Polihale State Park

Polihale State Park is a remote beach on the western side of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It is thus the western most point in the United States, with the exception of the forbidden island of Niihau. The beach is miles away from anything, and it can only be reached via dirt sugarcane roads, making a four wheel drive vehicle preferrable. The beach is flanked to the north by the Ne Pali coast, and, while quite a site, the only swimmable area on the beach, which is several miles long, is Queen's Pond.

This beach has a strong basis in Hawaiian mythology. Polihale means "house of Po", and Po is the Hawaiian afterlife. Spirits would travel to the beach plain, and stay in the temple, known as the heiau. From there, they would climb the cliffs to the north, jump off into the sea to get to the mythical Po. So strong was this belief that all the homes built in the vicinity of Polihale would have no east facing doors, so that no traveling spirit could become trapped within.