Gillins Beach, Coastal beach in Koloa, Hawaii

Gillins Beach is a sandy shore on Kauai's south coast with rocks and coral formations close to the waterline. The beach has both sandy stretches and rocky sections that run along the water's edge.

Gillins Beach forms the central section of Māhāʻulepū Beach, the two-mile stretch running from Punahoa point to Paʻoʻo point on Kauai's southeast coast. The sand dunes along this shoreline have yielded fossils of extinct birds, among them the Kauaʻi Stilt-owl (Grallistrix auceps), a flightless rail and three species of goose. The nearby Makauwahi Cave is a site of paleontological importance.

The name Gillin's Beach comes from the Gillin family, who once owned this stretch of coast. The petroglyphs carved into the rocks are Hawaiian rock art, exposed only when sand shifts. The beach lies within the Māhāʻulepū area, where fossils of extinct birds such as the Kauaʻi Stilt-owl have been found in the dunes.

You will need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to reach this place because the access road is unpaved and branches off from Poipu Road past the Grand Hyatt. Plan your visit knowing that the route requires suitable vehicle tires and clearance for rough terrain.

Gillin's Beach, the middle of the three sections of Māhāʻulepū Beach, holds petroglyphs carved into the rocks, though they are rarely exposed. Sand dunes along the shoreline have yielded fossils of extinct birds, among them the Kauaʻi Stilt-owl, a flightless rail and three species of goose.