The Big Island of Hawai’i is probably the most underrated island of the group. But we’ll let you decide. Green, black and white sand beaches. Giant waterfalls and sulphur banks. Miles of hardened lava fields. Oh, and did we mention that this island has 11 of the 14 world climates present on it? It literally has it all. So here’s our top (nearly) 7 free things to do on Hawaii Island!
DRIVE AROUND THE ISLAND
If you’ve ever wondered whether the Hawaiian islands differ from one another, the answer is YES. A resounding YES! As we noted above, there are 11 different climate zones on this single island, making it INCREDIBLY diverse, which means there’s likely something to do for everyone! And what better way to figure that out than driving around it?!
Whenever we’re exploring a new place, we love driving around and scoping things out to get a lay of the land. This gives us an idea of what areas and places we’d like to really spend our time in. And Hawai’i Island is perfect for this. It is 226mi/363km around the entire island, and can be driven in a little over 5 hours, depending on how many stops you make. If you enjoy driving, this is a great way to see the island and help you plan out the rest of your trip!
Cost – FREE
PAPAKŌLEA GREEN SAND BEACH
Incredibly strenuous hike, with the most rewarding beach and view. The beach itself is rather small, and is incredibly secluded, so you won’t find any amenities here like bathrooms, or stand-up paddle board rentals, so if you want to spend a good amount of time here, you’ll want to bring any items with you that you’ll want to use.
A 1.5 hour drive south from Kailua-Kona, you will find the southern most point of the island, South Point Park. There is a remote parking area off the main road where you can park your vehicle (see our Google map above), near the Green Sand Beach Trailhead. From here, you will begin a 2mi/3.2km trek across a very open and windy coastline. The hike is relatively flat, but between the wind and having absolutely zero shade or coverage, you end up being incredibly vulnerable and susceptible to sun and windburn. So make sure you cover yourself in lots of sunscreen, and bring lots of water to hydrate. And make sure you have enough for the trek back as well.
Upon arrival, there is a relatively steep hike down the cliffside with some not so stable stairs. But once you’re down on the beach, you immediately forget how tough it was getting here. It is absolutely mesmerizing how green the sand is, and how blue the water is.
Our recommendation, spend as much time here as you can. Make the trek worth it. But remember, you still have to hike an hour back to the car, so don’t stay too late.
- Difficulty – Moderate to strenuous
- Amenities – None
- Time needed – 3+ hours
Cost – FREE
Disclaimer
Vehicles are restricted on the trail beyond the parking lot. So driving on the path can land you a hefty fine. However, we found that this did not stop people with larger trucks and vehicles from driving on the trail. This can make it rather unsafe for those hiking the trail, so keep an eye out.
PUNALU’U BLACK SAND BEACH
Aside from being a black sand beach, Punalu’u is also known for being one of the best places to see both green and hawksbill turtles. Punalu’u is only about a 45 minute drive from Papakōlea, and is MUCH easier to access than Papakōlea. In fact, you can literally drive right up to the beach, park and step out in to the beautiful black sand. This may sound amazing, but this does mean that the beach will likely be filled with more humans, being that it takes zero effort to get there.
However, if you’re looking to experience a black sand beach, potentially see some turtlers, and enjoy a nice relaxing day, this is a perfect place to do it! One last benefit to this beach is that it does have some facilities like restrooms, showers, picnic tables, gear rentals and some food and snack options, so it is a perfect place to enjoy a nice relaxing day.
- Difficulty – Easy
- Amenities – Restrooms, showers, picnic tables, gear rentals, food and snacks
- Time needed – As much as your heart desires!
Cost – FREE
HAWAI’I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
3 THINGS TO DO IN HAWAI’I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
You’d be remiss NOT to visit the National Park while on the island, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Giant active volcanoes, sulphur banks, steam vents, and hardened lava fields with 600 year old petroglyphs, the park has a TON to see. But this is where the NEARLY free part comes in. If you do not have the America The Beautiful Pass, then entry in to the park will run you $30 for a single vehicle 7-day pass.
There are actually five volcanoes on Hawai’i Island, Kīlauea which is in the National Park, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Kohala and Hualālai. Kīlauea is said to be where the deity Pele dwells, while Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano on Earth.
HIKE THE CRATER RIM TRAIL
A short walk from the Kīlauea Visitor Center, are a number of different hiking trails giving you access to the sulphur banks, steam vents, and the crater rim. Check out the NPS website, or AllTrails for a breakdown of all the hiking trails. One of the first areas and views that you’ll have on the Crater Rim Trail is of the Kīlauea Crater. The trail is a roughly 3mi/4.8km loop going around the crater rim giving you access to a number of different unique areas of the park. Which leads us to our next thing.
- Difficulty – Easy
- Time needed – 1.5-2 hours
STEAMING BLUFF AND VENTS
Just beyond the visitors center, you will find the steaming bluff and vents. This is one of the more unique areas and aspects of the park. According to the NPS website, these steaming vents are “created as ground water seeps down to rocks heated by magma deep underground. The rocks are so hot that it vaporizes the water, returning it to the surface as steam”. One thing to note, while you may be tempted to go off-trail to explore these unique areas, you’ll find tons of signage about making sure you STAY on the trails. WE would be remiss to not add a disclaimer here, as the areas where there are steam vents and sulphur banks, the ground can be incredibly unstable and could collapse underneath you. So please, stay on the designated trails!
PU’U LOA PETROGLYPHS
Roughly 0.7mi/1.1km from Chain of Craters Rd (1.4mi/2.25km round-trip), are the Pu’u Loa Petroglyphs. Petroglyphs are a type of rock art, often made by carving in to the rock. In many cases, petroglyphs were created by older civilizations and tell stories of the life and culture of that time. And these are no different. These particular petroglyphs were made by the kūpuna (elders) sometime around 1400 AD, highlighted the life of the Hawai’ian culture from that time.
There is a small parking area on the side of the road which will let you know you’ve arrived at the right spot. But you won’t find any major signage. The trail is not exactly clearly marked either, as it is entirely on the lava field. You will occasionally find the stacked rocks, which will help you confirm you’re heading in the right direction. Eventually you will find a boarded trail which takes you around the area which has the petroglyphs.
Disclaimer
Please stay on the trail, and do not touch or alter any rock formations, stacked rocks, or otherwise. Some rock stacks are made by park rangers to mark certain spots for their own use, or to help hikers stay on trail. Adding or removing could cause confusion or lead to people veering off-trail.
Some of you may remember the Kīlauea eruption in 2018 that destroyed over 700 homes. The lava that flowed down in to the ocean added almost 900 new acres of landmass to the island that wasn’t there before. You can drive along the Chain of Craters Rd and see the hardened lava flows from that eruption. It’s really something to see just how expansive it is and the true impact of this volcano.
Cost – $30 per vehicle, or $55 Hawaiʻi Tri-Park Annual Pass or $80 America the Beautiful Annual National Park Pass
AKAKA FALLS
This is the second place where the NEARLY free part comes in. Entry to see these falls is $5 per vehicle, although it is based on an honor system as there is simply a drop box to slide your money in to. Please pay the $5, this goes towards the upkeep and maintenance of the state park which the waterfall is apart of.
If you’ve been following us for any amount of time, you probably know we like a good challenge. And we much prefer when we have to hike or work to get to a beautiful view (Papakōlea Beach is a perfect example). Well… Akaka is NOT one of those places.
On the eastern side of the island, just north of Hilo, is Akaka Falls. Similar to Punalu’u Beach, this is a place where you can drive to, park and take a very short stroll along a paved path right up to the incredible viewpoint facing the waterfall. And an incredible view it is.
We’ll let the image speak for itself.
Cost – $5
POLOLU VALLEY LOOKOUT
A little over an hour drive north from Kailua-Kona, is the Pololu Valley Lookout, one of the best coastal views you’ll find on the island. The lookout itself is easy to access, simply drive up and park and take a short walk to the lookout point. There is however a 1mi/1.6km round-trip hike that you can take to Pololu Valley Beach which is another one of the island’s black sand beaches. But they advise you NOT to swim in the ocean due to the strong currents.
Cost – FREE
MAHAI’ULA WHITE SAND BEACH
By this point, you’ve visited a green sand beach, and a black sand beach, so why not complete the trifecta and visit a white sand beach?!
The Mahai’ula Beach is a 30 minute drive north from Kailua-Kona. The entrance off of the main highway (Queen Ka’ahumanu Hwy) by Kekaha Kai Beach Park is not exactly obvious, and the road is not really much of a road. It’s a short drive down to a parking lot, where you will find a couple of gravel trails that will lead you to the beach. But make sure you take the first trail on the right which will lead you through some lava rocks and trees. The other trail will lead you to Ka’elehuluhulu Beach. You want the beautiful soft white sand beach to the right (see our Google map).
This beach doesn’t have any amenities, much like Papakōlea, so you’ll want to bring any items, food or snacks with you. Set up a little area underneath some trees, and enjoy a relaxing day!
- Difficulty – Easy to moderate
- Amenities – None
- Time needed – As much as your heart desires!
DISCLAIMER
The road (if you can call it that) is made of large lava rock. We would NOT advise driving on it if you do not have a decent SUV or 4×4 vehicle.
Cost – FREE
(NEARLY) 7 FREE THINGS TO DO ON HAWAII ISLAND
There are TONS of other things that you could do here, from other hikes, kayaking, to helicopter tours and more. We hope though that these (nearly) 7 free things to do on Hawai’i Island were helpful and gave you some insight in to what you might want to do.
If you found this helpful in ANY way shape or form, please let us know in the comments below! And if you have any recommendations of things that could be added to this list, let us know! Who knows, maybe we’ll go back and check them out!
And if you’re interested in seeing what one of the other Hawaiian islands has to do, check out our other articles:
- (NEARLY) 7 FREE THINGS TO DO ON MAUI HAWAII
- (NEARLY) 7 FREE THINGS TO DO ON KAUAI HAWAII
- 8 AWESOME THINGS TO DO ON OAHU HAWAII
- HOW TO PICK WHICH HAWAIIAN ISLAND TO VISIT
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Thanks for stopping by!
Ryan & Katy
