To address the parking situation:…read more You can park across the street from Pinky's Convenience store at the abandoned bakery, next to the propane tanks. Be careful not to block off the parking lot. There are houses behind that lot and people do go in and out. I also wanted to mention after several outings to this beach that it's decent for surfing, but make sure you're a strong swimmer. The bottom is rocky and the current is strong.

I live in the area, know some of the residents and would like to clear up any misguided information…read moreabout this property, it's access & the beach. First things first...and I really can't stress this enough. -NO PARKING OR DRIVING DOWN MILL ROAD... here's why. The ENTIRE paved road from Pinky's property on Mill, all the way to the end is a PRIVATE ROAD/DRIVEWAY and meant for the property owners to gain access to their house on the Mill. They paved Mill Road for easier access for themselves, Mill Road residents, resident guests, deliveries and utilities ONLY. It is not state maintained and it is not a public road, repeat; NOT A PUBLIC ROAD. There are signs at the top of the hill stating it's a private road. There are ZERO turnaround areas at the end of that road. It is apparent with all the chains and signs around, the residents do not want their driveways used as a turn around or parking of any kind on their property. SO, unless you want to make a 20 point turn and chance scrapping against big lava boulders, don't even bother driving down. Parking is across the highway, walk down from there. Pedestrian crosswalk provided. You can not be a lazy person to get to this beach, it's a nice long walk from the parking area. And even longer on the way back because it's all up hill. This beach has had quite the history and there are a few locals that are unhappy about this situation. But it is what it is... Most residents of Mill Road that I've spoken to are happier with the current set up of the beach access and feel the area is much safer since private ownership at the Mill. That said, this beach is NOT "public access" nor a "public beach". It was never public. It is called "permitted access". That land is completely privately owned. It's always been privately owned and wasn't accessed "publicly" until the Mill closed and was no longer being maintained. There was no safe access to that beach, it was illegally trespassed upon by entering through the old mill, luring down to the beach by ropes and chains and sketchy pathways. The new property owners made the current access to the beach and it's now a beautiful path down to the beach. Moving on and moving forward... The hours you are allowed access are from 6:30am to 6:30pm. The property owners run a tight ship but as long as you follow the rules, you're all good. It's a great place to body board and surf but only if you have skills. I've seen ppl fishing too. This area is a fresh water feeder to the ocean. The beach itself is black iki pebbles, cobbles and boulders with green sand. It's littered with debris from the old mill such as rusted metal and bricks and choke amounts of deposited drift wood. I would consider this beach kinda dangerous with all the rusted exposed Mill remnants and debris, so not really sure it's suitable for the little ones. Definitely watch your feet when walking around, lots of glass and metal. The Mill itself is completely off limits and super dangerous. It's condemned for good reason and looks on the verge of collapse. No dogs(they have guard dogs and the beach is dangerous for their feet), No wheels of any kind, No alcohol, No fires, No fruit picking. Absolutely NO PARKING on Mill road...EVER...you will be towed. I love it there but I'm also really close by and can walk down. I go often but hear lots of fake news about this place. Trying to get the truth out so everyone is on the same page and has a good time instead of a bad one. Take out what you take in and don't be asshat, walk down from the highway.

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.

If you're staying/operating/visiting the Hilo area and are looking for a beach, this one is…read moreprobably as good as it gets. A few things to keep in mind: No such thing as big sandy beaches. They don't exist here. You've got a few patches of sand mixed with a lot of volcanic lava rocks (some smooth but most are different degrees of sharp). We visited twice on weekdays arriving in the late morning time frame. There is a good bit of parking here between along Kalanianaole Street and the main lot on Keauhaha Road. Each time when we arrived overall things weren't that busy but a few hours later, it was quite busy. I can't imagine what a weekend would look like? Trash, toilets and a lifeguard are here. We never saw any turtles but there were plenty of fish hanging out. IME, if you come during high tide and if you're in a deeper part of the water, you can get knocked around a little bit which with all of the jagged rocks... The scene itself is beautiful. The water is crystal clear, you can find some ok shade under one of the trees and overall it's very peaceful and serene. www.lovebigisland.com/big-island-beaches/carlsmith-four-miles/

This Beach park happened by accident when my niece was looking for a place for us to eat lunch in…read moreKona. This happened to be the closest picnic area that we could come to, thanks to a little tik- tok video she watched. If you're looking for a traditional beach with sand, this isn't the place. But what you'll get instead are the famous black lava rock formations Kona is known for that spill into several lagoons full of crystal clear water. As for eating, there are plenty of places to lay down a blanket in the grass, picnic and relax. The park has several trash cans for you to use as well and I did happily notice that the park was clean. I did not have to use the bathroom here so I can't comment on that. What impressed me the most was that they had built in stairs for you to walk into the ocean. In my entire life of traveling, I've never seen a beach park with built in stairwells to walk into the lagoons. This was a treat for me. If I have one big tip, it's to remember to have your water shoes because the rocks are sharp to walk on and can easily cut you if you're not careful. I also did read that they do have outdoor showers but I didn't see them when we were here. Lots of folks brought their own snorkeling gear because there were a lot of fish, not to mention at least 3 turtles that I saw swimming around. As I'm writing this review, I'm already missing Kona and the uniqueness of this island. If you plan on going to Kona, you must come and enjoy this place. It's truly special and I would recommend it to anyone.

Like others have mentioned, it's a black sand beach. The white sand beaches are on the northern…read moreshores. I lived in the neighborhood (Alae Point) and volunteered for clean-ups on Wednesday mornings with Braddah Skibs!! He's there early, so stop by and say, "Howzit?" What I love about this place is that it feels like "old Hawai'i." I can paddle out and ask, "Pehea 'oe?" and sometimes get an answer back in Hawai'ian. Kaua'i is the only other place where I can get that old Hawai'ian feeling of Aloha. Sometimes the surf is really fun. When it's a big close-out day at Honoli'i, it's usually breaking cleaner at the Bayfront near the light house. If there's too much rain, the waters get dark and cold, so maybe try Pohoiki until it clears up. I've seen whales breach less than 200 yards from the lineup, and the sound is like a canon. When the waves are calm, the honu (sea turtles) come close to shore. Those are good days to take out a Costco foamie. It's bad if you hit a honu with your fins, but on a foamie it's "mo' bettah" for you and for the honu. The kama'aina (locals) are great. Just smile and be happy. Like they say, "Come with your Aloha, or don't come at all." Really, just leave all that c-r-a-p back on the mainland. Slow down, relax, and enjoy the day. You're on a beach on an island. "Planny" people fly by and never see the ripe bananas and papayas at the paka. -- One more thing, a number of stand-up paddle guys and some surfers have been wearing KSO Virbram Five-Fingers to protect their feet. To be honest, I've tried them, and "da bugga ok."

This beach is the gathering place for the surfers, but it's hard to find parking…read more I wouldn't say it's a place to hang out and chill as it's pretty small and rocky. But if you are a surfer or want to see surfers in action, worth to check it out.

So glad this park has reopened. Nice job parks department!…read moreThe restrooms, vastly improved, clean and roomy. Well marked paved parking area. Nice picnic tables abound. Roped off area to avoid due to toxicity. The small waterfalls of Ka'ahakini stream is a joy to watch, and Kolekole stream is pleasant to sit in on a warm day. Lovely views of the coastline. Great place to bring a picnic. Before the park was closed you used to be able to cross the old bridge on old mamalahoa highway, but it appears permanently closed. Will see if I can update Yelp to the correct name, Kolekole GULCH Park.

We wanted to check this place out with their beautiful waterfalls and swimming. The water was…read morechilly in March. The parking lot was a bit empty, but very clean and open. The bathrooms were great for a public beach. They have a sidewalk down the river with benches to sit on. The grass if overly for the kids to run around. There is no safe way to get in and out of the water just rocks. There was a pretty strong undercurrent so make sure to watch out if you are swimming. Someone was fishing further up but not sure if they caught anything. There were BBQs going with other park goers. There are pavilion style areas further up near the parking lots. A beautiful and well maintained place better than most of the places we have in Oahu.

Huaka'i guide services showed me a part of Hawaii I normally wouldn't see. Going hiking is out of…read moremy element but you only live once right? I gave Kehau a call and worked out a hike with a group of friends that wouldn't be too rigorous but still challenging. With steady encouragement and the message "it will be worth it at the top" and on the way he filled me in with awesome history and an authentic hawaiian perspective which was informative. Once at the top of the ridge I was at a loss for words we were mesmerized, it was completely worth it. We ended up scheduling another hike before the trip was over. Highly recommend Huaka'i guide services for an awesome authentic Hawaiian adventure.

From the owner: We are a group of seasoned local guides, dedicated to perpetuating pono and aloha by sharing with…read moreour visitors a cultural and historical understanding on the people of Hawai'i and the place we call home. Experience the amazing and beautiful island of Hawai'i through Hawaiian culture and folklore. We provide a wide range of services guaranteed to show you the most iconic locations in the most authentic way. Whether you are looking for a easy breezy shuttle or an elaborate full day tour, our team at Huaka'i Guide Services has you covered.

Small black sand beach and protected swimming area just a ten minute drive from downtown Hilo -…read moreperfect for young families. We stopped by this evening and had a great time. Our girls frolicked on the sand and swam in the water, carefully watched over by a couple of lifeguards on the shore. There were many young families on the beach, and local youth learning to surf, which contributed to the relaxed and friendly atmosphere. We were told that sea turtles sometimes swim near the shore, but we didn't see any. We did, however, spot lots of little black crabs, jumping from rock to rock! Happy to return!

For more advance swimmers and more open waters this is your spot. Perfect for snorkeling and…read moreexploring the sea life swim past you. The vibrant colors shimmer at you while you take in the magic of the island as you soak up the sunshine and cold waters. During low time the waters are calmer and great for splashing around. Against the lava rocks are some crawling crabs that camouflage with the rocks so you will see them scurrying around. Parking along the road fills up quick and is rare to get the open waters without running into human feet and bodies as you are snorkel around. Added bonus the public restrooms. Remember to take care of the land and leave it better than you saw it and enjoy!

What a beautiful property and great way to spend the first day of our vacation. The staff was super…read morekind and informative and the views.... Wow! So much fun and interesting, best thing we did on the island.

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.

Beautiful Scenery, but a Disappointing Experience…read more I really wanted to love this tour, and there were certainly some positives. Our guide was clearly very educated and knowledgeable, and his passion for nature was undeniable. You could genuinely feel his excitement about the flora and fauna (a word he was particularly fond of using!). It was refreshing to see someone so enthusiastic about the natural world. Unfortunately, the experience itself left much to be desired. My biggest disappointment was the waterfall. This was one of the highlights we were most looking forward to, yet we were given less than five minutes to actually enjoy it. We were hurried back to the van because the chocolate farm was apparently going to close its gates. I completely understand that the rain prevented us from hiking, and I certainly wouldn't fault anyone for making decisions based on safety. However, rushing us away from one of the main attractions was incredibly frustrating. What made this even more disappointing was that throughout the day, we were given approximately 15 minutes at farmers markets and an additional chocolate shop. It was difficult to understand why there was time for these stops but virtually no time to enjoy the waterfall. We spent approximately 10 hours on this tour, much of it sitting in the van. To make matters worse, the atmosphere was frequently uncomfortable. My husband and children were repeatedly chastised by our guide, and there were several interactions that felt unnecessarily rude. At one point, he asked a woman to roll down her window because she was occupying what he considered his spot, then proceeded to comment that people were "friggin idiots." Regardless of the circumstances, that kind of behavior felt unprofessional and made the experience unpleasant. I truly appreciate our guide's knowledge and love of nature, but enthusiasm and expertise don't necessarily translate into a great guest experience. For the amount of money we paid, I expected a much more enjoyable and thoughtfully paced day. We technically got to "see" a waterfall, but spending less than five minutes there hardly felt like experiencing it. Ultimately, we spent far too much time in a van, too little time enjoying the natural beauty we came to see, and too much of the day feeling uncomfortable. Sadly, I cannot say this tour was worth the cost.

Great spot. I Found a clothing made by a small surf brand that I grew up in southern CA that I had…read morenot seen for many years. The person (Casio Watch) that helped me with my shopping was great. Some of the Best customer service I have experienced Post-Covid. I honestly thought she was the owner by how great the service was. The shop was very clean, everything was displayed nicely, and the prices were fair for the quality of the product. Just Get more Kanvas by Katin shorts.

Check for access before planning to visit Coconut Island. The pedestrian bridge connecting it to…read more land collapsed earlier this month under the weight of a small excavator. The bridge was closed pending repairs.