I love Na'alehu Park! We stopped here so our daughter could play on the giant jungle gym area while…read morewe ate our shrimp plate. It's a huge park with a baseball field and a new jungle gym which has slides and a rock climbing wall. My daughter is 8 years old going on 9 and she loved playing on it. There are tables nearby the play area so you can sit and watch your child. We found the park to be very clean, and the grass in great condition. This was the type of day childhood memories are made of and we're so happy we stopped by here during our day trip.

Very nice and cute park for the kids. Staff always cleans up every morning after local kids trash…read morethe place. Most kids are super friendly, however, there are some very rude and disrespectful kids. Very little adult supervision. Park closes at a very late hour and sometimes there are people there well after closing time making a lot of noise and playing basketball.

This was an amazing day trip to take, and we were extremely happy to stop here. We ended up getting…read morehere with only about 20 minutes before closing, so we didn't get to read everything we wanted, but I was very happy to see everything! The statues and the shelters are super interesting to see. I love the location; it's absolutely gorgeous and mesmerizing. We took so many pictures! Remember this is a sacred place, and above all, be respectful!

This park is beautiful and sacred. You can learn indigenous Hawaiian history & culture here and…read moreexperience serenity in this very special place. I especially enjoyed walking on the lava rocks to the protected areas where I saw fish everywhere! The water is clear and perfect. This park is large and I recommend that you have at least two hours here to soak it all in. There are hiking trails and picnic areas too. There are clean bathrooms, water fountain & a small gift shop as well. Note: For visitors concerned with accessibility, it may be a little tough to access the beach areas as the terrain is sandy, rocky & uneven. I did read that beach wheelchairs are available at the visitor center though. Mahalo.

Absolutely worth a stop at this breathtaking black sand beach. The sea turtles are incredible and…read moreswim close to the shore. It's picturesque and easy to access. If you want to walk out into the water it is worth wearing good water shoes. The shoreline is very rocky and painful to navigate barefoot.

A far far drive, but well worth every minute! Punalu'u Beach is a gem, wonder of the Earth!…read more The black sand beach is absolutely stunning! I appreciate the the boundaries they have in place to protect the turtles from tourists and keep their environment as sacred and safe as possible. It's truly a spiritual experience and a must visit!

This new portion of Volcano's NP is stunning and has very few visitors versus the main HVNP sites…read more The property was acquired by the Nature Conservancy for the HVNP in 2003 and used to be a ranch with cattle, pigs and sheep but is now in its natural state. There are several hikes from short and easy, to all day loop hikes. Nearly all of the hikes traverse grassy trails, which is easier on the body than the a'a lava on many of the other park hikes. We started with the Pu'u o Lokuana loop and diner cone hike which is 2 miles in length and very close to the visitor center. This hike has a huge variety of landscapes and plant life starting out with a somewhat arid first 10 minutes, then quickly goes to grassy tree filled areas, then lava, then an old 1940's airstrip and finally up to the red cinder cone for great views of the various meadows. Next we took the 4.9 mile Forested pit crater trail which was really stunning. The Pit crater trail is uphill the entire way to the crater with a very steep section at the beginning - not for those with a lack of training. The vegetation changes subtly along the way with great views and the crater is very large and goes straight down. Pictures of the crater do not do it justice as you need to see it in the full context. Highly recommend this portion of the National Park

Amazing experience being able to be here the same time the Volcano is active. We arrived just in…read moretime as it was oozing out Lava with many peeking bursting upward.

This has been a fantastic day. We got here at the very beginning of the day and went to the…read moretemporary visitor center. We bought some souvenirs and spent some time with the park Ranger. Within walked right across from the front side of the temporary visitor center down a short trail to see steam vents and then we began a two or three hour journey through various parts of the park, including a 3 mile round-trip hike that we took to go to the lava tubes. One thing I would recommend is getting up and out early because the crowds are much less and more easy to manage the earlier you begin the journey. I highly recommend a visit here if you have the opportunity, it is amazing and really hard to describe if you've never seen it. The rock and the landscape that are created by the lava flows is something to behold. The road that takes you down through the park from the visitor center area all the way to the ocean was built in about 1969 and since that time there's only been about 13 years where the entire road has been passable due to active lava flows all through the many years since the road was built. It's an amazing story that you can see and in my opinion, you can see the fingerprints of God all through the amazing tour that I took today with my family. We got to see the glow of the eruption and see some fire and lava from the top at Volcano House!

It'd been over several years since our last visit to Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island…read more The visitor center is closed. There's a temporary one near the military camp. We passed it and went on the rim center drive. We stopped first at the steam vents then headed to the rim. We parked the car, and headed on the gravel trail. New to us. Kept walking uphill. Then we recognized where we ended up. The Jagger Museum is gone. Found out later at the temporary visitor center that the 2018 eruption shook so hard the museum collapsed. It was built from wood. Now there's only an outline of where it once stood. The restrooms withstood the eruption as it's built from rock. We missed the current eruption by several hours on May 30 last Saturday. The ranger said it was imminent. We were in the park around 1pm. Kilauea erupted around 6:30pm lasting nine hours. No way we wanted to drive back 2 1/2 hours the next day from Waikoloa although it would have been bragging rights. The rim trail has improved. It's a longer trail than before. We didn't drive down to the sea this time.

My husband and I were married in Hawaii, and we've been back three times since. This has always…read morebeen our fav beach. My husband snorkeled with dolphins there. It's just a magical little place! Make sure you arrive early to secure a parking spot and a great spot on the beach.

This beautiful beach is well hidden and parking is very limited. We arrived about 10:00 and that…read moreseems to be a good time if you are not one of the first to arrive earlier in the day. Cars who have been here for a few hours will start to leave and spots open up. There is no fee to enter and the showers are nicely sun warmed. But do note that these black sands are HOT and either wear sandals or remain in the shade of the trees. Your feet can burn quickly. There are random picnic tables in the shade for anyone to use but bring a sun umbrella and sand chairs if you have them for sitting on the beach. Bring snorkel gear and watch for the turtles and fish who enjoy the shoreline reef. But also be aware that the tide is strong and you can be swept along and scraped by the reef and rocks by surprise. The underwater view is lively and fish abundant so take your time and float with open eyes. There are camp sites for those who wish to do so. And watch for dolphins who rest near shore during the day. It is a lovely beach that is worth visiting.

We drove down to the beach from the highway 11. It was not…read moreeasy drive, though worth it. As a photographer, I took the most colorful local photos here. This is a very small beach that locals hanging out, I think. In front of a little yellow church stand a loud speaker pole. I can imagine when tsunami comes or volcano errupt.. One of the most beautiful sea color I saw here.

Driving down a winding road for about 15 minutes to get to this beach is not really worth it. The…read morehomes get worse as you get closer to the beach. It looks like a good place to find a house to film for the show Hoarding, Buried Alive. There are numerous picnics tables at the beach that's called Miloli'i. The restrooms that are there are fairly clean. The actual beach area has numerous covered picnic tables and a small body of water that is great for small children, but it's not particularly safe for swimming due to rocky coastline. There was a cute church across the street that has a walking path to the right of it that goes to another beach that's more swimming friendly. Apparently takes 20 minutes and according to a guide book you can disregard that the road to the swimming beach says it's private. We did see two people go that way.

Great beach! It has shade and some good views. Definitely a good place to bring the family as it is…read moresomewhat protected. Parking is expensive kind of a bummer. The area itself didn't have much amenities, but definitely have palm trees and shade, which was nice in the afternoon. Happy to make it on our first day

We swim here regularly, year-round. IMHO this is the best all-around snorkeling beach on the…read moreisland, but as with any ocean activity the surf and tide will affect your experience, so ask the lifeguards or the volunteers for advice. This protected bay has over 120 species of resident fish, and usually has clear water. Other than urchins (7 species) there is no marine life to worry about. Turtle sitings are more likely at high tide when their salad bar (the algae on the rocks) is available. Typically from 9 to 3 daily the Reef Teach volunteers have photo guide books and other reference materials available, along with free advice, defog spray, and reef-safe sunscreen. Water access is the narrow and shallow rocky channel in front of the lifeguard station by the parking and pavilion. Swim fins or sand shoes are recommended. The locals value their feet and swim through it even at low tide when it is only a foot deep. Coming back in you can actually swim all the way back to the sandy channel. The water is usually noticeably warmer and clearer away from the entry. The bay is shallow with only a few places that are even 8' deep at high tide. Unless you really need to, don't stand on the bottom or coral - fins and feet damage it.

Beat part of the park- free, no lines, no people & endless trails to walk. Close to south point &…read morebeaches as well as Na'alehu town