Weight=174.2 pounds, Steps=18,690
This my third trip to Waipio Valley -- it is my favorite hike on the Big Island. The 1.5 hour drive from Hilo is manageable for a day's outing. To get there, turn off of the Hawaii Belt Road (Highway 19) onto Highway 240 at the town of Honokaa. Follow Highway 240 for about 9.5 miles where it dead ends at the valley's lookout point. To go further there are three options: walk down and back, drive in with a four-wheeler, or take a tour (shuttle, horse drawn wagon, others). In any case, the views from the overlook are dramatic and breathtaking. There is historic information available at the lookout point and there are basic restrooms located here. This is as far as most visitors go who are doing casual sightseeing.
For the more adventuresome, walking down the steep 25 degree grade (average) road (mostly paved but rough) requires mindful trekking and can be hard on the knees. Some sections are up to 40 degrees steep. Wear good non-slip hiking shoes (flip-flops not recommended). The one mile twisty walk down takes about 25 minutes. Later, coming back up, plan for at least 45 minutes or so. It is about a 1,000 feet ascent in one mile ... equivalent to walking up 95 floors in a building! It is an aerobic workout in the sun with plenty of sweating and greatly increased pulse. In any case, if hiking down and back, pack plenty of water with you along with food/snacks since this is at least a half-day outinmg but could easily stretch out to a full day. The only facilities in the valley are several porta-potty toilets near the beach.
This my third trip to Waipio Valley -- it is my favorite hike on the Big Island. The 1.5 hour drive from Hilo is manageable for a day's outing. To get there, turn off of the Hawaii Belt Road (Highway 19) onto Highway 240 at the town of Honokaa. Follow Highway 240 for about 9.5 miles where it dead ends at the valley's lookout point. To go further there are three options: walk down and back, drive in with a four-wheeler, or take a tour (shuttle, horse drawn wagon, others). In any case, the views from the overlook are dramatic and breathtaking. There is historic information available at the lookout point and there are basic restrooms located here. This is as far as most visitors go who are doing casual sightseeing.
For the more adventuresome, walking down the steep 25 degree grade (average) road (mostly paved but rough) requires mindful trekking and can be hard on the knees. Some sections are up to 40 degrees steep. Wear good non-slip hiking shoes (flip-flops not recommended). The one mile twisty walk down takes about 25 minutes. Later, coming back up, plan for at least 45 minutes or so. It is about a 1,000 feet ascent in one mile ... equivalent to walking up 95 floors in a building! It is an aerobic workout in the sun with plenty of sweating and greatly increased pulse. In any case, if hiking down and back, pack plenty of water with you along with food/snacks since this is at least a half-day outinmg but could easily stretch out to a full day. The only facilities in the valley are several porta-potty toilets near the beach.
Some visitors will opt to drive in if they have a four-wheel drive vehicle which can maneuver down this narrow challenging road. Even experienced four wheelers may want to skip driving down during wet periods because the roadway can be slippery and deep mud puddles form on the dirt roads at the bottom of the valley that can be very dicey to navigate. How deep? Well, you usually have to get in to find out and by then it's too late! If you are driving down, make sure to give way to vehicles coming up. All-wheel drive cars are not allowed to drive down.
No matter how you get to the bottom of the Waipio Valley, once you reach the bottom, the road forks to the left and right. Turning to your right will take you towards the beach and turning to your left will take you towards the back of the valley with various shacks, dwellings and rough houses, as well as Hi'ilawe Falls.
No matter how you get to the bottom of the Waipio Valley, once you reach the bottom, the road forks to the left and right. Turning to your right will take you towards the beach and turning to your left will take you towards the back of the valley with various shacks, dwellings and rough houses, as well as Hi'ilawe Falls.
The mile-long black sand beach at the opening of Waipio may make you feel like you just walked onto the set of Jurrasic Park. Near the eastern end of the beach is the sometimes on and sometimes off (depending on how much it has rained) Kaluahine Falls. The western end of the beach meets the cliffs where a switchback trail climbs up and over into neighboring Waimanu Valley. Getting to Waimanu Valley is a long, hard hike of several miles. A trip to Waimanu and back requires an overnight camping stay of at least one night to make it worth while and camping permits are required.
To get to the western end by the cliffs, one must cross the Hi'ilawe stream which flows from the back of the valley into the ocean at the beach. Depending on conditions, such as the tide state, level of the river and other variables it may be passable, or not. In any case, it helps to have water shoes (rocky bottom) and plan to be in knee deep water (with deeper holes sometimes) with sections of fast flowing water.
On the trail along the bottom of the cliffs, you may encounter strange ramshackle encampments. I never did figure out who occupies these dwellings, and they may not be legal habitats. So keep moving and don't ask any questions. The residents of Waipio are there because they don’t want to be very connected with modern society, so the more modern society you bring to them, the more unpleasantness might be encountered. I would suppose that that quiet, polite hikers who don’t cross barbed wire fences and keep on obviously public land will not be bothered by the locals..
Be very careful when enjoying the beach. These waters are known for rough surf, strong currents and undertow that can overwhelm even strong swimmers. There are no lifeguards on the beach, so stay out of the water on anything but the calmest days. The area just behind the beach is protected by trees and makes a nice spot for a picnic. Wild horses roam this area of Waipio Valley and a herd is often seen near the beach.
To get to the western end by the cliffs, one must cross the Hi'ilawe stream which flows from the back of the valley into the ocean at the beach. Depending on conditions, such as the tide state, level of the river and other variables it may be passable, or not. In any case, it helps to have water shoes (rocky bottom) and plan to be in knee deep water (with deeper holes sometimes) with sections of fast flowing water.
On the trail along the bottom of the cliffs, you may encounter strange ramshackle encampments. I never did figure out who occupies these dwellings, and they may not be legal habitats. So keep moving and don't ask any questions. The residents of Waipio are there because they don’t want to be very connected with modern society, so the more modern society you bring to them, the more unpleasantness might be encountered. I would suppose that that quiet, polite hikers who don’t cross barbed wire fences and keep on obviously public land will not be bothered by the locals..
Be very careful when enjoying the beach. These waters are known for rough surf, strong currents and undertow that can overwhelm even strong swimmers. There are no lifeguards on the beach, so stay out of the water on anything but the calmest days. The area just behind the beach is protected by trees and makes a nice spot for a picnic. Wild horses roam this area of Waipio Valley and a herd is often seen near the beach.
If, instead of heading toward the beach, you take a left at the bottom of the road that descends from the lookout, you will wind your way back into the lush reaches of Waipio "village" and towards the 1,200 foot Hi'ilawe Falls. There is no publicly accessible trail to this waterfall and the stream leading up to it is quite dangerous for hikers. Because of this and the risk of landslides in the area, Hi'ilawe Falls should be appreciated from a distance.
There is a small stream flowing across the road as you hike further in. To cross it, one has to remove shoes and wade trough to the other side. It is truly a Garden of Eden here. The 50 or so inhabitants are sometimes nowhere to be seen but they leave signs on their property that say "No trespassing. Violators will be shot. Those surviving will be shot again." No worries, the roads at the bottom of the valley are public roads, so feel free to explore, but be mindful of areas that look like people's houses. While exploring the valley floor and its lush green expanses, you might come across stray dogs and wild horses. The locals are very mindful of taking care of their aina (lands) so they remain unspoiled.
There is a small stream flowing across the road as you hike further in. To cross it, one has to remove shoes and wade trough to the other side. It is truly a Garden of Eden here. The 50 or so inhabitants are sometimes nowhere to be seen but they leave signs on their property that say "No trespassing. Violators will be shot. Those surviving will be shot again." No worries, the roads at the bottom of the valley are public roads, so feel free to explore, but be mindful of areas that look like people's houses. While exploring the valley floor and its lush green expanses, you might come across stray dogs and wild horses. The locals are very mindful of taking care of their aina (lands) so they remain unspoiled.
is Waipio Valley is named after the river that flows through it: wai-piʻo means "curved water" in the Hawaiian language. Waipio is of great historical significance to the Hawaiian people. The six mile deep and six mile wide valley is deeply cut into the mountain, with three thousand foot cliffs and some waterfalls up to fifteen-hundred feet. Inhabited for hundreds of years by Hawaiians growing taro and other crops, most of the history of the valley was wiped out completely in 1946 by a powerful tsunami. It was the capital and permanent residence of many early Hawaiian aliʻi (kings)--very densely populated at the time (5,000 or so inhabitants).
Today, the valley is considered to a sacred place by the locals with burial grounds scattered throughout the area. The valley hosts several taro fields (taro is a traditional Hawaiian staple food) and several dozens of inhabitants--some permanent, some seasonal. Property rights seem to be difficult to determine here. The Honolulu-based Bishop Museum owns 537 acres in Waipio Valley which has been appraised at $10 million. The museum owns approximately 70 percent of the valley. There has been recent talk that the museum plans to sell its share of the Waipio Valley property.
Additional details of the history of Waipio Valley can be read here.
Today, the valley is considered to a sacred place by the locals with burial grounds scattered throughout the area. The valley hosts several taro fields (taro is a traditional Hawaiian staple food) and several dozens of inhabitants--some permanent, some seasonal. Property rights seem to be difficult to determine here. The Honolulu-based Bishop Museum owns 537 acres in Waipio Valley which has been appraised at $10 million. The museum owns approximately 70 percent of the valley. There has been recent talk that the museum plans to sell its share of the Waipio Valley property.
Additional details of the history of Waipio Valley can be read here.
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