Top Things to do in Hawaii
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The 10 Best Scenic Walking Areas in Hawaii, United States
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Restaurants in Hawaii
1. Nahiku Viewpoint
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By warreno966
This is a beautiful lushly green area with outstanding coastline views at the end. The 2-3 mile road down is mostly one lane, but with far less traffic then the Hana road and should be no problem. Park at the church (unless there are services), the road is closed at a bridge just beyond. It's an easy walk down the pavement from there to the overlook, but don't miss the deep pool and small waterfall halfway down, good for a swim if the stream isn't flowing fast. The overlook has beautiful views of the wild and rugged coast. You can make this side trip in less than an hour and it's well worth it.
2. Hamakua Coast
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 6 reviews
Reviewed By BarbaraLD1960
Such a leisurely way to spend a morning, driving over bridges and past waterfalls on Highway 19, north of Hilo, that gives you an authentic look at old Hawaii. Little towns, neat homes, incredible ocean views, and a few little shops along the way to help distract you from the natural beauty along the way. Highly recommend.
3. Haleakala Summit Sunrise
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By 362taylorg - Chico, United States
Ok, so we made it! It seems a lot goes into making it to the summit for sunrise so I'll start from the beginning: Registering; Make sure you go the nps.gov site to book. You can book only 7 days in advance for the low, low price of $1.00! Bit of advice, this sells out almost instantly since they only sell 50 passes at a time. So go in & register/create your account all your info before trying to book or you'll never get a pass. Then go in @ exactly 7am HST (10am PST). Best to be ready w/ your CC info because this sells out within seconds (I'm not kidding!). The day before; Check the website because the park may not be open due to weather or other reasons (more below). The day of; We left Lahaina just before @ 3:30am & made it to the entrance just before 5am & they were closed! WTH?! We stopped at lookout where all the disgruntled people were gathering just below entrance. We spoke w/ a lady who said she saw on site they were closed for winter conditions (we never found that notice). We all stood around complaining on why they don't send an email & trying to download a compass to see if we would be able to see the sunrise from where we were. Spoiler alert, there is NO place to see the sunrise on that side of mountain! We decided to take in the stars (so beautiful!) and could even see the Milky Way! We noticed that some cars were going up but not coming down... We decided to try the entrance one last time. They were OPEN!!! We now raced to the summit to arrive just few min before sunrise. The summit; It is SO COLD!!! We read it was cold & prepared accordingly. I had a shirt w/ a thick hoodie over, thick pants & a beanie. I was freezing even still! It was <30 degrees w/ wind that cut right through you. Honestly it was the first time since COVID I was happy to be wearing a mask. I recommend gloves & thick socks & maybe bring a space heater... You will still be cold but you won't lose a limb to frostbite. The sunrise; to quote my friend Jodie "they should have sent a poet!" My word it is beautiful!!! Pictures don't do it justice & my vocabulary isn't large enough to provide a suitable depiction. Words like spectacular, divine, magnificent, sublime, etc. just don't capture it. It must be seen not read, viewed not pictured. Mahalo for reading!
4. Diamond Head State Monument
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 23,500 reviews
A dormant volcano crater.
Reviewed By alp107
Great hike to do on Oahu! Try going early to miss the tourist runs ???? Great hike to do with kids and the whole family. Please note this is not a stroller-friendly hike. If by the time you get farther along the hike and don't feel like using the stairs (they're steep!), try the alternate (but longer) route of the ramp ways. Overall, this is a short hike with beautiful and great views of the south shoreline of Honolulu. Stay hydrated as this can be a dry climb up the half crater that is Diamond Head. ????
5. Kipuka Pu’u Huluhulu
6. Wawaloli Beach Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 18 reviews
Reviewed By 733carriep - Indianapolis, United States
We needed a place in the area to waste an hour or so between tours. This little beach park was recommended to us and turned out to be the perfect spot to explore for an hour. We walked around the lava rocks and explore all of the little tide pools and found a hole in the rocks where the waves splashed up, it was beautiful. There's also a nice view of the volcano from the beach. I would definitely recommend stopping by if you have time.
7. Kealia Coastal Boardwalk
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 51 reviews
Reviewed By WHSkinner - Anchorage, United States
The well-done elevated boardwalk allows you to stroll across a series of viewpoints looking out across the coastal marsh areas backing the north end of Sugar Beach. The boardwalk has several access points to the beach in its most wild and unvisited sections, meaning there's few other visitors to be seen (and this is one of the best reasons to visit here!) If you're at all curious about the variety of birds seen on Maui, you can learn more about them here and actually see them close up as they forage in the wild. It was fascinating to see them catching fish just thirty feet away from us off the boardwalk. There's no access charge, although there aren't many parking spaces here either. This turned out to be one of our favorite memories we gained during our Kihei visit!
8. Wailua Heritage Trail
9. The Kings Gardens Maui
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 27 reviews
The Kings Gardens Maui Private Waterfall Hike & Chocolate Tour After 100 Years, These Sacred Royal Gardens Are Finally Open; An Exclusive Private Richly Historical Location! Only a Limited Number Of Of Visitors Get The Chance To Visit Each Year. Due to the Delicate Archeological Nature Of The Location. So Book Now! Be One Of The Lucky Souls! Highlights: *See: The Ancient Ruins Of The Kings Gardens *Enjoy: Walking in The Footsteps of the Kings on His Ancient Foot Trails *Experience An Epic Hawaiian Rainforest * Get Photo's With The Worlds Largest Prehistoric Dinosaur Ferns! * See The First Waterfall On The Way To Hana, 30 Minutes from the Airport! * Enjoy Learning About Cacao ( Chocolate ) At Our Lovely Cacao Grove. * Experience The Ancient Water Tunnel Of Mo'o The Mythological Lizard God! *Enjoy Hiking In A Amazing Wild Tropical Gardens & Jungle! * Hear About The Cultural History Of The Ancient Heritage Gardens * Learn About The Various Rare Plants
Reviewed By Stacy95060 - Santa Cruz, United States
What a cool place, you feel like you are in a scene from Jurassic Park or Avatar with the soaring rainforest canopy and oversized vegetation! To be clear - when you pay your fee to participate you are making a donation to preserve this special place. If you think this is a joy ride you will be disappointed - this is an immersion in a unique habitat where you learn about the fauna and the historical significance of these gardens. Not only is this garden lush with native plants it has endemic species that occur nowhere else on the island much less the world. Tim guided us through the gardens informing us about the plant species, pointing our archeological artifacts and assuring we were safe on the slippery path. With a moment for a meditative forest bathing session we moved on to chocolate tasting and a brief lesson about cacao. Are there mosquitoes? Oh yes. Take the recommendations for long sleeves and pants seriously and bring your repellent - they had some on hand to use. Take photos, the guide will take them for you, open your eyes and soak up a microhabitat like none other.
10. South Point Heiau
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6 reviews
Reviewed By pfefmeister - San Francisco, United States
About an hour and a half from Kona, but well worth it. Windy as heck, but cool to see the turbulent oceans meet at the southern point. The younger crowd were getting their thrills jumping off the cliffs, while locals were fishing from the cliff side. All in all, an active little area. Walk to the navigation tower and follow the brick wall into the ocean - that’s as southern as it gets. Loved this place.
