Lumaha'i Beach is one of Kauaʻi's most beautiful and most dangerous beaches. Backed by ironwood trees and the green wall of the north shore mountains, it curves for about a kilometre along a shore that is exposed to open Pacific swells — the same swells that make it photogenic also make it genuinely hazardous for swimming year-round. There are no lifeguards and no facilities. People drown here regularly.
The beach was the setting for the "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" scene in the 1958 film South Pacific, which gave it its secondary reputation as one of the most romantic-looking places in Hawaii. It remains stunning, and worth a stop to walk on the sand and take in the view of the mountains — just stay out of the water unless conditions are visibly and obviously calm.
Access is via a short trail from a parking pullout on the Kuhio Highway between Hanalei and Haʻena. The trail descends steeply to the eastern end of the beach.