all of the signage, much necessary, posted today about the undertow.
Back then my husband and I enjoyed this beach almost entirely to ourselves, and today there were many folks at this beach.
It was nice to go back but it would’ve been a little bit nicer if we could’ve had it to ourselves like we did back in the day.

We visited Big Beach for the first time today as our last beach stop on Maui. It was 3p on a Saturday and we found parking right away. There’s a bit of a walk to the beach but it’s easy. The waves were ginormous. Unbelievably large for a family fun kind of experience. I am a strong swimmer and didn’t get in the water because it looked crazy intense. There was s nice mix of locals and tourists, families and groups of young adults. It’s a big beach (ha!) so plenty of space for all.
Taking one star off for no restrooms or showers.

This beach is very beautiful. It’s as advertised very large! Parking is very sparse and the competition can be very fierce. The food trucks park right by the entrance of the beach.
It’s hard to walk. There is one spot where the waves aren’t that crazy; so look out for it.
Also, on your way out from the beach; grab a coconut from the vendors. Be sure to be nice to them. I think i got conned. I had brought a 20 and he told me he didn’t have change. This is actually a lie; because I told him oh i’ll go get money from the car and suddenly he pulled out a 5 after he said he’d trade more fruit for the 5. The coconut was 15 bucks. There should be three different coconut vendors. Be sure to ask them to shave the bottom so it’s flat so you can set it down.

I love this beach. Last time I was here was in April. It was beautiful. This beach is very long and the swells are a good size. There are porta potties. There is also a truck at both parking lots selling beverages and tacos. Parking is usually easy to find. Id usually get to the beach about noonish.
Two best things about this beach:
–Plenty of room and not too crowded
–Little beach (secret beach)!
Just over the cliff is a pretty little clear-​watered cove called secret beach (clothing optional).
Both sides have the most amazing waters! This is my second fav beach in Maui!

This is a beautiful beach with powdery sand. This beach has a tendency to have harsh waves and strong current which makes it hard to enjoy completely.
The beach is very clean with only portable potty. I dare not enter there.
It was unfortunate that the current was very strong and the undertow was out of control today. You know what they say, «when in doubt, don’t go out» and that’s what I had to do. I stayed ashore and got into the water waist deep once and quickly saw how vicious the water was and stayed out. It was a good thing that I did, a female got caught in the undertow and her significant other couldn’t even her.
This beach is beautiful and clean, and the people are very nice out here. It was worth the trip.

Big Beach is part of the Makena State Park.
PARKING:
There are two parking lots because the beach is that long. Gates close at 7pm though not necessarily on the dot.
THE BEACH:
The sand is soft and white, with lots of square footage so it never feels crowded. The waves are generally big which is great for body/​boogie boarding but not for anything else. If you haven’t gotten slammed by a wave here, you’ve never experienced Big Beach lol! It’s fun to watch the bodyboarders do tricks and catch waves. There are lifeguards on duty now, thankfully. Shade on the sand is non-​existent though there are a few tables under the thorny kiawe trees but it’s a bit far from the water.
TIPS:
The only restroom facilities are the port-​a-​potties near the parking lot.
There are no showers or BBQ grills.
There is a taco truck serving out of the north parking lot but I haven’t tried them yet.
OVERALL:
Great for boogie/​bodyboarding and people-​watching.

We have been to many beaches on Maui, and this is by far our favourite. Beautiful sand, wide with plenty of room for all, great waves mixed with calm waves. We have had many sightings of whales, turtles and dolphins. Parking isn’t an issue if there before 11, but a short walk otherwise.
I would be careful with small children at this beach, and have witnessed adults not paying attention get hid hard and hurt. I wouldn’t say it is dangerous here just pay attention and have fun!

BIG BEACH! BIG BEACH! It is a BIG BEACH! Lots of sand and water and a wonderful view of Kahoolawe. Parking gets crowded but there is lots of room on the sand for everyone. BIG BEACH! BIG BEACH!
and if you go all the way to right, over the rocks, you’re at Little Beach
Oh and when in doubt, don’t go out!

Ok probably the best swimming beach on the island. Totally need to watch out for rip tides but they don’t go out too far. The biggest danger I saw here was kids trying to body surf but the waves broke so close to shore when the waves did break people got their heads got stuck in the sand when they’d try to ride a wave in. Be very careful friends. Climb over the hill to Little Beach if you want to go au natural.

If you get here early you can get parking. Quick drive from area Wailea hotels. Beach is clean.
There are food trucks prior to walking onto beach itself.
On a nice December day, it was not very crowded. There are few shaded areas with no real view of the water. But most people had umbrellas.
I am not a «beach/​water» person but I didn’t mind laying here for the 2hrs that I did.