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.

Fun, beautiful hang for the whole family. Definitely a great location for swimming and on my top 5…read moremust visit spots in Hilo town

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.

After coming across social media post, Carlsmith Beach Park was a must visit for me! I added it to…read morethe list of places for my uber driver/hubby to take me. We missed it the very first time, the hubby took me to the wrong beach & had to re-route. I remember it is hard to find via GPS if you miss the turn. We found parking after the beach and walked down. When I walked to Carlsmith Beach to finally check it out for the very first time, my heart just melted and just had that Wow, grateful, OMG moments and also feels like DeJaVu. I also asked my husband to pinch me, that I am not dreaming. It was so nice to just experience this live in real life, such tranquil atmosphere, crystal clear waters. I just love the color of the water, the ocean, so beautiful! Carlsmith Beach Park in Hilo is a hidden gem for sure! After we took our tons of photos, enjoyed the scenery which I really wanted to stay longer but we had a busy day ahead. For next time I visit, I would love to picnic & enjoy lunch under the coconut, palm trees and go swimming. Although I didn't sea turtles during my visits, hopefully next time.

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!

We came at sunset the first time. It was magical! We came back later to snorkel…read more It does get crowded during the day but it was such a great experience both times. Parking can be hard to find! And the waters can get rough. So be patient and a spot will open.

Visiting many beaches and finding that most are Lava Rock base and the Sandy ones have you in for…read morehikes. Love the beach and views.

Very windy but wonderful set up of bathroom, pavilions, grills, running water etc. The facilities…read morewere pretty clean too.

To echo the same sentiments others have expressed already, I am joining them to give this park a…read moreperfect 5-star review. The heavy rain didn't deter us from exploring the park just yesterday afternoon. This place quietly situates right by the oceanfront. It' could easily be some sort of botanical gardens where they can charge an entrance fee; it's that beautiful and well-maintained. I bet the locals residents and the tourists who stumble upon it truly appreciate and respect the park where there is this peace and harmony that exists. I appreciate everyone's part in leaving the place as is. If you thoroughly walk around it it would easily take a good hour (plus) to fully immerse yourself in its beauty. One should take his/her time to find perfect photo angles and spots to explode his/her phone's memory space; the number of photos will accumulate so quickly! This place is also a good place for photographers. There are so many places to visit in Hilo and yet so far this place easily makes it the top 5 spots list of our favorites. The lush green will entertain your eyes for sure.

What a beautiful serene Japanese garden, largest one in the US…read more I loved the way the landscape artist worked in the lava rock formation into it, using mostly materials available on the island. The peaceful feeling I felt walking around the ponds over volcanic rock bridges cannot even be found in a glass of wine. The park was free to everyone. It was clean and well cared for. When on The Big Island I'd suggest dropping by to decompress from a busy vacation schedule.

There are many beautiful sights to see and we make it a point to explore as much as possible as you…read morenever know if you are going back. This is a place to visit so load up a backpack full of lunch goodness and take a look around.

Very historical location! Excellent scenery, green grass, nice trees, and ample parking…read more Very windy so prepare yourself If you plan on picnicking. Bring flowers and pay respects if you can, it'll make you feel good.

For being a beach within walking distance from the Port of Hilo, when my wife and I visited it on a…read moreport day, it was empty with only a local family having a gathering nearby. The park is big enough where we still felt like we were the only ones there. Only one side of the road leading to the beach has a sidewalk, with a crosswalk allowing crossing once there. Parking is on the side of the road. It's a black lava rock park, with no sand or lounging areas. There is a man-made concrete landing entryway into the water, which we found to be a great place to sit and admire the bay. In it, there were turtle reliefs permanently sculpted into the wall. It's a pretty rocky entry into the water, and we didn't really find any place to even dip our toes. Further down the park, there is a bay area where large lava rocks were dumped to form an outcrop into the water. One can carefully walk across the rocks for even a better view of the bay. Hilo definitely earns its place as one of the wettest places on Earth, with most of the grass being pretty soggy, so needed to watch where we stepped. Strangely, with the drizzle in the morning, and sunlight in the afternoon, we were expecting rainbows across the bay as we sat. Not this day.

This is a cool little beach on the east side of the island. It's not really a beach as in sand but…read moremostly lava rocks and a grassy field where you can have a picnic or such. I believe they have restrooms, can't remember if they had showers. They have a small parking lot and sometimes you can spot some honu chilling in the water by the rocks. I like.........

While walking towards the Hilo Farmers Market, the HUGE Gigantic tree caught my eyes, I asked my…read moreother half if we could check out the park and of course I had to take photos of us, great photo opt. be creative! After taking our photos and exploring the park a bit, we walked back to the Farmers Market. Mo'oheau Park is a beautiful park located in Hilo, Hawaii, 16-acre park features walking trails, picnic areas, playground, basketball and tennis court. The park is named after Mo'oheau, a legendart Hawaiian chief who was known for his bravery and kindness. The park is a popular spot for locals and visitors, besides the stunning views of the trees, you can see stunning views of Hilo Bay here too. Great place to relax, take a walk, have a picnic, and enjoy the natural beauty of Hawaii @ Hilo, take a break from the farmers market for some view of nature.

Beautiful, peaceful park worth spending an hour or day exploring. Nice walking paths that was…read moreaccessible for all both young and old.