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    Carlsmith Beach Park

    4.8 (92 reviews)

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    View from the road
    Catherine P.

    Beautiful beach! Such a great place to spend the day. There was enough parking and many tide pools to swim about in. There was sand too which was nice to swim in (not sit on). The water in the tide pools was cold. I was able to watch my little girls play in the sand all day long. There is a shower area and bathrooms. With it being right outside of Hilo town you can drive right up the road and get some food. We were lucky to see some turtles in the water too! What a magical place!

    Beautiful setting
    Veronica N.

    What a beautiful beach area one of the best that I've been to. There's plenty of parking upon entering. There are plenty of spots that you can set your belongings down and jump into the water area, as it is very safe. During certain times of the year you'll see turtle swimming around so be careful as you're not supposed to touch them or interact with them, but they do get very close to you. Some spots can be rocky so make sure you wear your reef, walkers or snorkeling gear, and flippers. The water can get choppy later on in the day so keep an eye out for that otherwise it's a very beautiful spot. Perfect to spend the day having a nice picnic and get some snorkeling time in as well.

    Beautiful place to snorkel! Kid friendly as it's pretty calm waters and has hand rails going into some parts and not very much rocks. When we walked up there was a sea turtle right in the lagoon part. It was raining when we went and still had an amazing time!

    Valerie T.

    It is rare to see Carlsmith beach so empty. The clear blue water and natural tide pools make for amazing snorkeling and once in a while honu sightings. I especially love the addition of the handrails for those to safely lover into the water. The mixture of greenery, blue water and dark lava rocks makes it picturesque. Perfect way to cool off from the beating sun rays and UV rays the islands have to offer. Make sure to read and only buy sunblock that is safe for the marine life and environment for years to come. Dont feed the wild life and leave the beach as you came with no trace. This is a great example of best treasures the island has to offer.

    Ducks
    Sc O.

    A beautiful beach one not to be missed if you're visiting Hilo. Really you can't explain the beauty and tranquility you have to experience it yourself. Definitely one Of my favorite places on this Island.

    Jesse S.

    Nice beach, or area where you can chill and enjoy life, nice breeze. Private parking lot. Turtles . Just remember to pick up your trash, I was picking up rubbish left by people. Have respect. Keep your trash or pick up something before you go. If everyone does that. It will keep the water and the land's clean.

    Joyce Z.

    We had no plans for beach time in Hilo but when our innskeeper recommended we stop by Carlsmith, we decided to check it out. There is a parking lot but when it's full most people park alongside the road. It has beautiful clear waters, making this a popular spot especially with locals. However, if you're not use to having to walk and or climb over lava rocks to get into the water, you may want to bring reef shoes. I tried entering the water in different areas but ultimately only made it down via a small cove area. If you don't make it into the water, there are also areas that you can picnic while enjoying the view.

    Salim K.

    Parking can be a bit of a challenge but we got lucky with a parking lot right next to it ( a block or less away) and found ourselves a spot in there. Restrooms located right up at the entrance though no papers in there to dry your hands after a rinse. Grabbed ourselves a spot on the grass patch and did the sunscreen diligence. Baked ourselves bit and then took in the sip. The path to the beach is from right behind the watchtower and has some pointy stones nothing too bad though and one should be a bit carful treading down to the beach. Once you take the dip it's hard to come out as the water is pretty inviting and a visit or two from the famous turtles really make it one to remember. We were lucky to see one of them make its way bobbing in and out and going close to the rocks probably for the algae ( not sure though). We were in for about 45 minutes or so and then came back to the gas patch to dry ourselves a bit and head out to the next spot that this amazing Island has to offer. A bit of a drive from our Hilton resort though every bit worth it.

    Cze T.

    This beach is breathtakingly beautiful, with numerous shallow natural pools perfect for swimming, snorkeling, or simply wading in. You might even be lucky enough to spot a sea turtle! We spotted one while there. Every vista from this beach is picturesque, and I wish I could stay longer. Convenient parking is readily available just down the road.

    Sand part
    Heather K.

    This a beautiful rocky sand beach. We brought water shoes which are very beneficial at certain parts of the beach. There are parts where there is soft sand and other spots where it's very sharp rocks. We spotted 2 turtles while we were there. The water is beautiful and not too cold, you acclimate quickly.

    Another view of Carlsmith. Easiest access to the water is about 80-100 yards past the lifeguard station, out of frame to the right.
    Bruce M.

    One of the most beautiful seashore spots in east Hawaii to swim, picnic, or just enjoy the glorious scenery and crystalline water. You can see lots of pretty tropical fish and, if you get lucky, maybe a sea turtle or two. But if you're new to the area, some words of caution: 1) What we humorously call "beaches" here have almost no sand and LOTS of volcanic rock. If you have any thought of going in the water, wear sturdy beach sandals! 2) Hardy souls can get into the water in lots of places, but easiest access is via a paved path that leads to metal stairs. It's located roughly in a straight line from the outdoor shower, although the path through the grass that gets you to it isn't straight. Note that the paved path gets submerged under as much as an inch of water at high tide. 3) At low tide, it can get shallow in unexpected places. Be alert and keep your eyes open while swimming. Also, if it's rained lately (usually the case near Hilo!), cold fresh water comes up from underground and mingles with the warm ocean water, creating an odd mix of temperatures. Do not let any of the above discourage you. This place is gorgeous and worth a visit.

    Brigitte L.

    We wanted to find a beach area while on the Hilo side of the island and reviews for this place were good. There is a parking area and if the lot is full you'll see cars being parked on the side. It gets pretty crowded-- we got there around 2ish and found a spot in the lot but tons of cars were lined on the road. Restrooms are sort of gross, no spare soap in the womens and the toilet is REALLY low to the ground with little to no light. Walked around to see all the different areas you could lay and get into the water. Found a spot on the lava rocks that was nice so we put our towels down and headed into the water. Crystal clear water and is just beautiful!! Lots of folks snorkel here and that's just what my daughter and hubs did. Getting into the water was challenging because the rocks hurt and you don't want to fall. Then you get in and it's like stepping into a tub of ice water!! Daughter and hubs saw some smaller fish while snorkeling. Overall good experience!

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    Beautiful there's easy access into the water. Plenty of turtles and shallows to explore.

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    1 year ago

    Beautiful, family-friendly beach park. Great for swimming laps. Parking challenging on weekends.

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    Review Highlights - Carlsmith Beach Park

    “The clear blue water and natural tide pools make for amazing snorkeling and once in a while honu sightings.”

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    Liliuokalani Gardens - Japanese bridge

    Liliuokalani Gardens

    4.4(143 reviews)
    2.6 mi

    Relaxing and shady area (compared to other places) to take a stroll and take in the views. There's…read morehistory here and there's some historical plaques to read if you're interested. The "Japanese garden" was built to honor the early Japanese sugar cane plantation immigrants who played a massive role in Hawaiʻi's economy and society. I've been to other Japanese gardens (not in Hawai'i) so I was actually a bit shocked at how plain or underwhelming this was. It felt like a simple park with a lake with a couple of architectural Japanese bridges. There's a koi pond too and a couple of lanterns. Overall still a nice place to stroll and to admire and take in nature. We didn't stay too long because it was overly hot thought. We didn't really know where to park but I think there's street parking you can find.

    Let's keep it simple…read more The below website link has all the information you could possibly want or need about the history/what you're going to see/map/volunteer information and more for the gardens. www.liliuokalanigardens.org/ The best summary I can give is this. The gardens are free. They are tranquil and they are beautiful. There is little to no issue with parking except for on the weekends when it was definitely busier but overall, there seemed to always be spaces either on Banyan Drive or on Lihiwai Street along the water. The only real small negative would be that some of the trails and walkways do washout and/or flood over due to the excessive amount of rain Hilo has gotten this year (and that was pre-Lala). If you're in the area or staying in Hilo, this is a nice stop whether for ten minutes or an hour.

    Photos
    Liliuokalani Gardens
    Liliuokalani Gardens - Butterfly wings

    Butterfly wings

    Liliuokalani Gardens

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    Rainbow Falls

    Rainbow Falls

    4.2(398 reviews)
    5.3 mi

    Great waterfall Beautiful gals not much of a hike just a…read moresmall walk from the tiny parking lot. Have to pay to park and enter. It was a gloomy day. Lots of bugs up Top by the pretty trees.

    Like many other people who come to the big island on holiday, one of the things you do is go in…read moresearch of at least a few of the area waterfalls. Even if the area you come from has some, chances are they/the surroundings don't look like this. Let me start with where the theme of this one is going to go. Of the five sets of falls we visited, same day on a Monday, Rainbow was easily the one I would have no trouble classifying as at best, underwhelming. Here's the scene. With this place now being monetized, you're looking at $5 p/p as an entrance fee and $10 per vehicle for parking. My issue with that is, you're still paying to park even if you come and the parking lot is completely full? Yepper. Like several others, we had to park on Rainbow Drive up the road from the falls as the actual parking lot was full. Scan the QR code or text for a link to pay and once you get on the grounds you are met with a small militia of people all out checking devices for payment. Once you're past them, it's with a right turn to the one viewing platform or a left turn and up a few steps to the elevated viewing platform. The right side platform has some placards about the history of the falls and of the myth/legend/lore behind them. The left side has the governmental PSA placards of listing the number of deaths from people that over the recent years attempted to go for a swim and it turned out poorly. Did we see any rainbows? No, as we were there a few days before Lala hit and it was cloudy/rainy almost everyday non-stop. Two other contrarian points: 1. For the fee, you also get access to Boiling Pots which is just up the road from here. I recommend that place over this one easily as there is far more parking, it's easy access and no one was there to enforce payment so at least the day we went, in theory that could have been a freebie. 2. This could also be a freebie as there is nothing stopping you from parking up the hill a bit on Rainbow Drive and walking through the Banyan trees to get to the backside of the elevated viewing platform/close to the water. It was being done while we were there. Kudos to those smart and adventurous people. I get it. If you're staying on the Hilo side, this one is close to downtown and it's easy & quick. I mean you could be in and out in 10 minutes no problem. With that said, to me, it's overrated and if you're going to spend money, Akaka is the way to go or hit up one of the other free ones rather than spending your hard earned money for something that is more a name rather than actual substance.

    Photos
    Rainbow Falls
    Rainbow Falls - Fall from the guided area

    Fall from the guided area

    Rainbow Falls - Top of waterfall

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    Top of waterfall

    Pe'epe'e Falls & Boiling Pots - It's raining- so we can't hike out to the falls.

    Pe'epe'e Falls & Boiling Pots

    4.0(81 reviews)
    6.8 mi

    Like many other people who come to the big island on holiday, one of the things you do is go in…read moresearch of at least a few of the area waterfalls. Even if the area you come from has some, chances are they/the surroundings don't look like this. We were here a few days before Lala and it was already raining buckets. The upside to that was getting to see the Wailuku River already ticked off/angry/bringing some serious current and water flow. The other good thing is that we had the entire parking lot & grounds to ourselves versus down the road at Rainbow which even in a steady hard drizzle/rain was very busy. If you're so inclined, the below two links give a little history, explain how many people have died on the river both here and down by Rainbow by trying to swim, and that technically, yes, the falls here are no longer free unless you are a resident. www.hvcb.org/listing/pe%E2%80%98epe%E2%80%98e-falls/109461/ dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/parks/hawaii/wailuku-river-state-park/ We did this in reverse compared to most people. We came here first before going down the road to Rainbow. Like others have mentioned, coming here is odd because you drive through a low-key residential area and it feels like nothing is here or that you're almost trespassing in a sort of locals only area. More than enough of a parking lot. The day we came due to the rain, as I mentioned earlier, there was no one here and while there is a sign here about paying, I sure as hell wasn't doing that (technically if you pay at Rainbow it covers this place as well or vice versa but I don't remember the sign here saying that) and there was no one here enforcing things. Decent restroom facilities and it's a very short walk from the parking lot to the viewing platform. The platform has some signage about the history of the falls and the myth/legend/lore behind them along with a reminder not to swim and the death count over the past twenty-ish years. If it seems like deja vu all over again, all of the same placards and signage are at Rainbow Falls. This is by no means a long stop and if you are on the Hilo side of the island, you can definitely knock this one, Rainbow, Akaka, Waiale and a few others out in a few hours easily.

    This part of the river and state park was also worth checking out!…read more The river is so fast, and it's such a gorgeous area! You can't get close to the area that is the boiling pots or the falls, but it's a cool little area and observation area. We enjoyed our time there, and took so many pictures. The area wasn't what we were expecting, but it was a cool little day trip!

    Photos
    Pe'epe'e Falls & Boiling Pots
    Pe'epe'e Falls & Boiling Pots
    Pe'epe'e Falls & Boiling Pots

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    Akaka Falls State Park

    Akaka Falls State Park

    4.4(566 reviews)
    11.6 mi

    Ding! Ding! Ding! This is the main event for touristy waterfalls that you can visit on the Hilo…read moreside of the island. I'll start by stating the obvious. Yes, this place is well known, and it gets busy regardless of the weather. We went a few days before Lala hit in a steady rain and the parking lot was fairly packed. Unlike Rainbow Falls where you can sneak in the "side door" under the Banyan trees and not pay, there is only one way in/out here and it is well staffed. In some form or other (be it the QR code - text link - kiosk on site) you're paying for this one. $5 p/p and $10 to park. We did get a space in the main lot, but plenty of people were parking up the entrance road. As Chuck S. perfectly points out, this isn't a hike so much as a paved loop walk. It's a big four tenths of a mile around and yes, there are some steeper steps going up/down at the beginning/end, but it's nothing too crazy. The below Google map gives a nice overview of the grounds and parking situation. www.google.com/maps/place/%CA%BBAkaka+Falls+State+Park/@19.8544917,-155.1527417,376m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x7953ada4f8d1be01:0x728c3dc44022e05c!8m2!3d19.8532104!4d-155.1549738!16zL20vMDNxYnRf?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDkwMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D Yep, the main falls are indeed majestic. We had to wait a few minutes for any pictures as when we got there, the falls were fogged in. You could hear it, but there was nothing to see. Eventually it cleared up a little bit, and we got some decent shots with a small rainbow thrown in. True there is a secondary falls (Kahuna) on the grounds you can see at the far end of the loop but it's fairly irrelevant. The other thing which is amazing in its own right is the flora and the fauna here. Lots of the amazing colors/types/species of birds, plants and trees. Seeing this is almost worth the visit in its own right, let alone the main falls. I think the key here is to take your time. During our visit I saw several people ripping through the walkway/grounds as if it were a timed event either due to their own impatience or because there were talking about cramming a ton of different falls in the same day. You can certainly do that...but why? To me, anything less than 30 minutes and you didn't experience what this place has to offer and it's definitely worth a visit here to see it all in person.

    Well worth the trip all the way from the Kona side. Sure, lots of tourists show up here and it kind…read moreof gets crowded, but there's a 400-plus foot waterfall in this park! Go see it! There's a trail that leads you down to the panoramic view of the waterfall. The trailhead is right next to the parking lot and it costs 10 bucks for parking and 5 bucks per person to get in. Bathrooms are on the premises. So this really isn't a "trail," so to speak. I mean, you're not roughing it out in some canopied jungle out there. It's more like a nice, half-mile botanical stroll on a paved, fenced-in pathway. Takes about 45 minutes, most of which is spent just stopping and appreciating the beautiful flora and fauna of the park. No need to rush. It really is impressive. So the trail is one oblong, closed loop. At the beginning, you can head straight to the fall if you turn left - about a 5-minute walk. Or, if you go right, you can take the scenic route that ends up at the fall eventually. There is some uphill, so seniors and out of shapers take your time. Super worth it, brah.

    Photos
    Akaka Falls State Park
    Akaka Falls State Park - Flowers everywhere

    Flowers everywhere

    Akaka Falls State Park

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    Carlsmith Beach Park - parks - Updated September 2026

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