Waiʻānapanapa State Park122 acres of black sand, lava tubes, sea arches, and Maui's largest heiau — the most-photographed stop on the Road to Hana

Waiʻānapanapa is a 122-acre coastal park three miles north of the town of Hāna, perched on a volcanic shelf where lava flows from a recent (geologically speaking) Haleakalā vent met the Pacific. The black sand on Honokalani Beach is the result — basalt cooled, hammered into pebble grade by surf, and packed into a quarter-mile crescent framed by hala forest and lava cliffs. Stone arches form the headlands on either side of the beach, and the shore breaks hard and fast into deep water; swimming is not advised when surf is up.

The park's name means "glistening waters," a reference to the two freshwater spring-fed caves at the north end of the loop trail. Local legend tells of Princess Popoʻalaea, who hid in the caves from her jealous chief Kaakea; he found her and killed her, and the pools run red each spring with her blood. The biological reality: tiny ʻōpaeʻula shrimp emerge from the lava substrate seasonally, turning the cave water bright crimson for days at a time. The caves are walk-in, swimmable when the water is high enough, and a five-minute walk from the parking lot.

Beyond the beach and caves, the Pīʻilani Coastal Trail follows an ancient Hawaiian footpath two miles south to Hāna town — past blowholes, sea stacks, Ohala Heiau (Maui's largest intact stone temple), and a seabird colony of wedge-tailed shearwaters. The state introduced a reservation system in 2021 to cap daily visitation; out-of-state visitors must book a 3-hour entry window in advance. Pack water, a swimsuit, reef-safe sunscreen, and shoes with grip — the lava rock is sharp and slick when wet.