This area is also known as Kekaha Kai State Park…read more This is one of the best beach parks in Kona, if not on the entire island or in the whole state. I have to disagree with another reviewer, who said that "locals (not kama'aina) haven't been to this beach". First, technically speaking, locals are kama'aina. Second, plenty kama'aina know where this place is, and in fact venture to it on the weekends. If you visit on the weekend, you will find local campers, local boogie boarders (depending on surf conditions) and local families setting up for bbq and family reunions and such. But even then, none of the beaches really get crowded. I would be willing to bet that the people who say that these beaches are pretty much deserted are the ones who usually venture to Oahu. If you are a tourist who has spent all your time on Oahu, then yes, the beaches will seem deserted. But understanding that the entire Big Island has less than 180,000 people living on it and it's larger than the rest of the islands combined, then you will have some understanding that this is a local beach, where locals frequent, and locals appreciate it. The water is superbly clear, the sand is soft but not too powdery like the beaches that tourist flock to on Oahu (Lanikai and Kailua beaches...you can't get that sand off for nothin!), and it is a popular spot for our local Honu, who bathe in the sun and use this as nesting grounds. Be respectful as you enter and exit this beach park, as there are cultural sights in the lava fields that surround it. Also, make sure that you take what you need (no water, no snacks, and a long drive for either), and don't leave anything on the beach. Be respectful at all times, and respect will be shown to you. Make a mess of the beach and you will probably get confronted kindly. Get confronted kindly and act like a jerk, and you will find yourself on the wrong end of a local-style education. Fair warning...be kind to the land and to the people and they will be kind to you. This is a popular fishing spot for locals, so be mindful of that as you enter the water. It is also an excellent snorkel spot, which you should also be mindful of. Usually, the water is fairly swimmable (at the first beach that is...the other 2 can get a little rough), even in heavy surf, because there is a bit of a natural breaker that the reef creates just about 20 or 30 yards from the shore. But always be cautious of rip currents, no matter how calm the water looks. It's a perfect place for families because of the abundant shade trees and picnic tables, lots of area to stretch out and throw a blanket down. The best way to enjoy this beach is to bring a cooler, a couple of blankets to throw down, and some snacks and spend the entire day. Also, be sure that you understand that the road into this beach park is just a shade under being categorized as a 4wd only path. It's very rough in places, and cars with low clearances will have a rough time traversing some of the hills, cracks, and crevices. That being said, if you drive slow, use your head, and take your time, you can navigate it just fine. My 4door, 2wd, 6cyl sedan has no trouble on the entire path. The first beach that you come to is probably the best for families with small children, since it is close to the bathrooms and the parking lot. You can walk another 10-15 minutes and get to the next beach up, which is incredibly beautiful, but out of the way. Then there's still one more beach to the north which is another 15 minute hike...it's a long and hot hike and probably not the best for children. The first beach is just fine for anything that visitors would want to accomplish there. I would recommend sticking to that one. I am from Hawaii, and I've been to almost all the major islands, and have lived on Oahu and currently live on Big Island, and I'm here to tell you that you won't find a better beach park anywhere! Enjoy!

Not easy to get to...which locals prize. Not many tourists. Aloha…read more If you do trek it over the semi-rough terrain, enjoy the surf breaks, warm water and soft sand. Bring your Ohana and have a picnic/bbq. There are plenty of Ohana that chill in tents and fish around this spot. I heart these Kama'aina beaches, far far far away from resort mainlanders. Mahalo

I absolutely love this place! The walking trail is level and paved while the other side is the…read morebeach. It is so pretty with all of the plants and art. We came before sunset and walked the trail. As the sun was setting we crossed over to the beach side. It was beautiful. The coolest part were some friendly locals were playing their ukulele and singing. It felt magical honestly. There is so much parking and space. I always come to this park at least once on my visits. Highly recommended

As a lover of travel, this was great to visit although we didn't have time to stop at the beach or…read moreanything. The landing strip was remade to a regular road along the pretty long drive (felt maybe a mile?) out and back. There was plenty of parking and even a walking path if I recall. I don't know what it was used for other than the obvious, planes, but maybe the walking path had some history noted.

This is a very nice little State Park with very limited parking. The beach is rocky but it is so…read moreserene. It's just nice to sit out and ponder. This is also the spot where you can get a view of Captain Cook Monument. There's only two ways to get to the monument: 1. To hike 2. By water We decided to rent kayaks because we figured we have a canoe and we can easily beat the waves with it. Nearby, we rented kayaks for $65 for good two hours. It was early morning and it was a beautiful day. Life vest were provided because it's a requirement. We were told were we will see a pod of dolphins and that we are not allowed to dock our kayak anywhere near the monument because it's protected. As we kayaked away from the bay, we encountered several pods. Most of the people in our group jumped out of to swim with them. My daughter and my hubby also jumped out and had a wonderful experience. I chose to stay in the kayak because I was worried I might not be able to get back in it. The dolphins were so close- they were just next to our kayak splashing away. It was great! After a good 30-40 minutes of ogling the dolphins, we went our way to Captain Cook. At this point, the sun was shining and it was very difficult to reapply sunscreen. It also took a little bit of time to get there. Although the spot is very beautiful, I'm not quite sure if it's really the best spot for snorkeling. It's a lot deeper so the fishes are not that easy to spot close by. Also, there are tour boats. They are huge- packed with lots of people who are also in the water. After a good 30 to an hour of snorkeling, we decided to go back. Kayaking back was possibly the most tedious fare Because it seemed like it took forever. The dolphins were gone at this time and out rental is up.By this time, my sun burn set in- headache and tingling skin. The 70 SPF proof sunscreen that I got was very ineffective. For all of you kayakers, find a way to reapply sunscreen if you're showing skin. It's been two weeks and my skin is literally peeling off due to this very bad sunburn. We were not charged extra for our overdue kayak rentals. The people in the island are all very nice. Seeing dolphins up close is just the highlight of this trip despite the sunburn.

The park is small, but the waves are amazing! It's so strong, when we arrive, husband is so excited…read moreto walk to the ocean side, and a huge wave come, hit him, he got all wet from to to toe. Hahaha.

Southern most part of the United States!…read more I was blown into this special spot by a strong wind from the west. Whistling breath of the Pacific Ocean was unrelenting and awesome to experience. The sea was too rough and full of volcanic rock to swim for me. There must be some date entry points somewhere. A special spot that is paved most of the way. Such a nice drive too. Past horses, cows and small farms. A much drier and grassier part of the Big Island.

MUST STOP HERE! Quick and easy drive off the highway…read more Parking is a little limited. No restrooms. A local entrepreneur selling shave ice and smoothies. But you're here to be at the southern most part of the great United States! Walk out and enjoy the sights and sounds. Enjoy the epic large waves crashing! Stay back cuz if you go in, well, you won't get back out. Respect Mother Nature. I felt good here. I felt humbled here... like you realize how small you are on this planet. Visit this spot and make it another memory from your Hawaiian vacation! 10/10

Great stop for you to eat that picnic lunch I know you packed for your road trip to the volcano or…read moreblack sand beach! Lotsa locals and tourists alike enjoying this park. Good parking. Nice people smiling and saying hello. Good snorkeling in the bay that is amazingly protected by the volcanic rock sea wall! There were some gnarly waves out there but the bay was so calm and nice. Even spotted turtles!

Sea turtles! Sea snakes!…read more Whittington Park is a must on your trip down south in Kona. It was not on our list but decided to take a detour and glad we did! This park is secluded and we did not see one tourist here but only 2 locals fishing. From where we parked, we started off walking along the beautiful coast. The water is shallow for a good distance and we walked in it exploring the sea life. There are lots of beautiful colorful fishes. The bf ran into a sea snake....got freaked out a little bit. I preferred to stay by the shallower end and took photos instead! Then we walked over to the far left side. There is a large pond...carried by the ocean currents from opposite side. It was peaceful and calm with a lot of greenery. We both stepped in not knowing what to expect. The bf, once again, ran head to head with a beautiful green sea turtle. I grabbed my camera real quick and got several nice shots. To our surprise, there were more turtles....lots of them. They were swimming in from the ocean along with the current into the pond. It seem like a little safe turtle haven. The bf tried to grab one of them by the shell to take a photo. The poor turtle was sleeping and shot out like an energizer bunny once he got a hold of him! For the record, turtles are NOT slow! Besides sea turtles...we also saw lots of different species of fish just hanging out. The cool thing was that they were so close to us. We ended up spending over 2 hours here. Definitely worth stopping by on your way to South Point.

Very nice beach. It's very calm and steady waters. This beach is right next to the pier. After I…read moredocked from the cruise and shopped around town, I came here to swim. If you swim a little deeper you can see the pretty fishes. It started raining a little bit but it was still nice to swim in the blue ocean. The volcanic black rocks surrounding the area is very cool too. There is a resort right on the beach and the beautiful green grass is gorgeous with tropical views. You can also rent out scuba gear and paddle boards by the Kona Beach Boys rental stand on the beach. There are bathrooms and rinse off stations on the pier that's next to the beach. I had a good time swimming here and taking pictures.

Small little calm water cove next to the pier with Kona boys rental, in front of Marriott…read morecourtyard, with ABC, snacks, Ululani best shaved ice ,safe for kids to play and snorkel to see plenty of coral fish. Keep an eye for dolphin playing around the outside too. Outside shower, restrooms, very close to the street.

I stayed in Miloli'i for 10 days and frequented this spot. Being at this beach, in this bay, with…read morethe palm trees and grass, the crystal clear water, only the sounds of the surf... ahhhh.... it was the one place here on the big island that I felt the most relaxed and the most magic. After parking at Miloli'i Beach Park you have to walk about 15 minutes or so to get to this magic slice of solitude, but it's worth the walk. The sites along the way are amazing as well. There are more than a few grave sites believe it or not, and some are marked "Kapu" or Sacred. Please do not trespass here. It's not your territory to tread on, so don't. There are a few lone graves and one actual cemetery. Again, please leave them alone. Perhaps stop for a minute and be quiet, even gaze from afar, but do not go crashing into the cemetery so you can snap a few cheap shots from your point and shoot. Have some respect please, and continue on to your paradise. :) After walking through some forest, seeing some wild goats, passing the sacred kapu ground, and testing your flip flops on some old lava flow you will arrive at a white sand post card complete with palm trees, fallen coconuts and crystal clear water. It's like those Corona commercials. Don't forget your snorkel gear! This bay is not that deep, the waters are super calm, and let me tell you, there is a lot to look at! It may not look like it from the beach, but it's possible to snorkel way out past the rocks and not get caught in a current. I'm a novice snorkeler and felt completely comfortable getting out there, and I mean, way out there. But when you read what I write next, your little booty will be turning your flippers on high gear and getting out there too! Our last day at this bay we arrived to find the bay kind of crowded... by this I mean there were about 6 other people there. What can I say?! I got spoiled! Looking out into the water I notice 3 or 4 fins above water... tachycardia begins (fast heart rate)... I gotta get out there! They are either small sharks or dolphins! My travel partner says to me, "I think there's a bunch of turtles out there..." No way. Turtles don't have synchronized swimming... We ditch our stuff quickly, so quickly in fact that he blows out his flip flop and we get into the water to get out there as soon as we can! I'm full of emotions at this point.... I'm nervous and scared that they might be sharks and my brain fires back that at least if I get picked off I'll go out doing something really cool! I keep my head down and periodically look up to see where the fins are at, constantly changing my trajectory. As my head is down looking forward into the blue I see the shapes emerge and my heart about pound out of my mouth.... spinner dolphins!! And not 3 or 4.... 25-30!!!!!!! They swam in synch, toward me, around me, underneath me. Calm, peaceful, together. Over and over. We followed them into the bay, out of the bay, it was a rhythm. They were definitely on chill mode. And so was I. I've never been apart of anything as cool as that and don't know that I will get an opportunity like that again. This bay is magic. Worth the trek. Do it! If you witness this amazingness, do just that, witness it. Awe inspiring.

We drove down to the beach from the highway 11. It was not…read moreeasy drive, though worth it. As a photographer, I took the most colorful local photos here. This is a very small beach that locals hanging out, I think. In front of a little yellow church stand a loud speaker pole. I can imagine when tsunami comes or volcano errupt.. One of the most beautiful sea color I saw here.

I haven't seen black sand since I was a kid. This beach is awesome. The waves are amazing. We…read moredidn't even plan this, just found it driving. The first thing I noticed was the abandoned resort. There is a long history of neglect from property owners over the years. It's truly sad. Just beware. I've seen a lot of how Hawaii is still suffering from oppression. Breaks my heart. On the ocean side of life. This park is amazing. The day we went, the sun was unforgiving. I meant, it was a typical day in Hawaii. We're from Oregon. It was He'll on earth for this white boy. I didn't care. It was awesome to see the black scorching sand. Pro tip. Keep your flipas on. There are a couple shad covered picnic spots. Plenty free parking. Showers to rinse off after swimming. Good easy beach access. A life guard. Boogy Bord rentals and turtles. We enjoyed the big waves crashing into the rocks. Pro tip. Never turn your back to the ocean. There was a bunch of teens and kids having a great time surfing. We even watched a Green Sea Turtle eating near the shore. I also discovered nearby is a place with Green Sand. Gotta see that one day. Didn't even know Green was an option. The memories we made here are amazing. My Wife is having the time of her life.

I'll admit that we probably did this one wrong. Trying to do both green and black sand beaches in…read morethe same day with the drive to/from Hilo is a lot. Compared to the green sand beach that we had just been to, this one, to be honest, was sort of underwhelming. If you're going counterclockwise around Ninole Loop Road, the first, to me the main, parking lot was full, so we went to the second lot or middle lot. There is probably space for twenty cars if people parked normally or weren't meandering around, but we didn't get that. Instead, we got the last space all the way up front on the left side and most people were parking like douches - sort of diagonal here, there and everywhere. Add in the roaming chickens and the people selling a few different produce items like sugar cane or coconuts while taking up multiple spaces and it was a show. Sadly, no turtles that day but on the plus side, it was windy and overcast so the sand was not blazing hot. Overall, nobody was in the water. Just a lot of walking around and looking at the Temu grade black sand beach merch for sale from the bodega next to the lot. On the off chance that a return trip was ever made, we should probably just focus and spend more time here to give it a fair chance. In the meantime, I'll give it a generous four spot but in reality, it was more like a three.