This beautiful beach is well hidden and parking is very limited. We arrived about 10:00 and that seems to be a good time if you are not one of the first to arrive earlier in the day. Cars who have been here for a few hours will start to leave and spots open up. There is no fee to enter and the showers are nicely sun warmed. But do note that these black sands are HOT and either wear sandals or remain in the shade of the trees. Your feet can burn quickly. There are random picnic tables in the shade for anyone to use but bring a sun umbrella and sand chairs if you have them for sitting on the beach. Bring snorkel gear and watch for the turtles and fish who enjoy the shoreline reef. But also be aware that the tide is strong and you can be swept along and scraped by the reef and rocks by surprise. The underwater view is lively and fish abundant so take your time and float with open eyes. There are camp sites for those who wish to do so. And watch for dolphins who rest near shore during the day. It is a lovely beach that is worth visiting. read more

Ho'okena Beach Park - Welcome! - Parks Near Me - Captain Cook, Hawaii

My husband and I were married in Hawaii, and we've been back three times since. This has always been our fav beach. My husband snorkeled with dolphins there. It's just a magical little place! Make sure you arrive early to secure a parking spot and a great spot on the beach. read more

What a wonderful and beautiful gem located south of Captain Cook along the Kona coast of the Big Island of Hawai'i, and it's definitely a great place to relax, have a picnic, and enjoy swimming and snorkeling. Some people do camping as well. Waves are mostly on the calmer side, but when I went in August 2024 on a Saturday, the currents were starting to pick up. More space and sand on the left-hand side of Ho'okena Beach Park. Only downsides are the narrower 2-mile road leading down from and back up to the Hawaii Belt Road, and the rather limited parking, though I got really lucky on a Saturday in the middle of the day and didn't have to wait long for a spot to open up. I would say that the parking lot is rough and unpaved, so be careful if you come with a regular sedan/2-wheel drive car. read more

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Black Sand Beach, some say. From farther away, you could say Grey. Close up: a beautiful mix. Spinner Dolphins showed up. Also, reef-fish regulars: Parrot Fish, Triggerfish, Butterfly, Yellow Tang, even cute Puffers. Clear waters. Concrete-colored and pastel-yellow coral. Saw an Eel. A giant Tuna. Glistening and powerful. NO cell phone reception. Came here years ago and camped, we were the only ones all day. Now, a bit busier. Still, more chill adults than children. Though two sweet little girls added giant iridescent bubbles. More local in general. I liked that. The quiet. People stared at the pristine water with reverence. Beautiful. read more

Ho'okena Beach Park - Parks Near Me - Captain Cook, Hawaii

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Best spot to camp on the Big Island. The tents are set up right on the beach in the sand. Such a beautiful experience to hear the waves crashing from your tent. No open fires are allowed but fire pits are available for bbq. The fee is only $20 per person each night. You need to reserve with the county ahead of time to obtain the permit. The beach is sandy and the water is clear most days. Perfect place to snorkel/freedive with underwater canyons and plenty of aquatic life. This is a dolphin sanctuary so please keep a healthy distance from the resting dolphins in the bay. read more

Ho'okena Beach Park - Paradise Camping - Parks Near Me - Captain Cook, Hawaii

Dolphins & Overall Great Free-diving & Snorkeling Spot! Take a nice place with good clear water, mixture of sand and reef as you progress into the ocean. Swim a half mile out and dolphins may in fact decide to play with you like they did us too! Awesome place overall with a pretty crowded parking lot and beach in the weekends. A good amount of fish but most importantly lots of dolphins! This was my first time swimming with dolphins! I swam out about a mile into the ocean to be alone with the dolphins away from the crazed snorkeling tourists who scare everything away. The dolphins let me swim around with them and after a while I realized I had been swimming all day, so after about 4 hours in the ocean I needed a nap! Definitely a great place with some happy memories with amazing dolphins! Be smart and understand the currents can be strong here, so if you are not an experienced swimmer be mindful of that. The sand can be downright boring hot so sandals are a MUST! There is a camping are here too and bathrooms. PS: Sorry about all the dolphin pictures... Lol.... read more

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This is a nice beach it's very low key which doesn't have many tourist. And if you want to snorkel without paying a high price then go to this beach and rent the gear for cheap. read more

Hidden little gem of a beach. Tucked away in south kona. Gray sand beach with nice palm trees for shade. Great place to read a book

I really like this quiet beach. There is sand, but watch out for the rocks in the water, stay more toward the left side and walk in between the rocks and you'll be good. Waves are on the calmer side, but don't turn your back! You can rent water sport gear, kayaks, snorkeling gear. Great spot for snorkeling! You can go far out past the reef and see lots of cool things. There are public restrooms and you can camp right by the ocean. Will be coming again, I love it. Also; sand does get scorching hot during mid day so do not forget your flip flops if you have sensitive feet like me! Kid friendly! Boogie board friendly read more

Ho'okena Beach Park - Parks Near Me - Captain Cook, Hawaii

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We camped at Ho'okena Beach Park Thanksgiving through the following Saturday. We had a great time! The bathroom facilities was very well kept and we met other fun locals! The beautiful black beach was stunning and the scent of flowers in the night air made the experience almost dream-like! The campgrounds were very well kept and the staff is helpful and upbeat! All around great time and we are looking forward to visiting again in a few weeks! If you are looking for a beautiful place to camp that is not too touristy, this is the place! The internet connection was excellent! read more

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The worst camping experience of my life. Go stay somewhere safe and clean. Unfortunately, the Owner/Manager (Kai Kupa) is not managing a safe and clean site. On my recent visit, no one was making sure only registered guests were in the camp. No one walked the park to make sure guests tents were observing the camp rules. After 9 pm, most campers were asleep, a camping guest started loud demonic chanting, drum banging, and flute playing... It was very creepy. When I contacted the manager to remedy the situation, I was told to ask the guest to be quiet. I declined because the guest was obviously on drugs or intoxicated... a job for the camp site manager. Oh yeah, there was no onsite manager. The problem continued and I repeated my request. I was told Kai's cousin would check it out. No one came around quiet down the guest. No one came to speak with me or the other guests right near the problem guest. The loud guest continued until he finally passed out or fell asleep. Based on emails from Kai the next day, it was clear that the loud guest was a known local person or friend. They made no effort to speak to the guest. If fact, Kai decided to refund my small $5 fee and asked that I not ever come back! Wow. That is messed up. No customer service. No Aloha. In addition to the noisy guest, a bicycle rider snuck into the camp ground at sundown. He was obviously not a registered guest. He didn't have a tent. He proceeded to sleep on the picnic table 10 feet away from our tent. It was creepy and not safe. Do yourselves a favor... Find another Safe and Clean camp ground where the Owner/Manager actually manages the camp ground. read more

Beautiful, local beach and easy swimming and snorkeling for kids. Lots of shade and picnic areas as well. Probably one of the hottest beaches on that part of the island (sand is scorching) and stores are far so pack plenty of ice/drinks. Parking is limited, but if your lucky to get in the main lot, you are just a few feet from the beach. read more

This is my favorite beach at this point south of captain cooks. Hey silver gray sand gets hot having water shoes really helped. The approach into the ocean is easy lots of kids lots of snorkeling and dolphins get seeing often what could be wrong with any of that. read more

Great beach. Tons of benches for people. The bathrooms were very clean. People are friendly. read more

Ho'okena Beach Park - Parks Near Me - Captain Cook, Hawaii

Parking lot was full after going the 2 miles down. So don't know how the beach is. Road down is narrow

This little black sand beach seems to be popular mostly with locals (though I did hear one local complain about too many haoles at the beach today). There are showers, lots of shade, and beach equipment available for rent from a business next to the beach called "Friends of Ho'okena Beach Park." I'm no snorkeling buff, but the snorkeling here was the best I've encountered in Hawaii. As you face the water, don't bother with the area on your left. Instead, swim out in the middle of the beach and gradually work your way over to the right-hand side where there are a couple of old concrete/rock pillars protruding from the water. You'll find lots of beautiful coral, plenty of fish, and an occasional sea turtle. We had to ask around to find Ho'okena Beach Park. It has zero cell service and I think most tourists navigating via smart phone must struggle to find it. So....good luck fellow haoles! read more

Ho'okena Beach Park - Nice little black sand beach. Seems like it's mainly popular with the locals. The snorkeling was exceptional! - Parks Near Me - Captain Cook, Hawaii

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Good news: This beach is a favorite among locals on the Kona side of Hawai'i Island, especially for people who are looking to camp overnight. Great area for snorkeling and paddle boarding. Gorgeous sunsets. Awesome picnic tables for a potluck. Keep in mind: If you are not local and you are visiting Ho'okena, be extra mindful of your volume and rubbish. You may find someone telling you to move along if you are loud or if you get in someone's way. If you are considerate of the people around you and you don't attract extra attention, you should be fine. Just remember that you are in Hawai'i, not on the mainland. Lastly, parking can be tough, there's zero cell phone service, and the black sand gets very hot during the day. read more

I love this beach. It's not your typical Hawaiian beach, and I like that. If your a bad swimmer, beware the undertow, and surf. I had a friend not listen to me regarding the hot sand, and she got 3rd degree burns on her feet and couldn't walk for a week. You can also camp on this beach, which I did. It was beautiful under the full moon light. I woke up first thing and swam with the dolphins. Amazing place. It touched me heart. I come back again, and again. read more

Nice beach that is very kid friendly. Dolphins swim in the cove off to the left of the beach access but need their rest so please do not chase them. People snorkel out to the area frequently and the current is not too rough. Parking is limited so be aware you may have to park up the road and walk down to the water but still not too far. read more

This is a great little beach away from touristy resort areas. Grey sand, some decent snorkeling off to the right, showers, bathrooms, camping, and occasionally dolphins. DONT HARASS THEM! This is one of our favorite beaches as they have informative signs about respecting the marine life and the land. Please considering donating a small amount as this is a community supported beach (not County or State). read more

Great spot for campers. There is a guard system, and we felt safe setting up camp here. It was a very nice beach park. Lots of people came early in the morning to enjoy the beach. There are grills for campers to cook out and picnic tables. No water so bring your own. There are showers though. read more

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I was able to check out beaches and whatnot on big island for 3 days. This was by far the worst beach I went to. We took about 20 dudes and 5 cut their feet open in rocks/coral/glass. Wasn't very scenic, lots of rocks, and most people there were camping on the beach. It was pretty far out of the way for that type of beach. If you're in the Kona area, there are better beaches there. read more

I really like the campground and the beach park. Staff was constantly making sure the place was clean and they had such good customer service. My only complaint about this place is that they closed the gate before 9 pm so we got locked out and had to park in a sketchy parking lot. Despite the other bad reviews I had a really great stay read more

We found a new fav. Beach. Nice sandy beach, not too many rocks. Mellow waves, good for snorkeling, shade trees, bathrooms AND WARM OUTDOOR RINSE OFF SHOWER! Good parking, picnic tables, and not too many people. Some rental an available like kayaks and paddle boards. read more

Great place off the beaten path. Love the village surrounding the beach. Sand is grey and the beach is wide. Lots of fun in and out of water. Full service bathrooms with hot solar powered water for showers. Loved it read more

Disappointed that there's only a very narrow (maybe 30 feet wide?) area on the beach to boogie board due to the rocks under the water. A boarder hit her head on the rocks while trying to avoid them. We felt it was unsafe for our 10 and 12 year old, so we left. Otherwise, the beach is quiet and looks nice. Not much sun here. Took too long to get there from Kona. Should've gone to Kua or Hapuna. read more

We had a nice time at this beach and parking wasn't a problem and we encountered no rudeness. We are visitors to this island so we treat it with respect and mind ourselves accordingly. This beach has a local vibe and offered camping at the beach. Maybe on another visit we'll try it! We were beach hopping to try out as many snorkel spots as possible while we were here. Snorkeling here was good. Look for the right opening in the shoreline to enter the water. Preferably no dark patch (rocks) areas. We found further down the beach to be the better spot. The sand gets HOT so be careful if you have tender feet. Basic outdoor fresh water shower and toilets. There was a covered picnic area too. By far a fancy tourist beach with full amenities, but served our purpose just fine. read more

One of our favorite snorkeling beaches not crowded at all but there are local homeless there drinking beers. They didn't bother us. The drive down is gorgeous through winding foliage and this beach is so uncrowned it was a pleasure. read more

I loved this place. The black sand was interesting and the water and waves just make this beach a must see. Love the place. One knock it has is that it's hard to find. read more

DO NOT BOOK HERE. LAST MINUTE CANCELLATIONS. NO APOLOGIES OR HELP FINDING NEW ACCOMMODATIONS. RUINED TWO DAYS OF OUR TRIP. I booked a two night stay for 15 students and faculty traveling from Maryland for a spring break travel study and paid the full $661.50 almost two months in advance. I received a booking confirmation in January, and another 'reminder' about the upcoming visit on March 17th, the day we were in route to the big island. On Monday, March 20th (36 hours before the reservation) I received an automated email stating that our reservation had been cancelled. I responded to the email and called twice and got no response. I got in touch with someone from the campground on Tuesday, who said that she didn't know why we were cancelled but we definitely couldn't come. I FINALLY got in touch with a 'manager' later Tuesday who said they had overbooked the campground and just realized it two days before our arrival. I asked for help finding new accommodations, as we were a large group who had already arrived on the island, and she said that was not their problem. I reminded her they had our money and we had confirmation of our booking, so it was their responsibility to help us find accommodations and she said we would be refunded and hung up. We ended up having to drive 2 1/2 hours north to find a campground (with no potable water) that was only available for one of our two nights, and stayed in a hotel (far beyond our budget) for the 2nd night. I've traveled many, many times with university students and have never had such a poor customer service experience on a travel study. We had to cancel planned activities to make up for time lost calling new lodging options and traveling far beyond our plan, not to mention overspending our budget because of Ho'okena's incompetence. DO NOT BOOK HERE if you want a guaranteed reservation. Apparently they pull the rug out from under you with no warning and no help. They can apologize, but they can't make up for taking away two days of experiences for our students. read more