It should be noted, first of all, that Papohaku Beach is not a nude beach. Rather, it is a beach with nudist potential.

Molokai is located between Oahu and Maui. The island covers 260 square miles, and the driving distance from the eastern end of the island to the western end is a little less than 50 miles. Although Molokai is about half the size of Oahu or Kauai in land area, the island has only 7,500 or so residents. This island draws few tourists compared to Hawaii's other islands, and those that do visit Molokai are people who want to enjoy an island paradise away from the crowds. Molokai does not have any established nude beaches. However, the island is so sparsely populated and lightly visited that there are endless stretches of deserted beaches. If you are looking for a beach where you can fraternize with other nudists, Molokai is not your place. However, if you and a partner are seeking your own private beach where you can bask naked in the sun without encountering another soul, Molokai is the island for you.

Papohaku Beach, located on the western end of the island, is touted by many visitors as Molokai's best choice for discreet nudity. Papohaku's white sands stretch about two miles. There are three parking lots roughly evenly spaced along the beach that make access easy, and the main access (the northernmost of the three) is equipped with restrooms and showers as well as lots of picnic tables under a canopy of trees. Despite these amenities, the beach is still usually virtually deserted. There just aren't enough tourists nor locals to fill up the beach, and the surf is rough, so swimmers avoid it. From any of the access points, all you have to do it walk until you are sufficiently far enough away from any textiles who are present, then you can strip down. Just be careful about being naked within sight of the scattering of large vacation rental houses that overlook the beach. There are just a handful of such houses, so there are plenty of stretches of the beach where no houses are visible. If someone does approach while you are naked, you should suit up. Locals in particular may not appreciate nudity. In the event that a textile invades your space, there is always plenty of room to find another spot. If you want to take a stroll in the nude, be sure to take a covering with you. Getting into the water is highly inadvisable unless the surf is exceptionally calm.

There are headlands at both ends of the beach. If you hike across the headland at the southern end of the beach (to the left when facing the water), in about 1/3 mile you will reach a parking lot with an outdoor shower. (It is not one of three lots mentioned above that provide direct access to the beach.) Since that lot is usually deserted, it is a nice spot to shower alfresco and au naturel. The blue car placemark provides driving directions to the outdoor shower if you don't want to hike there.

Molokai has its own airport, and it is also accessible by boat from Maui. The boat shuttles passengers between Lahaina on the western coast of Maui and Kaunakakai on the south-central coast of Molokai. You will need to rent a car once on the island. To better acquaint yourself with Molokai and its possibilities, see visitmolokai.com.

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GPS: 21.1683N, 157.2598W

city, island, state, country  Maunaloa, Molokai, Hawaii, U.S.A.

classification  3 (discretion recommended)

There are 8 placemarks related to this site.