What an interesting adventure in Hilo, and you don't have to pay any admission fee for it at all. Kaumana Caves is located southwest of Downtown Hilo and there are two entrances to Kaumana Caves, and parking is located across the street. Best to have a good flashlight with a strong number of lumens (don't rely on your smartphone light!) and/or headlamp along with hiking shoes when going through the caves. Do expect to get somewhat wet along the way. read more

It's October 2023 and unfortunately the caves are closed due to a partial collapse. Bummer since I even bought a flashlight etc to be better prepared for this hike. read more

Kaumana Caves - Access is closed. - Parks Near Me

TIP: Bring a good flashlight and wear excellent walking shoes if you want to go in the cave. This was the 3rd stop on my first day on the big island. Parking is on the side of the road and you must cross to the other side to get to the cave. But it is worth it. You walk down some stairs and are surrounded instantly with amazing monstera plants, ferns, and more. Off to the right the cavern entrance invites you to hike down. Once you step foot onto the remains of lava- you soon enter a very dark, wet abyss that requires light beyond that point. The cave goes back a good few miles with a few areas in which get narrow and require you do duck some to get through but quickly open back up. I was able to do this hike by the light on my phone, but wish I had brought with me a better light for my poor vision. The hiking boots I was wearing was excellent in providing my ankles support in the unsteady walk/hike into the darkness of the caves. An out and back hike worth every moment. read more

Being head lamps and a hunger for adventure! We didn't go too far into the caves but we were very impressed with them nonetheless. We wore water shoes because it was raining and slippery inside. We parked and went inside the caves, they are free so I don't think you need a fancy tour company to take you. read more

Kaumana Caves - Being a head lamp, otherwise you will be far too stressed out :) - Parks Near Me

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This place is definitely right up an adventurers alley. There are so many options on where to go. When you first walk in it looks like it may be a dead end but keep walking and out definitely is not. Crouch down, look up, look around and you will see there are many options on tunnels to go into. Some lead into huge lava tubes that go on for miles! Definitely come prepared with a strong headlamp with extra batteries or extra flashlights of you plan on exploring a while. You definitely do not want to end up with a dead battery in the dark. It's uneven terrain, you'll have to duck and climb to get places, plus it's lava rock so if you fall you'll be scraped up. So again be prepared. It's a lot of fun but not if you end up stuck in the dark. Definitely check it out if you're in the area! read more

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To be transparent, I cannot truly rate these caves because I barely made it 10 minutes in before I had to turn back. This place is NOT for the faint of heart. I found out about this place on trip advisor and came last second without preparing. Heed my word, if you're planning on coming, PREPARE YOURSELF. You need a headlamp and strong flashlight and you need good grip shoes. This is a legit CAVE. The entrance is shrouded with green vegetation and vines which adds to it's foreboding and ominous feel. It's rocky, porous, wet, unpaved trail is as nature-esque as you can get. I happened to be following a group who came prepared with flashlights and I tried to keep up With them but made it about 200 ft into the cave with it suddenly narrowed into a tight, single file tunnel that you had to crouch to the ground to get through. That is when I decided to turn back. After that group left, it was PITCH BLACK. We tried to use our phone flashlights, but the light dissipated into the blackness too quickly and our path was barely visible. We made it out just before I almost had a panic attack because I remember watching the movie "the descent." (Don't watch this movie before trecking into this unknown). Would be back just to find out what lies beyond the tunnel though! read more

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This is a really fun cave system to explore. It is fairly easy to access but it's best if you bring a flashlight. We were able to do a bit of it with our cell lights but quickly decided to come back with real flashlights. There are two caves down a steep flight of metal steps. Not good for flip flops or sandals or people who aren't sure of foot. read more

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This was kind of a whim pit stop on our way to Mauna Kea so it was great to stretch our legs & do some exploring. It was a short adventure since we didn't have a proper flashlight (Note: your iPhone flashlight isn't going to do much for you). It was neat to see the inside but the dead end was pretty quick and a lot of folks turned back so it wasn't as exciting as I had hoped. It was still pretty cool to see the inside & listen to the water drops hit the cave floor. It is pretty slippery with some jagged rocks so be sure to watch where you are going. We probably spent about 20-30 minutes here total. Parking is on the side of the road next to a bunch of roosters lol. Overall, it's a quick nice stop on your way up to Mauna Kea but if you wanted to do this out of the way of your plans, not worth it. read more

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Smaller Lava Tubes, Cool Spot For Intro To Lava Caves Free parking across the street. No admission charge. Public restrooms. 2 smaller lava tubes with easy access of the highway. All in all a nice little spot to check out some lava tubes if you haven't seen then before. Bring some good traction footwear, a headlamp or good flashlight and dress for colder weather! read more

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Kaumana Caves is AMAZING. Truly the highlight of my Big Island trip! This place is the perfect mix of mysterious and fun for the whole family. There's a small parking lot across the road occupied by wild chickens (we saw baby chicks too). Public restrooms are available. Not many tourists seem to stop by the caves, so you actually get the opportunity to explore and enjoy nature freely. The fun here is wandering deep into the caves. Make sure to bring flashlights or headlamps to have enough lighting. Water drips down vines at the entrance of the cave, so there might be small pools here and there. The ground is rocky/uneven/slippery, so you want to make sure to wear proper shoes! As you walk farther along in the lava tube, be sure to check out the flecks of gold and sparkles on the walls. It's cool inside the cave, so I would also recommend bringing a light jacket if you get cold easily. read more

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Free! There are two caves here and there is a free parking lot across the street from them. Kaumana Caves are cool and only took minutes to view both of them. Make sure to bring your own flashlights because it's dark in there and there isn't a ranger's station or anything from what I saw. This is an easy activity for kids and adults but maybe not elderly people since the ground is uneven and it's so dark. I would recommend it if you pass it by or have extra time. read more

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Amazing is all I can say I didn't explore further because I was the only one there when I went and I didn't have a bright enough flashlight ugh! Definitely would love to go back and explore the caves further Parking is right across the street there are chickens/roosters walking around freely with a gorgeous tree nearby. read more

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Rough terrain but pretty cool. You will need your own light and good shoes. Apparently you can keep going for the adventurous but we didn't want any twisted ankles so stopped soon. Wear a hat as the ceiling does drip. read more

You can take some awesome pics here . The adventure is short but you can catch the rainbow waterfall up the way .

This spot is an adventure in the making. You first park either in the limited parking that's marked right outside the entrance or just along the road. You then walk down a flight of steep stairs and from their, welcome to the jungle. Or rather, the cave. It's rocks from here on out. If you can't make the first 2 minutes, it's over for you. There was water dripping from the ceilings of the cave and it provided a cool atmosphere. Wear sturdy shoes as you will be walking on rocks the entire way, and they are wet. Carry your phone with tour flashlight on or just a head flashlight (which is definitely more convenient as you will need your hands). As you venture in, you will pass a bunch of large rocks you will have to get over. This can be a turning point for a lot but venturing deeper is a must. From there it doesn't necessarily get easy but the adrenaline you get from the excitement of going INSIDE of a lava tube will push you through. Several yards down, the cave ceiling slowly lowers and the ground rises, causing about a 3 feet opening. If you are an adult, you can slowly scoot or crawl through. Almost right after that, the ceiling opens up again and you can stand at your full height, for me, 8 feet. After that, it's some fun, but careful, walking. Make sure to wear a hat, not becuase it's sunny, but it provides some protection if you hit your head in a rock. It might and definitely will happen. Keep one hand on your phone to illuminate your way, another to shield your head from quickly lowering ceilings and to balance your way through. I did not go super far in, I went in further than some but there's is definitely more to explore. A must visit for those who love adventure or exploring or just lava caves! read more

Stopped off quickly to take a jaunt down. They are interesting, its self guided. Some lovely tourists left their flashlights up top for anyone to borrow. My visit was short lived on account of someone farting in the cave and I was just like.... really now come on. read more

Kaumana Caves - To the left - Parks Near Me

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We had a blast exploring these 2 lava tubes. Small parking lot across the street. Walk down a ladder and you'll see a cave on the left and a cave on the right. The left side is a shorter round trip and easier to navigate if you have small children with you. The right cave goes deeper (we did not go to the end of the tunnel) and will have areas where you need to get low or even crawl to go through. Spend about 1 hour here exploring and make sure you bring a flash light! Walk slow because the wet rocks are slippery! read more

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Definitely a more "authentic" lava tube, if there's such a thing, than Thurston. However, you should do your homework before coming here. First of all, you need an actual flashlight. Legitimately. Your cell phone light isn't going to work well. When we came, there were a few people with it and they couldn't see much. Our flashlights showed an immense amount more than theirs. Bring extra batteries and if you are going to do legitimate exploring then you should have a head lamp. Now, unlike Thurston, these tubes have a lot of jagged lava (I think technically called a'a). You will legitimately get hurt and cut yourself open if you aren't careful, which brings me back to my point about the flashlights. Come with good shoes. Do not come with sandals. If you come without long sleeve pants, just beware of what I just told you about the a'a lava. Now, it looks at the end like this is a dead end but its definitely not. I think it goes on for over 1.25 miles. We started to go a little on it but to be honest, it scared the hell out of me. After a few minutes it was right back to where we started. I found out I'm probably not meant for spelunking right now. Still cool. Come prepared here or else you'll probably regret it. read more

I visited this park while on a excursion tour booked by Princess Cruises. This state park us right off the main road with easy parking and free admission. This park offers a quick hike down into a lava tube. To get there you descend on a steep metal ladder into a skylight in a lava tube that was created by an 1881 flow from Mauna loa. You can't explore too deep because this long tube immediately travels underneath private property. Regardless , it is still cool. Great for fun unique pictures. Make sure you have good shoes on. The ground is slippery so watch your footing. Bring a flashlight because it is dark. If you are tall like me, watch your head! The whole visit to the park shouldn't take more than 30 minutes. This park has public restrooms and picnic tables. Great fun short excursion. 5 Stars . read more

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Went to this cave after being disappointed by the Thurston lava tube in the Volcano park. We read the reviews from both yelp and tripadvisor but took a chance to park our car at the parking across from the cave. (Some reviews said their car got broken in!) We went to the left cave since we did not have hard hat and head lamps. Next time when we are more prepared will explore the right side cave. The cave is big and pitch dark with some areas are very low. It is moist and slippery. So, these are things you should have: - good flash lights or head lights - globes in case some areas have sharp lava rocks - good tracking shoes. It is slippery! - water resistant jacket or rain coat. read more

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I really enjoyed this. Parking is free , and it's a unique experience . The cave to the right, after climbing down the stairs is about a 45 min walk . To the left, we made it about 30 min. It's a very cool way to see lava. This is a great experience but not for everyone. First, you must have the physical ability to climb down and up very steep stairs. The caves are completely dark. Pitch black. A head lamp or lantern world be best, but some people used cell phone lights. The tubes are full lava from top to bottom. The ground is uneven, which is hard to see in the dark . The caves are generally very tall , but there are spots where it would be easy to bump a head. Some areas are slippery , and again it is very dark. The walls are slick in some spots , sharp in others. This is a great experience with long pants and a head lamp . read more

So glad I read the reviews to not use phone lights. We ran in home depot and got a flash light and a head lamp. I recommend the head lamp. We had so much fun in the left tube. It is gorgeous. The tube on the right is fun but a little tricker. Not for people afraid of the dark or small spaces. We took about 2 hours exploring both sides. So beautiful but be careful. read more

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Two lava tubes. Steep stairs going down. Left side is a shallow cavernous one with a lot of big rubble at the mouth, making it a little harder to work thru. The one on the right goes much deeper and becomes smaller to the point of hands and knees crawling. But you don't have to go that far. We liked the right one more. Young children love it if they aren't scared of the dark. Flashlights are a must (iPhone flashlights can suffice) Parking is across the street and be careful when you cross as there's cars rounding a bend on one side. read more

Pretty cool cave. Lots of lava rock. We went all the way in until there was just a small tunnel we would have to crawl through. Bring a powerful flashlight. read more

Kaumana Caves - Parks Near Me

This is a excellent way to view a lava tube without having to travel to the National Park where everyone will be. The other reviews are pretty accurate. As you travel down the stairway, the shorter tube is actually on left side and the one straight ahead is the longer of the two. The path down to the tube can be very tricky to maneuver. The shorter tube is easier if you have trouble. Please do bring flashlights and sneakers work fine. I would not suggest going if it is raining because it would be too slick. Even the stairs will be different when wet. The tube straight from stairs narrows in many sections. If you just want to see a lava tube, go to the one on left of stairs. This is more than enough to get a visual of the awesome force of nature. read more

A cool little lava tube that you can walk down into. Park across the road from the tiny park (that has a table and a bathroom), then walk down the steep staircase of about 10 stairs to get to the floor of the tube. Then you can enter the tube either direction by scrambling down over some (usually wet) rocks. Without a flashlight you can safely go about 20 feet into each side and it's a very cool view in there and looking up. read more

These caves were formed in 1881 by lava flow. There is quite a bit to explore in this cave. You'll want to bring your flashlights and helmet. The formations and colors are beautiful in this cave. It's amazing how a few steps outside the cave it is lush with vegetation but inside it is cool and mostly dry. There are two caves to explore once you reach the bottom of the stairs. They are both quite different so we recommend explore both of them. The cave on the right is deeper and has more formations on the ceilings. Whereas, the cave on the left has red rock this because the lava cooled very fast in these area. This is the perfect adventure to enjoy on a rainy or hot day. The best part is that it's free. Also there are bathrooms right above the cave. When we came there were almost no one here so chances are you will be able to enjoy the caves on your own. read more

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If I had more time, I might've spent hours here. There are actually 2 caves in the same location - we went to the one on the left after we came down stairs since people said it was "easier." DEFINITELY bring a good flashlight because it's so dark with no lights, so your little cell phone flashlight isn't going to do much. Tons of disappointed people turned around after a few feet in for that reason. We crawled under the second narrow entrance to get into a railroad tunnel like path created by lava. You can stand and it was quite easy to walk on - not slippery, particularly dangerous, or wet. It's a straight path so if you've a flashlight you won't get lost - the tunnel apparently continues for a few miles. We saw banyan tree roots which was nice, and the constant temperature inside the cave was very comfortable and cool. read more

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Enjoyed these caves if you like to venture but the sad thing is we have this beautiful lava tube and people visiting occasionally leave their rubbish behind if you do venture here, please wear good shoes and bring a very good flashlight and as always malama the aina! ( which means take care of our land and take your rubbish with you)!!! Mahalo read more

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It barely counts as a park (yet there are still a bunch of amenities like picnic areas and bathrooms at ground level) because it's so small and centralized. There are two main caves, the larger one is far more interesting than the smaller one so I recommend checking that one out! There will almost always be water dripping from above, so wear a hat (if you don't want dirt water dripping on your head, face, shoulders) and good shoes and be careful because it's slippery! Also bring a STRONG flashlight, the cave is literally pitch black and there are no light sources once you go deep inside. The inside of the cave is really interesting. You can see the textures and different formations of the lava, and there are these silver and gold layers covering the interior (not sure if it's moss or minerals). The caves go deep, but there is a landslide that partially blocks the way from going in deeper, and I do not recommend anyone to venture beyond that point because it could potentially be extremely dangerous. In my opinion, this was much more interesting of an experience than the Thurston lava tube. Be careful, take your time, watch your step, bring a flashlight, and have fun! read more

Why did the rooster cross the road? To get to the Kaumana Caves - I did too. Easily accessible and easily explored lava tube caves. Park across the street; flush toilets available. Bring sturdy shoes and be prepared to go up and down a steep access stairway. The paths through the cave are not improved, paved, or otherwise graded. The paths are uneven, rough volcanic rock, and the footing is iffy over the aa, but just fine where you find pahoehoe (look 'em up). Nothing fancy or particularly dangerous, just rough, volcanic rock in places. Cool views into and out from the caves through lush, tropical vegetation in the overgrown entrances. Fun for kids - bring a flashlight. read more

I echo the good things people are saying and the precautions they give. But, don't believe the accounts of it being a small cave, or 10, 30, or even 45 minute to reach "the end." No, the right-hand cave will go as far as you're willing. If you're willing to crouch or even crawl, that is. A little of that then you'll open up into another high cavern, or at least be able to stand upright. There will come a point where there are large sharp boulders entirely covering the normally fairly smooth floor. Just getting that far, which is far enough, is NOT a trivial journey. Also, as you journey deeper, it's a combination of hot and cold at the same time. It's probably a consequence of still and humid air and our exertions. Some of the coolest things are the inscriptions, often carved in the sides of the tube, some going back over a hundred years. Stopping to ponder what their world was like, what the island would have been like, how they'd have been dressed and equipped, was almost spiritual. I highly recommend this excursion, and going forward at least one more cavern that you thought you could. Oh, you can safely ignore at least the first couple of 'turn back' hand-written signs. We saw nothing to merit them. The boulder field is where we decided we'd gone far enough. read more

This was a nice easy walk. Not a hike. You can park across the street and walk down a set of stairs that lead down into the caves which are actually old lava tubes. Bring a flashlight or headlamp because it's dark and the ground is rocky and uneven. You can fall. Bring bug spray as well. It's lush and green and really beautiful but got mosquitos! There are two caves when you get to the bottom. The one to the left is actually the bigger and longer cave. The one on the left is smaller but still fun to explore. Not recommended for children under 5 unless you have them in a backpack or something read more

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A must do if you're on the big islands. Bring: Water, head lamps or flashlights. Then bring batteries. Camera: bring. Weather: I wore t-shirt, shorts and shoes I was fine. Shoes: Don't wear sandals. Rocks are sharp. Sharp rocks: Cuts build character Small spaces: Anyone can do it. I went right first. Apparently that's the more cramped one. I found Narnia read more

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Heh. And to think my husband didn't want to visit here. He didn't think it'd be worth a visit. Good thing I'm such a persistent pest. We would have missed out on the best kind of Hawaii nature there is! Just from looking down from the top, I knew this was special and couldn't wait to descend down to the cave. There was a bit of concern because the stairway was steep and I've got a bum knee. I was determined. He was afraid he'd have to carry me back up. :-D Eh, it's just a short distance from top to bottom. There's some safety warnings and they should be heeded. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/CowXyOudqFhWxR3Bm9-Flw?select=Av1oybhXseArgAzfjbTMwg Bring a good flashlight! A BIG flashlight! As we found out, those dinky dollar store mini-lights and that flash app on our smart phone didn't cut it. Be careful on these steep stairs. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/CowXyOudqFhWxR3Bm9-Flw?select=mXvCUpdwQOTMR0gPbqZk7w And watch your steps while down there. Wear proper shoes. We saw a gal tumble out of her flip-flops. But once you're down there, you're in for a treat! There's a smaller cave to the left of the stairs- http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/CowXyOudqFhWxR3Bm9-Flw?select=OIw8Whcu6Hw115kpcVrhmQ It's pretty neat inside the main cave! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/CowXyOudqFhWxR3Bm9-Flw?select=hhKral5hnRhuIsUvYgmubw http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/CowXyOudqFhWxR3Bm9-Flw?select=17WkKz5ZtRw8wo5tXr7U_g http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/CowXyOudqFhWxR3Bm9-Flw?select=vAzVI3RKXdxl9UznAY1nhA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/CowXyOudqFhWxR3Bm9-Flw?select=SWSBv6gKTXK6MlbR4jE0Ag http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/CowXyOudqFhWxR3Bm9-Flw?select=9vY_hsAQotITrLUOKDF8fQ Too bad we didn't bring the proper flashlights. We really wanted to go in further. Gotta say, it was easier for me to climb down. Took me a while, but I made it back up! Hubby was happy that we went because this was the Hawaii he wanted to see! read more

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We had mini flashlights and were still able to navigate the cave perfectly. I would definitely recommend bringing good shoes because you will sometimes be climbing up/down rocks. The parking lot is right across from the caves, and you walk down stairs to get to the caves. There's a left and right cave and we went through the entire route with the right cave. It was a little trip because if you walk through the whole thing, you end up back at the entrance. There must have been 2 routes as we were going through but since it was so dark we just kept going straight. The cave on the left has higher ceilings, and you really only need to do 1 to get a feel and sense of adventure. HIGHLY recommend. This was definitely a childhood to-do that was accomplished by coming here. read more

Very cool for the adventurous or even the faint of heart. I have spent many hours in lava tube caves in California (Lava Beds National Park). These are the closest I have seen to actually getting down and dirty in a lava tube in HI. No Thurston tourist trap tube!! Bring a few lights and go in for a bit or really gear up and get knee pads, gloves and helmet and go for a long quest. To the right gets narrow after a hundred feet or so. To the left has an early duck under and then goes into an extended standing height tube for a ways. We went maybe ten minutes in and turned around. read more

Kaumana Caves - The dark make me crazy - Parks Near Me

BEAUTIFUL!! Must do and FREE!! Short walk down the steep stairs to the caves. Once down, the cave was a bit too much of a challenge for me with a baby carrier strapped to my chest in sandals (was a random pit stop) but all our kids ages 8 through 21 loved it. Went mid day on a Sunday and there was plenty of parking for us across the street in the little lot (maybe we got lucky). read more

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The caves are cool. Literally and figuratively. And it's free. Can't beat that in expensive Hawaii.

It's a lava tube. It's free. It checks off that bucket list / to do list. What more could you want? You definitely need a cell phone light AT LEAST. a flashlight would be better. But if you're in the area, stop by this lava tube, it takes maybe 30 minutes to walk both sides (at the bottom of the stairs if you go left it's cooler than if you go right, there's more to see and the path is more interesting). I know they open till 11pm or something but i wouldn't go in the dark. It's already dark enough down there at least seeing the stairs/entry way is helpful! read more