Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Puako Petroglyph Archeological Park

    3.8 (51 reviews)
    Open 6:30 am - 6:30 pm

    Puako Petroglyph Archeological Park Photos

    You might also consider

    More like Puako Petroglyph Archeological Park

    Recommended Reviews - Puako Petroglyph Archeological Park

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Maxine P.

    We accidentally found this site when driving by to go to the beach at the resort. While driving by I spotted a sign for a Petroglyph trail. So pleased to see so many in one location. The trail is paved at the beginning and shortly takes you to an area that has some of the petroglyphs on display. After this point the trail becomes an uneven trail of dirt and lava rock making its way through twisted branches of brown colored trees that appeared dead but were not. Lava formations lined the trail with some steps up and down. It's an easy trail but I would recommend at least sports shoes instead of slippers (flip flops). It's about 1/2 a mile to the large flat area that is fenced off with a trail that loops around it. It's has at least 3,000 petroglyphs in the park which is amazing number. Fully worth the quick walk.

    Grace X.

    The trail to get the petroglyphs is pretty easy- it's 0.7 miles each way and took us about 30 minutes round trip. At the end there is a large field of petroglyphs, but they were a little bit hard to see. A little underwhelming but a unique sight. About 50 yards from the trail is a nice beach. There is also a decent bathroom and several trash cans at the park.

    The first stick people
    Courtney L.

    Hawaii Flashback | January 2022 These historic relics date back to the year 1000 - 1800AD which is astonishing to even think about. Despite this huge range, it's amazing how well they have been preserved over time. These petroglyphs represent some of the earliest forms of written communication in which humans carved directly into rock. No one knows with certainty what they mean, so interpretation is left up to you. Just a short walk from the parking lot, several boulders with clearly defined petroglyphs are on full display. This is just a small teaser for what's to come. To see the rest, you will need to go on a short hike. I recommend wearing sturdy shoes as the path goes through the forest, where there are loose rocks and hanging branches, then across a sandy and grassy path. The trail is supposedly just 1.4 miles roundtrip, but just going one way felt longer than 0.7 miles, likely due to the varying terrain. It took us about 20 minutes to reach the main event where we found a ton of petroglyphs engraved into the rocky pavement. Compared to the ones at the entrance, these carvings were a little underwhelming in terms of appearance since they were fading. However, this was not surprising at all since they've been preserved for centuries. The rockery was completely covered from end to end in etchings, almost like it documented a story. You can walk around the perimeter and view everything in its entirety. We spent about 15 minutes here appreciating the history and then made our way back to the parking area. Just steps away from the parking lot is Holoholokai Beach Park, where fragments of white coral mixed with black lava rock. At the time we visited, no one else was on the beach, so it was a great place to relax and take in the views after admiring the petroglyphs.

    Walking to the petroglyphs is like walking to the witch's house in Hansel and Gretel. While it isn't difficult, it is dusty and you need to watch your steps for roots, downed tree limbs, rocks, etc. At the end, you will see an expanse of petroglyphs. It is about a 30-minute round trip. If you use GPS to get there, be sure NOT to go on Pauko Beach Road; it ends at a private access road. You need to go Mauna Lani drive to N Kaniku Dr to Holoholokai Beach Park Rd. There are signs on N. Kaniku, but they stop before reaching the parking lot for the beach. Access to the petroglyphs is at the beginning of the parking lot. Beach looks nice.

    Peteoglyph
    Travis P.

    The trail is pretty hard to navigate through and would totally recommend following the trail path on All Trails so you don't get lost. When you actually get to the petroglyphs though there is a lot of history that goes into that area. Definitely would recommend navigating your way through to this historical stop.

    Laura E.

    This was a super cool experience. The trail on the way to the petroglyph "field" is a bit rough and reminds me of something straight out of a horror movie, but it was interesting and fun to walk through. When you reach the actual petroglyphs, it's an amazing site to see. You can view them easily without damaging them and it's pretty clear where you are and are not supposed to go. Please help protect the petroglyphs if you visit by not walking on them or making rubbings. Posted signs will remind you of this while you're there. There is also a plethora of picnic tables nearby, and a beach. There is a bathroom and a shower to rinse yourself with after hanging out in the ocean. We met a sea turtle at the nearby beach too. All in all, it was a great day.

    AJ K.

    Here's what you need to know: you've got to go during sunrise before 8AM. That is the best time by far to enjoy it. if you put it in perspective as to how old these etchings/petroglyphs are, it blows your mind. It's so easy to access the petroglyphs, it's well labeled and next to a public beach access. It's well organized and is in nature In it's original place. What's there not to love. Just know that parking can get full so go early at sunrise we'll before beach goers care to park there and you will get the best spots to walk in and do a short hike around. Beautiful setting.

    Tori B.

    Totally worthwhile! So it took us a while to figure out where this was. Google maps took us to a place where there was basically no parking. Definitely not it! We kept riding towards the beach. We ended up parking in the lot there. Eventually we came to what we realized was the trailhead. We just kept following it, and while at times it wasn't necessarily clear, we eventually found the petroglyphs. The hike wasn't long, it was a little bit hot but totally worthwhile. I recommend doing this in the morning. It won't take you more than a couple of hours. Suggestion: if you have Pokémon loaded on your phone, you will be able to figure out where the petroglyphs are and keep walking in that general direction. Hey. It worked!!! (OK now I have embarrassed myself)

    Entrance to glyph
    Sylvia Y.

    Hmmm really debated between 3 or 4 stars but settled on 3 for a few reasons: 1. It's somewhat out of the way (near the Fairmont Orchid area). 2. The petroglyphs have been moved to a central location (this might be a pro for some people but I prefer to view historical things in their original location if possible). 3. Takes about 10 minutes to look at everything so it isn't really worth the visit unless you're nearby 4. No detailed placards describing the different glyphs / meaning or history behind them Pros: 1. Apparently the petroglyphs used to be scattered about but they've since moved it to a central location for ease of viewing 2. Not a far walk from the parking lot I still prefer the one in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park because I was able to walk through old lava flows and the glyphs were in their original location, but I would recommend Puako Petroglyphs if you're close by.

    Aaron J.

    We couldn't find the entrance, at first. It's on the right side right when you enter the parking lot. Don't blink or you'll miss it! Lol. The Petroglyphs are very cool to see it's a quick activity but the heat made it almost unbearable. There is zero breeze coming in from the beach so be prepared for the heat! We didn't walk all the way in, we chose to just walk the 5 minutes to the first group of petroglyphs and then leave. There's no way we could do a mile walk in that heat! The beach next to the petroglyphs was beautiful and inhabited by tons of cats! It's not a good beach for swimming but it was lovely for exploring the tide pools.

    Justine D.

    Cool little hike to see the petroglyphs. I actually preferred this one to the waikoloa ones since these were all in one area and didn't seem to have all the graffiti and obstruction that waikoloa had. The hike was nice and shaded in the beginning and super easy. I'd still recommend close-toed shoes but probably could have worn flip flops. Also nice that there was a little trash receptacle near the glyphs so as to keep the area nice and tidy.

    Kitties at the entrance to the path
    Elizabeth M.

    It was great to be able to visit the petroglyphs for the first time. We followed our GPS directions and parked in the lot by the beach. A friendly lady was in the parking lot feeding a large group of feral cats. (By the looks of their bellies, they are well cared for.) The path was very easy to find and we made our way through the rocks and trees, making sure not to stray off the path. Several petroglyphs outside of the main area were marked by large circles of rocks to protect them from footsteps. After a short walk we made it to the large viewing area. Banisters and a path separate you from the carvings to protect them. Everyone we saw there was respectful of the boundaries as they observed the figures on the ground. We headed back the way we came and ended the trip by catching a great sunset at the beach. I'm glad we came later in the afternoon, since the walk was nice and cool. If you can organize your trip around 30-45 minutes before sunset, it's worth it.

    Traci T.

    A short mile and a half hike to see some ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs. Don't be turned off by the fake ones that you see at the beginning of the trail. Some are pretty amusing, so it's actually worth a quick look at these amusing "petroglyphs" that greet you at the beginning. Once you start on the hike, you'll feel like you've been walking forever and should have crossed Winnie the Pooh by now because you feel like you're in the Hundred Acre Woods or something, but don't lose hope. Just keep following the laid out path until you FINALLY get to the field of petroglyphs. It may be wise to wear long hiking pants because there are a lot of weeds that could leave you itchy or even scratched. Just be careful. When you get to the field, you are required to stand from a viewing site and can't walk into the field. You can see quite a few petroglyphs in the rocks, though. Is it worth the weedy hike? I don't know about that, but it was a neat little journey if you have some time to kill.

    See all

    5 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 13
    Thanks 2
    Love this 9
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ivory B.
    49
    558
    72679

    1 year ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 3
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 70
    Thanks 0
    Love this 71
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Unclear signage and anticlimactic final destination at the end of the path. Interesting though.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of B B.
    0
    108
    13

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Laura E.
    0
    134
    106

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of AJ K.
    175
    480
    2057

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tori B.
    312
    646
    1434

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Rob D.
    88
    1186
    1245

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kaori M.
    269
    1738
    1482

    7 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dan B.
    654
    1396
    1256

    14 years ago

    Helpful 15
    Thanks 0
    Love this 13
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Liz L.
    2
    77
    5

    15 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Very long hike, that is very doable but not comfortable on a hot day. Skip if you have young kids or seniors

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mira S.
    141
    1258
    3359

    15 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ed L.
    991
    2755
    10457

    9 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mark Q.
    25
    103
    27

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kim L.
    230
    18
    1

    5 years ago

    Not worth it! You hike almost a mile and barely see any petroglyphs. If you really want to see some, go to the Waikoloa Preserve.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Little D.
    942
    845
    1945

    12 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of John C.
    5
    283
    128

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Puako Petroglyph Archeological Park

    Review Highlights - Puako Petroglyph Archeological Park

    I had time to kill, so I ventured to the Holoholokai beach park on a Saturday afternoon with a friend of mine.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Parks 155 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Puako Petroglyph Archeological Park - parks - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...