Maui County, Hawaii
Slaughterhouse Beach
Slaughterhouse Beach — officially Mokuleia Beach — sits below the cliffs at the north end of the Kapalua resort area in west Maui, about 2 miles past the Kapalua Bay resort.
- Day use
- Snorkeling
About this place
Slaughterhouse Beach — officially Mokuleia Beach — sits below the cliffs at the north end of the Kapalua resort area in west Maui, about 2 miles past the Kapalua Bay resort. The beach gets its informal name from a cattle slaughterhouse that once operated on the bluffs above it. Despite the name, the beach is beautiful: a crescent of white sand in a rocky cove, sheltered enough for good swimming in summer but exposed to seasonal north swell in winter.
The clothing-optional tradition at Slaughterhouse is informal and long-established — it's been used that way since at least the 1970s, when the north Maui coast was far less developed. The beach is accessed by concrete stairs from a small roadside parking area on the Honoapiilani Highway (Route 30), and the clifftop parking keeps casual traffic low.
Kapalua is about 10 miles north of Lahaina (before the 2023 wildfire that largely destroyed historic Lahaina, visitors typically combined a Slaughterhouse visit with a Lahaina walk — the Lahaina area is in ongoing recovery). The water quality and marine life here are excellent; Slaughterhouse is adjacent to Honolua Bay Marine Life Conservation District, one of Maui's premier snorkeling and surfing sites.
Visitor notes
Contributed by ClothingOptional.org Editorial Team
Who visits
West Maui visitors, Kapalua resort guests, and informed naturists who know the north Maui coast. Mix of regulars and people exploring beyond the main resort beaches.
How to find it
Drive Honoapiilani Highway (Route 30) north from Kapalua to the small parking area on the right (ocean side) near mile marker 32. Concrete stairs lead down to the beach.
Things to watch out for
North shore swell makes the beach dangerous in winter (Oct–Mar) — large waves can close beach access. Summer is the safe season. The Honoapiilani Highway narrows significantly north of Kapalua — drive carefully. Parking is very limited.
Last updated
Etiquette & ground rules
Informal C/O convention. The beach attracts a mix of naturists and general beachgoers — read the situation. No photography without consent.
Know this spot?
Report an update
Beach closed? Parking price changed? Section moved? Send a short note and we'll check it.
Also in Hawaii
More places nearby
Hawaii, USA
Kehena Black Sand Beach (Dolphin Beach)
Kehena Black Sand Beach — also called Dolphin Beach because of the spinner dolphins that frequently appear offshore — is the Big Island's iconic clothing-optional beach, tucked into a coastal cove in the Puna District. It's a long, narrow strip of fine black sand at the base of low cliffs, backed by ironwood and coconut palms, with a small reef offshore that creates the protected swimming pool inside it and the deeper channels where the dolphins move. The clothing-optional convention dates to the 1970s, when the Puna Coast became a haven for the bohemian alternative-lifestyle community that shaped the district's character. Kehena emerged as the Big Island's naturist beach and has held that role for half a century — through lava-flow threats to the broader Puna area, the 2018 Kīlauea eruption that closed nearby roads, and the slow recovery since. Sunday afternoons are the beach's social signature — a long-running drum-circle gathering draws a mixed crowd of Puna residents, longer-term visitors who rent in the area, the occasional tourist who heard about it, and the resident naturist community. The vibe is distinctly Hawaiian and distinctly Puna: low-key, communal, with people swimming and reading and playing music. Off-season weekdays the beach is mostly empty. Access is via a steep, rocky, root-tangled trail down a low cliff — about five minutes of careful descent from the small parking area along Highway 137. The trail is short but unforgiving; sturdy footwear is essential. The beach has no facilities, no lifeguards, and ocean conditions that demand real caution: the protected swimming area inside the reef is fine in calm weather, but the currents outside the reef are strong and the surf can build quickly. Drownings have happened.
Hawaii, USA
Larsen's Beach (Lepeuli)
Larsen's Beach — also known as Lepeuli or Ka'aka'aniu — is a long, lightly-trafficked stretch of brown sand and black rock on Kauai's northeastern coast, between Kīlauea and Anahola. The beach runs roughly two miles, backed by ironwood trees and shrub, with a fringing reef offshore. The eastern end is the traditional clothing-optional area, far enough from the trail access that you'll likely have a stretch of sand to yourself outside peak season. Getting here filters most casual beachgoers out. The access is via an unpaved road off Ko'olau Road, then a foot trail across grazing land owned by Waioli Corp. and leased to Paradise Ranch — the easement is real but the path crosses private property, so visitors are expected to stay on the trail and pack out what they pack in. The vibe at Larsen's is quiet. Mostly Kauai regulars, a few in-the-know visitors, and long stretches of empty beach. Hawaii state law technically prohibits public nudity, but enforcement at Larsen's has been minimal for decades and locals have established a tolerated convention at the far eastern end. Swimming is genuinely dangerous: the Pakala Channel cuts through the reef at the east end and has been responsible for multiple drownings over the years. Stay out of the channel and stick to shore wading unless you're a strong swimmer with local knowledge.
Hawaii, USA
Little Beach (Pu'u Olai)
Little Beach — Pu'u Ola'i Beach — is Maui's most famous clothing-optional beach, tucked into a hidden cove inside Mākena State Park on the south coast. The beach sits in the shadow of the Pu'u Ola'i cinder cone, separated from the larger Big Beach next door by a lava-rock outcrop that you scramble over to reach the sand. Once you're around the rocks, the beach opens onto a quarter-mile of soft sand and turquoise water. Little Beach has a complicated history. The state-park designation in the 1980s and '90s came out of a grass-roots movement (SPAM — State Parks At Mākena) that fought to preserve the area; clothing-optional use predated the park and continued through it. Sunday afternoon drum circles became a tradition that drew hundreds of people. After a 2021 incident where an estimated 400 people gathered without masks during COVID, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources temporarily closed the beach and began actively enforcing Hawaii's anti-nudity statute under State Park Rules. Enforcement has continued since, including regular 4 PM closures and citations. What this means practically: Little Beach is still used as a clothing-optional beach, and the cultural identity hasn't disappeared, but visitors should expect possible enforcement and citations. The Sunday drum circle tradition has been formally discouraged. Check current Hawaii State Parks announcements before visiting. The beach itself remains stunning — bodysurfing is legendary here on south-swell days, and the cove is one of the most photogenic on Maui.