This is by far one of my favorite hikes on the Big Island. I have venture on it twice. The…read moretrailhead is located in Waipio Valley! Take the very steep road (Kukuihaele Road) down to the valley. When you arrive at the bottom of the steep road, you can go left or you can go right. Right takes you to the beach! Take a left and travel down the town dirt road. You are going to take this road for 0.6 of one mile until you hit a stream in the middle of the road! Do NOT cross the stream (crossing the streams is bad)! There is a trail-head immediately to the left of the road, exactly before the stream road crossing. You walk upwards on the dirt. There will be signs that say, "trail closed," "private property," etc. You will know that is the trail you want to take! Follow this trail as much as possible and try to stick to whatever appears to be a trail! I try to avoid the homes on the left of the trail as much as possible, to respect their privacy! While on the trail, you will traverse down by the river and back up and down by the river and back up, a few times...that is normal! Then, you will eventually come to many signs saying, "Under surveillance" and more warning signs...you are on the right track! There are two tiny fences you can either climb over easily or slightly go around...not too hard. Then you come to a man-made dam in the river! You will want to cross that dam! I walked in front of the dam, because there was less water. Then, once on the other side, I climb the dam and enter the waist high (depending on your height) water. I stay on the far right side of the ridge until I climb up on the rocks and back on a trail. Now, keep in mind, the trail will go upwards and downwards, along the river and back up on an actual trail. You will also cross the river several times, because quite frankly, there is no other way to do this hike AND the trail continues on the other side. You go through a bamboo forest too! Towards the last 1/5 of the hike, there is a longer well seen trail on the right side, which will eventually lead you to the Hi'ilawe Falls! My wife I and I did this hike and we only saw three people (a group) along the way, who turned back, because they did not have enough time to complete it. My wife is on the slower side, so it took us 2.5 hours to get there and 2 hours to hike back. On my first hike when I did this alone, I made the trip back in 1 hour (not sure about the bike there by myself, because I spent more time hiking over boulders and did not notice the trail on most of the journey until hiking back). A good rule of thumb...stay away from the stream as much as possible! Inevitably, you will have to hike on the side of the stream. Stay away from hiking over boulders as much as possible. The less you have to hike over boulders and rely more on the trails, the shorter the hike will be. Trust me, the trails are there, you just have to look for them and use some blasted hiking common sense. Wear water proof boots at all possible! I brought a backpack which I carried over my head while in the river at the dam area...only a couple of minutes worth of holding it. There are a few very slippery rocks...keep that in mind. If it looks green and mossy...it is going to be slippery! Best of luck! Happy hiking!

Lovely, peaceful trails at this park. In this visit we only had time for the nature trail which was…read morewell maintained and had a number of interpretive signs describing the various trees and shrubs. Also near the nature trail is the arboretum of native plants with additional interpretive signs, be sure to visit both areas. If you have more time, do the jeep trail to gulch trail as a loop.

This place is pretty confusing and also empty so we were afraid to explore too much. We checked out…read morethe garden but it seemed a bit under maintained and dead. Seems pretty easy to get lost and no reception so come prepared. Plenty of parking but for some reason gave kind of eerie vibes.

Not sure how to review this. It's a lookout area. Plenty of parking. Area is well kept. It has…read moreamazing views of Waipio Valley.

This sacred and historic valley lookout is always worth a stop. If the weather is good, the views…read morewill be spectacular. Only went to the look out and didn't go down as of respect for the locals. There is a shelter with restrooms and a grill. Saw people having a picnic. Parking is on the street with paved path to the look out.

Free view of one of the most sacred valleys in Hawaii. Free! Not to be missed! Park and look…read more That's it.

Incredible views from the waipio valley lookout. Valley itself is very beautiful. Approx 10 miles…read moreroute from the highway is very scenic with a historic town in middle too. Ocean and mountains collide with a great artistic view at the end. Would definitely recommend this place for the great picture opportunities. Pictures speak by itself.

A beautiful hike to such a peaceful reward at the end!…read more As an avid hiker, this hike was doable. It took us only about half an hour going down and up. When you arrive, parking for hikers is recommended not at the valley parking lot but on the side road leading to the parking lot as the valley parking lot is for those who are just visiting the lookout and not hiking. Once you walk towards the trail entrance, there are a couple of people waiting to assist hikers. They discuss the safety protocol and warnings when visiting. There is no time limit to how long you can be down there but because no swimming is allowed, i have found people stay only about half an hour before heading back up. We recommend wearing hiking shoes because the ascend is not easy and have seen people struggling.

Great short hike with excellent views as you descend. We tried this ~ 30 years ago and the trail…read morewas narrow and not well developed plus very muddy the day we originally tried it, so had to turn around. Now, the trail is nicely improved with some strategic rock "steps" though it is still slippery, even on a dry day. We saw a number of people doing it ( Very cautiously) in inappropriate shoes and that is not at all recommended. It is steep. The pond and beach at the bottom is nice for contemplation and wave watching.

Visiting many beaches and finding that most are Lava Rock base and the Sandy ones have you in for…read morehikes. Love the beach and views.

Very windy but wonderful set up of bathroom, pavilions, grills, running water etc. The facilities…read morewere pretty clean too.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Wilson and the Mauna Kea Summit & Stars excursion…read more Wilson was incredibly well spoken and knowledgeable and I learned so much! He did all of this while navigating steep roads (not all paved) and feeding us amazing chicken stew, cookies, and hot cocoa. This was a truly memorable and magical trip and the weather was just perfect! Everything was well organized and I cannot recommend them enough

We went on an almost 100% full (flower) moon. It was special to see the terminator line on the…read moreCelestron telescope - it had such great definition! The color of Mauna Kea with the moon shining on it was so magical all around us. There were some clouds that cleared pretty well by the end of our star gazing. We were the last ones up there so it got dark enough to see more than you'd expect with the moon. Jeff, our awesome tour guide, used a laser pointer to help us see the constellations we usually can't back at home. The images on the digital telescope like nebulas, the moon & star clusters were an amazing addition to have as keepsakes. My husband and I felt he made the tour a great balance of learning and fun. He had the group feeling like family before we even left from the pickup lot. Things to consider: I do recommend following the moons cycles booking this tour/your trip if this is especially important for you to see as many stars as possible. The sunset and views of the observatory's make it awesome anyways :) I struggled with altitude sickness around 12,000 ft. Jeff had made sure to let us know beforehand if we experienced any issues to speak up. I was hesitant as I know it would mean turning the whole tour around, but some tingling turned to dizziness and then a brief fainting. He immediately stopped the bus and helped ground me and make sure I was completely okay & coherent before letting me know our options for the tour. We made it up to the top with 2 more (included in tour) stops and I felt better with each one having more time to acclimate :) Thank you Jeff!! You handled this so professionally and I appreciate your check-ins for the rest of the trip. It's cold even with parka and gloves. It's so worth packing warm shoes and layers. The bus had ac and heat so that was great! Do it if you can! Awe-inspiring! Such an unreal environment that makes you wonder about so many things. Just take the precautions seriously, move slow and breathe deep.

Loved this 5 miles round trip hike to the beach. Huge variety of vegetation and most of the trail…read moretramps through a tree forest. The tree forest is interesting with some abandoned and vegetation encrusted old jeeps and cars, historic rock walls and towards the end, spur trails to the sea cliffs, and a collapsed lava tube. At the end is a gorgeous bay favored by sea turtles. We saw at least 23 turtles on our visit. Please note that this trail is muddy and very muddy in spots even when it has not been raining, and the footing is very uneven so it is not for the casual walker, for flip flops or any shoes that you don't mind getting very muddy. I found that having hiking poles was helpful in order to gage how thick the mud was at various places on the pathway. Go early as it is very humid by late morning or mid day.

The Puna Trail that leads from the dirt parking lot to the secluded Shipman Beach (Ha'ena Beach) is…read more2-1/2 miles in each direction and consists of a jungle, lava rocks, and muddy conditions. It can be challenging especially during the rainy periods and at times it may seem forever until you reach the very end. Nevertheless, I was finally able to make it to the beach and it was worth it in the very end, though it's not one of these points of interest that I would want to do again. As for Shipman Beach, it's a nice place to relax at if it wasn't for the strong waves and currents particularly during the winter months. On better days, you might even see some sea turtles hanging out on the rocks nearby (do not approach them!). Best to apply bug repellant prior to hiking and make sure to scrub your shoes before and after at the trailhead brush.

Great place to snorkel! Bring a scuba mask and prepare to be amazed. There's so many fish of…read morevarious sizes and colors, some with unique patterns. There's also an abundance of coral, which is equally as impressive. 10/10 beach!?

Tucked away and definitely a bit of a hidden gem. This black sand beach is very small and intimate,…read morewhich honestly adds to its charm. Parking is extremely limited--first come, first served--so plan accordingly or be ready for a bit of a walk. We actually hiked in from Hilton Kings' Land, which made the experience feel even more special. The beach itself is great for snorkeling, with lots of people already out in the water exploring. Despite a steady flow of visitors, it still feels surprisingly private since it's located within a gated community. There are bathrooms available, which is a nice plus for such a tucked-away spot. Overall, if you're looking for a quieter, less crowded beach with excellent snorkeling, this one is worth the effort--as long as you're prepared for the parking situation! Parking lot full very early in the am. Better to walk. Or even get dropped off.

This is more than just a waterfall, it's an experience where you immerse yourself in a rainforest…read moreand appreciate the beauty, sounds, smells, and little creatures around you. Although the entire hike is about half an hour, I would recommend you take your time and see everything around you. The hike itself is not strenuous. Some of the reviews indicate the steps were arduous, but our little 3-year-old had no problem. The paths are paved with railings. It didn't take long before we reached where Akaka falls was visible. It is beautiful against the mossy green backdrop. Then we climb the stairs to see the other waterfall, but when we got there, it was pretty anti-climatic. It's a small little fall, but still worth seeing. Overall, this is a beautiful spot to discover new plants, see a couple of waterfalls, and take a ton of pictures.

Our first stop of the day. 2 waterfalls , one narrow and one huge…read more Many stairs to each one. Very small crowd.