The best road cycling routes around Anahola

Anini Beach is considered one of the safer beaches, but always practice ocean safety as there is no lifeguard on duty. The winter months can be more dangerous for swimming. Anini Beach has the longest reef in all the Hawai'ian Islands. It's a great place for snorkeling, picnicking, paddle boarding, and windsurfing. Anini Road goes parallel to the beach and can get quite close.

Larsen’s Beach is known as Ka’aka’aniu Beach in Hawai'ian. It is a secluded beach and undeveloped, so there are no lifeguards and no amenities. It is often not crowded, which can give a feeling of remoteness. Larsen’s Beach has been an unofficial clothing-optional beach, so don't be surprised to see someone sunbathing totally naked. To get here from the parking lot walk about 500 feet down the path.

Moloaʻa Beach is famous for its appearance on the TV show Gilligan’s Island. The pilot and first episode were both filmed here in 1963. Be careful swimming on the beach, as there is no lifeguard on duty. The beach is a horseshoe shape, and Moloa`a Beach was named for the “Matted Roots” that can grow in thick, close by when not landscaped back.

The Christ Memorial Episcopal Church is a unique, small chapel in Kilauea. It was built from lava stones, and the building and the land were donated by the Kilauea Sugar Company. The stained glass windows were shipped over from England in 1935. Today, the church is used for worship every Sunday, and the congregation kindly allows non-members to have weddings there.

Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge is located on the northernmost point of the Hawaiian Islands. On the point, there is the Daniel K. Inouye Kīlauea Point Lighthouse. Visitors can also see the Kīlauea volcanic vent and look at the ocean from the top of a 180-foot ocean bluff. This area is a great place to spot seabirds that cannot be seen from land, like the red-footed booby, great frigate bird, and Laysan albatross. This parking area is not the end of the pavement, but sometimes there is a gate that is shut, stopping bikers from biking the rest of the way to the lighthouse on the tip of the point, just 0.2 miles north.

Waipouli Beach is a more low-key park by the Waipouli Beach Resort. There is public beach access on the south end, and it's a hangout spot for Kauai’s monk seals, right off the biking coastal path. This area is family-friendly, with shopping, coffee shops, activities, and hiking very close by. It has been marked as a wonderful spot to see the sunrise.

Here begins the Makaleha Falls Hike, a 2.6-mile out-and-back hike in the jungle. If cyclists choose to park and check out this hike, the trail is often muddy, but the reward is great. Otherwise, turning around here still leads you to the lush rainforest, where you have the opportunity to see beautiful plants and birds.

Kapa'a Beach is a long beach with golden sands that parallels the Kapa'a Bike Path. The full name is Ke Ala Hele Makalae, meaning “path that goes by the coast." Most people simply call it the Kapa‘a Bike Path or Kaua‘i Bike Trail. This bike path is a multi-use path that totals about 7 miles.