Kahakai Park

Located on the eastern coastline in the Puna district of the Big Island, Kahakai Park has a one-and-a-half-mile-long rocky shoreline made up of lava rocks.  Kahakai Park sits high above a cliff with majestic waves below that offer incredible views of the coast, especially during sunset.  It is important to note that the park does not have access to the ocean.

Kahakai Park does not have lifeguards but offers many other amenities, including restrooms, showers, picnic areas, picnic tables, and a large grassy area.  Kahakai Park welcomes dogs on a leash, and the beach is open from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m.  

Kahakai Park is a family-friendly park that offers many fun activities including sunbathing, picnicking, hiking, fishing, and strolling.  The park has a large open grassy area where visitors can enjoy playing volleyball, flying kites, setting hammocks, relaxing under a tree, or watching pounding waves crashing onto the jagged coastline below the cliff.  Depending on the time of year, visitors may spot spinner dolphins, Hawaiian monk seals, and humpback whales in the water below.  In addition, hikers can explore a nearby hiking trail that leads through a small forest.  It is crucial to remember that anyone who ventures out to the cliffs must take extreme care while standing close to the jagged, uneven ledges.  

Getting to Kahakai Park is easy - the beach has a free street parking spot located at 15-121 Kahakai Boulevard, and provides easy access to the beach. 

There are many attractions near Kahakai Park.  Liliuokalani Gardens is a 30-acre park named after Hawaii's last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani.  It was built in 1917 as a tribute to Hawaii's first Japanese immigrants who toiled in the island of Hawaii's sugar cane fields.  This park features Edo-styled gardens, arched bridges over koi ponds, rock gardens, pagodas, Japanese stone lanterns, and a Japanese teahouse.  In addition, it offers Instagram-worthy views of Hilo Bay and Mokuola (Coconut Island).  Lava Tree State Monument is a public park that preserves lava molds of tree trunks that were formed in 1790 when a lava flow swept across a forested area.  This park offers many amenities including picnic tables, restrooms, walking paths, three covered pavilions, trash cans, a paved path, and disability access.  In addition, visitors can explore a seven-tenths-of-a-mile-long hiking trail that offers an interesting insight into the local biodiversity.  If you are looking for another attraction near Kahakai Park, Hawaiian Beaches Park is a family-friendly recreational area that offers many fun activities including picnicking, strolling, basketball, and baseball.  In addition, it offers many amenities including benches, picnic tables, a baseball field, basketball court, restrooms, shady areas, a playground, and parking.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Kahakai Park.  Coconut Grill is an upscale American restaurant that serves amazing omelettes, sandwiches, waffles, loco moco, French toast, pancakes, salads, steaks, burgers, shrimp, and flatbreads.  Kaleo’s Bar & Grill serves delicious Hawaiian-inspired dishes including salads, pasta, burgers, sandwiches, seafood, steaks, and desserts.  Pahoa Fresh Fish serves incredible seafood, shrimp, tempura, sandwiches, tacos, nachos, salsa, wraps, burritos, and crabcakes.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Kahakai Park, the modestly priced Boogie Woogie Pizza serves delicious pizzas, calzones, salads, burgers, hotdogs, spaghetti, and smoothies.

If you are looking for a hotel near Kahakai Park, there are many great nearby options.  If you are looking for an upscale oceanfront hotel, the 4-Star Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo - a DoubleTree by Hilton is 38 minutes away by car and offers many amenities including a golf course, an outdoor pool with a sundeck, a restaurant, and a fitness center.  A more affordable hotel is the 3.5-Star Castle Hilo Hawaiian Hotel which offers many amenities including an outdoor pool with a fresh water pool with a sundeck, a salon, a fitness center, and a restaurant.  Another moderately priced option is the 3-Star Hilo Reeds Bay Hotel which offers a few amenities including an outdoor pool and a swimming pool.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Kahakai Park, the modestly priced 2-Star Wild Ginger Hotel offers a few amenities including a complimentary Hawaiian-style continental breakfast.