If youre After taking more photos with the reflection of the still water, I began the climb up to the trailhead. The black sand beach at Pololu Valley can be rocky if a storm has washed away the black sand. There are no bathrooms near the Pololu Valley trailhead. YELLOWSTONE WY People are starting the hike, ending the hike, and simply coming to admire the views. I'd suggest taking the Waipio Valley Shuttle if you have young kids in tow. Although I would have loved to explore more of this scenic valley, I decided to continue on to the Honokane Nui Lookout. Please share your thoughts and comments below. Head east on the Akoni Pule Highway and drive to the end of the road before parking at the Pololu Valley Overlook where the trail begins. Most people visit just day camp on the valley floor into the late hours. The hike felt remote and accessed some incredible jungle-like flora that I was craving while in Hawaii. It is split by the sublime Waipi'o River. Between 250.000 and 300.000 years ago the Kohala volcano experienced a truly massive landslide in which a part of the volcano fell into the ocean. Answer 1 of 8: We are planning to spend an entire day hiking down the trail in Waipo ValleyIs there a parking area at the top ?Do we need a permitI know that there is private property there and we will respect that by not trespassing, just. Sharing road/trail with trucks and hikers would be irritating. Never drink the water and do not swim with open cuts. Once you pass the stream and campsites, the trail becomes increasingly wild. If youre challenged to extend your hike, consider going beyond to the next valley on the Honokane Nui trail to reach the Honokane gulch. The majority of people at Pololu don't walk down, and each time I was at the beach it wasn't remotely crowded. Cross Waipi'o Beach and visit Muliwai Trail Overlook on a 4.88-mile round trip hike that has climbs on each side of the valley that total 1,300 feet of elevation gain. Image by: Floyd Stewart/Flickr. Id love to hear what you thought or if you enjoyed the Waipio valley as much as Pololu. The Pololu Valley Lookout gives a spectacular view over the cliffs of the Kohala volcano. Crossing the river had water a bit above our knees, but again, it was well worth it to get to the rocks at the far end of the beach. IDAHO Not sure how much you've read about each hike: http://www.bigislandhikes.com/pololu-valley/, http://www.bigislandhikes.com/waipio-valley/. THEODORE ROOSEVELT ND opportunity in the area. Josiane St Pierre / Getty Images. If you must park along the road, ensure that you respect the private homes and heed "No Parking" signs. The cliffs are also known to have landslides as the coast continues its process of erosion. Moderately Adventurous participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase an item linked on this site. Hawi sounds like the kind of place I'd enjoy stopping along the way. The third guich is higher in elevation and some of the trail is very tricky with barely any trail walking the sides of loose slope but with some helpful ropes to keep you from sliding down hill. Copyright 2020, BigIslandHikes.com. I would choose Pololu - there are some nice beaches to stop at on the S. Kohala coast (although you could incorporate those into a Waipio drive as well) - but the drive up #270 and down #250 provides a lot of amazing scenery, which for me would be the deciding factor in favour of Pololu. In the late 1800s, many Chinese immigrants settled in the valley. The simplest is driving to the lookout for the views, but you can also make a small (but steep) hike to the valley floor to check out the beach. You can follow this trail over the valley floor and up the other side to the next valley: Honokane Nui. Looking back into the valley you can see the waters of Pololu stream. Starting at the Waipio Valley overlook (photo above), the hike down to the black sand beach on the valley floor is about 1.5 miles or 2.4 kilometers. Living on the Big Island and traveling regularly to the neighbor islands, Noel and team actively search and share the latest information and updates to Hawaii travel, food, adventure and various lifestyle activities on the islands for your planning and vacation. The Kohala coast of the Big Island stunned me yet again. (You can reach it from the beach, but it involves walking over lots of rocks.) Its steep, muddy, rocky and slippery. Once I turned around, the journey back to the trailhead went surprisingly quick. Its a rewarding view that allows you to get away from the crowds that do the Pololu Valley Hike. by kenji SAITO on June 21, 2021. done with your hiking adventure, check out all these other fun things to For something a bit different, take a look at Kalopa State Park. Waipio Valley is much more trying, longer, and more satisfying. You will find the trailhead near the parking lot. This magnificent wild valley is at the head of the Kohala Coast, the oldest part of the island with deep valleys and picturesque beaches. Start early - like 730-8 in morning. The view of these lush valleys and cliffs into the ocean is stunning. Its a relatively easy 30 minute hike down to the floor and then to the black sand beach which you can hike from end to end. Before you know it, you will have made it to the Pololu Valley floor. The ascent on both ends of this hike will test your cardiovascular system but are well worth it. Let me know in the comments! The Boiling Pots and Rainbow Falls were nice, but not really hikes. It's a short but steep hike, and parking is . The scenery is breath-taking with the rough ocean waves crashing against the sea cliffs and black sand beach on one side, and the densely forrested valley on the other. But in 1946, the most devastating tsunami in Hawaii's history swept great waves far back into the valley. From scenic overlook, hike down steep rocky trail to beautiful black sand and rocky beach with views of the Hamakua coast. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-88624665', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Maui one week we'll go out there at least twice if not more). March 3, 2023. You'll end up in Waimea, perfect place to have a beer (or whatever) and savor your day. Date first visited: . Mahalo! more, You seem to have JavaScript disabled. ARIZONA Pololu Valley is an easy drive from Highway 270 through idyllic towns like Hawaii and Kapa'au. The closest restrooms are at the Keokea Beach Park (10 minutes from the overlook) and just behind the King Kameha Statue which you will pass in Kapaau en-route to the overlook from Hawi. Theres a sense of magic here. Theres a bypass trail just a few feet away from the road around the muddiest areas at the bottom and before the beach. The crossing might be dry. To get there you have to follow the Akoni Pule Highway (highway 270) until it ends ends 8 miles east of the town of Hawi at the Pololu Valley lookout. Pololu Valley hike: This is a 2.5 miles round trip and is pretty easy. It is considered one of the steepest roads in the world down to an . It is drier than Waipio and lacks waterfalls, but it is lovely in its own way. Hike: Start at the Polol Valley overlook and find the trailhead for the Awini Trail marked by an extensive array of danger signs. Many visitors find Hawaii fascinating for its state parks and hidden sea caves. WIND CAVE SD A lush tropical forest surrounded by almost 500 ft high cliffs and fronted by an ocean that more often than not has high surf and rough waves. On the day we hiked, it was pretty crowded and there were lots of cars driving throughout the trail (maybe one ever minute or two). Pololu Valley was formed over 250,000 to 300,000 years ago when the Kohala Volcano experienced a huge collapse and landslide with a large part falling into the ocean and creating this massive gulch and valley that we see today. This is probably one of the best angles to photograph the coast and the mouth of the valley. The commissions help support Moderately Adventurous stay alive and kicking. Dont worry, there is plenty of time on the beach to take a breather! The dirt and root trail can be steep in places, but the various views of the valley along the way make even part of the walk worth it. Super fun, a bit challenging, but totally worth it. Sign indicated trail was closed until 2025, but we parked and immediately hiked down the steep, paved path to the black sand beach without any issues. The total length of this hike is . Waipi'o Valley hike distance: The round trip hike from the lookout parking lot to the black sand beach and back is just over 3 miles. The black sand beach at the valley floor looks like a beach at the end of the world. visit on sunnier days when the trail is dry and easy to hike below, There are no With more time and better weather, we would have attempted the longer hike to Waimanu. And you are at the Pololu Valley lookout! and is only about a half hour hike to the bottom of this .6-mile hike. You can also make it a valley beach hike kind of day and make this day on the Big Island a Pololu Valley + Waipio Valley kind of day. Whatever the situation during your visit do NOT even think about taking the coastline to the valleys beyond Pololu. We revisited the Pololu Valley and hiked down to the bottom once more. The uphill is good and strenuous, but the first mile of the hike (the steep part) is paved and rough on your knees. Insanely popular trail the parking area was already busy by 8:30 am. MICHIGAN You can also hike down the beach and up the Mulawai zigzag trail about 30 minutes to the third switchback for great views of the valley and beach. It might take around 30 minutes to hike down to the beach from the lookout. Answer 1 of 11: Our current itinerary gives us one day to devote to hiking aside from what we will do in one day at VNP. All of the land upriver is privately owned. The string of gulches on the Hamakua and Kohala side of the island starts at Polulu and ends up in Waipio valley on the other side of the island. Waipi'o is a mile wide at the coast and almost six miles deep. Pololu Valley is a solid 1.5 hours from Kona, maybe more depending on where on the Kona coast youre staying. Both the Big Island and Maui have a diverse culinary scene with plenty of delicious food options to choose from. P.O Box 4849 TRAIL CONDITIONS. To see which of our walks in the Kohala Mountains is the right one for you, browse real tips and photos uploaded by other hikersand see what they had to say about each walk. SLEEPING BEAR DUNES MI The views into Honokane Nui and the coast are simply stunning from the ridge. Youll save yourself the tight corners and the wait by parking up the street. WHAT TO WEAR HIKING, 2023 Flashpacking America | US outdoor travel blog, Are you headed to another island in Hawaii from the Big Island? You'll most likely have to park along the street and walk to the viewpoint/start of the trail. Shop around on. Big Island Activities Explore majestic Waipi'o Valley, the lush and tropical Hamakua Coast, and multiple stunning waterfalls on the east side of the Big Island of Hawaii on this day full of fun and exciting adventure. Once on the valley floor, the flora changes abruptly into large ironwood trees just behind the beach. I hope you enjoy it as much as he did! We walked the opposite direction along the beach, crossed the river inflow and went to the large rocks before turning around. It is unclear if the trail continues. Here are some comparisons: Find climbing partners in Oceania and Pacific Islands. After that, there were a number of other people arrived. If you enjoyed the images and post, could you please share it with any of the social media buttons located around the post. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. Its a shame that they dont realize that hiking one or two switch-backs down toward Polol Beach provides a much better photo vantage. Ultra grateful to the couple from Tennessee who gave us a lift back up in their Toyota Tacoma- even though we left a pricey hiking pole in their car by accident- grateful to have not done the hike up- my body/feet wouldve just gotten too torn up! Tried to hike to waterfall but it crosses into private property and couldnt get to it. See more state parks on the Big Island. Keep in mind though that the land further back is privately owned and that there are sacred burial sites deeper in the valley. We just share the best of Hawaii travel, food, adventure and lifestyle to you in our updated posts and newsletters. Hike down on broken paved road.