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By Root 1076 0

very, very popular, especially on summer weekends, when local residents flock to the beach to camp. It’s easy to see why: This 3-mile-long, gold-sand beach is shielded from the open ocean by the longest, widest fringing reef in Hawaii. With shallow water 4 to 5 feet deep, it’s also the very best snorkeling spot on Kauai, even for beginners. On the northwest side, a channel in the reef runs out to the deep blue water with a 60-foot drop that attracts divers. Beachcombers love it, too: Seashells, cowries, and sometimes even rare Niihau shells can be found here. Anini has a park, a campground, picnic and barbecue facilities, a pavilion, outdoor showers, public telephones, and a boat-launch ramp. Princeville, with groceries and supplies, is about 4 miles away. You must have a permit, which costs $3 per person, per night. You can stay at the county parks a maximum of 4 nights, or 12 nights if you are going from one county park to another. To apply for the permit, contact: Shani Saito in the Permits Division of Kauai County Parks and Recreation, 4444 Rice St., Lihue, HI 96766 ( 80 8/241-4460;www.kauai-hawaii.com/activities.php#CAMPING). Follow Kuhio Highway (Hwy. 56) to Kilauea; take the second exit, called Kalihiwai Road (the first exit dead-ends at Kalihiwai Beach), and drive a half mile toward the sea; turn left on Anini Beach Road.

Hanalei Beach

Camping is allowed at this 21⁄2-acre park on weekends and holidays only. Reserve in advance—this is a very popular camping area. Gentle waves roll across the face of half-moon Hanalei Bay, running up to the wide, golden sand; sheer volcanic ridges laced by waterfalls rise to 4,000 feet on the other side, 3 miles inland. Is there any beach with a better location? Celebrated in song and hula and featured on travel posters, this beach owes its natural beauty to its age—it’s an ancient sunken valley with post-erosional cliffs. ( for a full review of the beach.)

Facilities include a lifeguard, a pavilion, restrooms, picnic tables, and parking. This beach is always packed with both locals and visitors, but you can usually find your own place in the sun by strolling down the shore; the bay is big enough for everyone. You must have a permit, which costs $3 per person, per night. You can stay at the county parks a maximum of 4 nights, or 12 nights if you are going from one county park to another. To apply for the permit, contact the Permits Division of Kauai County Parks and Recreation, 4444 Rice St., Lihue, HI 96766 ( 80 8/241-4460; www.kauai-hawaii.com/activities.php#CAMPING).

To get here, take Kuhio Highway (Hwy. 56), which becomes Highway 560 after Princeville. In Hanalei town, make a right on Aku Road just after Tahiti Nui, then turn right again on Weke Road, which dead-ends at the parking lot for the Black Pot section of the beach; the easiest beach access is on your left.

Haena Beach Park

There are a lot of pluses and minuses to this county beach park (next door to Haena State Park, which does not allow camping). One plus is its beauty: The nearly 6-acre park is bordered by the ocean on one side and a dramatic mountain on the other. In fact, old-timers call this beach Maniniholo, after the local manini fish, which used to be caught in nets during summer. Across the highway from this park are the dry caves, also called Maniniholo. The caves, really a lava tube, run a few hundred feet into the mountain. The area is great for camping, flat and grassy with palm trees for shade. Now the minuses: This is not a good swimming beach because it faces the open ocean, and Kauai’s North Shore can be windy and rainy. However, good swimming and snorkeling are available either a quarter mile east of the campground (about a 5-min. walk) at Tunnels Beach, where an offshore reef protects the bay; or at Kee Beach, about a mile west of the campground. Come prepared for wet weather.

Facilities include the camping area, restrooms, outside screened showers, a pavilion with tables, electric lights, a dishwashing sink, picnic tables, and grills; however, there are no lifeguards. The water here is safe