Baldwin Cove

Rating:

In a nutshell: Beautiful sand beach in season. Out of season it is also dramatic to behold. Frequented by many free-spirits; ladies can go topless here.
Minuses: Parking can be tough on weekends. Parts of the year the beach vanishes.
Sound-bite: “every little thing, gonna be alright.”

Baldwin Cove

DETAILS:
A large jetty of boulders at the cove’s edge, combined with an offshore reef forms a protected sandy cove. This beach is subject to extreme seasonal erosion, usually culminating the the entire beach disappearing. In fact, I can’t even begin to tell you how much sand moves in and out of here. It is unbelievable. Quite literally, the sand has a tide of its own here. Unfortunately the overall long-term trend is the ocean is moving further inland.

This is one of our favorite North Shore beaches when the sand tide is in. During the phase when the sand tide is out, it is a place I’ll take a quick dip and check out the dramatic change, but I usually don’t stay long to hang out.

This is what it looks like when the sand is gone. Big difference!

If you see a gigantic tangle of old fallen trees, boulders, etc then the sand tide is out. It is hard to believe when you look at this that enough sand moves back in to cover all of it and creates a large beautiful sandy beach.

The beach is at the Eastern side of a one-mile long stretch of beach including Baldwin Beach Park and Baby Beach. The entire stretch of beach is also popular with runners and walkers. (Runners: It is possible to continue on past the cove, a well-marked trail runs along the boulder jetty/seawall, past a clothing-optional “secret” beach and further on to Paia Bay. This extends the end-to-end distance to just over 1.5 miles.)

It is generally accepted for women to sunbathe topless on this beach, although full nudists should trek a bit further east to Secret Beach.

Key Info:
Mile Marker: #6 (Hwy 36 aka Hana Hwy)
GPS Coordinates: 20.9148,-156.392344
Facilities: Showers, Bathroom, Lifeguards (out of sight but within reach)
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