Driving Saddle Road on the Big Island (Daniel K. Inouye Highway)
How to drive Saddle Road (Daniel K. Inouye Highway / Route 200): check the rental, fill up first, no services on the high stretch, fog, and the Mauna Kea turnoff.
Scenic Views
Lookouts, viewpoints, and scenic stops already featured on BigIsland.org.
Papio Ocean Park – A Grassy Grove At Cliff’s Edge On The Puna District Coast
Tucked into the quiet, leafy residential neighborhood of Hawaiian Beaches along Big Island’s rocky and turbulent eastern coastline is Papio Ocean Park – an expansive stretch of green grass framed by a hedgerow of broad-leafed trees and coconut palms. It’s a breezy, well-manicured refuge of green; a break in the long string of desolate lava …
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Pololu Valley – A Short, Steep Hike Down To Forests of Ironwood Trees and Black Sand Beach
In terms of bang for the buck, the switchback-heavy trail zig-zagging down the cliffs of Pololu Valley at the northern tip of Big Island is the hike with the greatest payoff at the end for the least amount of huffing and puffing. The trail isn’t long: just a little over half a mile, but it …
Mauna Kea- A Big Island Tradition of Stars, snow, and Lore
There is simply no better place on Hawaii Island to see the stars than from the summit and flanks of Mauna Kea – a dormant volcano towering more than 13,000 feet above sea level that makes up much of the island’s landmass and is indispensable to ancient Hawaiian spirituality. Above the cloud line, the night …
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Kua Bay (Maniniowali) – White Sand at Kekaha Kai
Kua Bay is the name most people use for Maniniowali Beach, the white-sand cove at the north end of Kekaha Kai State Park. This site already calls it one of the most picturesque beaches on the Big Island: a large stretch of sand that plays the part of a tropical island oasis, close to Kona, …
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Lava Highway 132 – Puna’s Hilly Drive to the Coast Through A River of Hardened Rock
Lava Highway 132, Hawaii’s newest lava field is found on Big Island’s eastern flank, in its rural and agricultural Puna District, and is traversed by a gently curving highway that was opened just a few years ago: Lava Highway 132. This is a pristine broad-shouldered, two-lane road built on top of the vast sea of …
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Mermaid Ponds – Isolated, Tranquil Lava Rock Tidal Pools Great For Swimming and Sunbathing
Along a desolate stretch of coastline within Big Island’s Puna District, a group of tidal pools naturally formed long ago by a massive lava flow can be found among the endless stretches of unforgiving cliffs and crashing waves. Known as the Mermaid Ponds These are known collectively as “Mermaid Ponds” by locals, and they serve …
MacKenzie State Park – Excellent Hiking and Cliffside Sightseeing Among Crashing Waves and Whistling Trees
MacKenzie State Park, formally known as MacKenzie State Recreation Area, is a 13-acre windswept grove of towering ironwood trees situated along a stretch of jagged sea cliffs found within Big Island’s volcano-prone Puna District. It’s a rugged, isolated and serenely beautiful forest of rustling trees, outcroppings of moss-covered black rock, well-hidden lava tubes and the …
Isaac Hale Beach Park: Have Lunch in a Lava Field
There are few places on Big Island that better illustrate the strange intersection of its perennial volcanic activity and its manmade endeavors than Isaac Hale Beach Park. This is where picnickers and sunbathers lounge around astonishingly close to the edge of intimidating walls of jagged, porous, jet-black lava rock which just a couple of years …
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Hilo Bayfront Park – A Paddler’s Delight, and One Of the Island’s Longest Beaches
Hilo Bayfront Park is just a short walk away from its sprawling farmer’s market and neighboring bus station, downtown Hilo and its small colorful shops and leafy, rain-swept sidewalks give way to an incredibly long beach of black sand and gentle lapping waves. The expansive coastline of rough, smooth black lava pebbles appears almost perfectly …
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