Here's the latests in our series of beach lists from John Clark, the noted Hawaii beach expert and all around beach nut, will be feeding us his extremely informed take on best beaches around the Aloha State. We're breaking them down into all different categories, shapes and sizes. We're starting off with the Top 3 Walking Beaches on Maui. If you've been on these beaches and want to comment, by all means, chime in. Also, feel free to submit your candids taken from these beaches to our Flickr photo pool. We're still building it (guilty -- I have not uploaded enough pics there yet). At any rate, if you like what John tells you here, buy his books at the University of Hawaii Press for a much more in-depth look at Hawaii beaches. Mahalo for reading!

Haena -- "It's all the way at the end of the road past Hanalei where several beaches connect. The furthest out is Ke'e, where you can see the begining of Na Pali Cliffs. It's a wide beach popular with hikers, snorkelers and swimmers. In the little forest on the rocky point, there are some archaeological sites dedicated to the gods and godesses of hula. Hula halau go to hold graduation ceremonies out there. You can grab a bite from the lunch wagons in the parkgin lot. From Ke'e you can walk to the east for several miels. The sand is continuous all the way back to Wainiha. It's very soft sand so walking is a bit slow. You can check out the surfers at Cannons, which is a well known Kauai surf spot. Several streams come down and cut the beaches and just upstream from the sand you can find nice swimming holes in some of the streams. The late afternoons up here are really spectacular. There are no real hotels -- only a small resort, and its fairly pristine." Google Images

Hanalei Bay -- "This is really a neat place. The Bay is a semi-cricle of sand that goes from one rocky point to the other and is cut by several streams. You have amazing views of Bali Hai, Mount Waialeale and the waterfalls, and the mountains ringing the Hanalei Valley. You can see surfing at a couple of places. At Pine Trees, there is a beach break on a sand bar way offshore. Near Black Pots, there is an old pier that is a spot for beginners. And the reef on the eastern side of Hanalei Bay is one of the longest waves in Hawaii. You can see the surf very clearly from the beach in front of the Princeville Hotel. People come during summer months and anchor right off the pier in the bay and you can check out the boats." Google Images

Polihale -- "It's the longest beach in the state. If you consider it one beach from Kekaha to the start of the Na Pali Coast, Polihale runs 15 miles. You can't walk all of it, as the portion on the Pacific Missle Range is fenced off and off-limits. Still, its a very long, remote walk and it's an interesting place out there. The sand dunes are some of the highest in the Hawaiian Islands. The sand is coarse due to the high surf that washe this shore. The only swimming is in the Queen's Bath, a reef-protected pool past the sugar cane fields and Waimea town. Polihale supposedly is one of Hawaii's barking sands. The scientists call them acoustical sands -- sands that make noises. When you walk over them or slide down the slope, they bark, and make different noises. From Polihale, you can see Ni'ihau, 20 miles offshore. If you there during the week, you'll likely be alone. The sand is too hot in the middle of the day so early mornings or very late afternoons are best. The sunset here are extraordinary. Polihale is the westernmost part of the Hawaiian Islands and has a very clear view of sundown." Google Images

—Alex, 09/17/06