Hawaii Big Island with Kids | Things to Do: Volcanoes National Park, Waipi'o Valley, Punalu'u Beach

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Our family took a week-long trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, where we visited white sand beaches, black sand beaches, jungle hikes with waterfalls, underground caves, and scenic volcano craters. The island can be split into 5 regions, and we drove around to visit each one.

We stayed in the Kohala region as our home base. Right next to our resort was the Waikoloa Petroglyph Reserve. We walked on trails through these volcanic rocks that had ancient art carved into them.

The Kohala region on the northwest of the Big Island is known for its beautiful beaches. Near our resort in Waikoloa was Anaeho’omalu Bay, a narrow strip of beach with tall palm trees and shallow waves. The Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail is a nice short stroll along the coast. Right next to the trail is Spencer Beach, a small bay with calm water. Kauna’Oa Mauna Kea Beach is a large, beautiful white sand beach.

The Hamakua Region in the northeast is full of forests and waterfalls. We visited the Kalopa State Recreation Area and took a walk on the Native Forest Trail, a loop that took us through a wet and dense jungle. We then drove up to the Waipi’o Valley Lookout. It offers incredible views of the valley, along with black sand beach and waterfall. Update: Going down into the valley is closed to non-residents.

The Hilo region on the east side of the island is a unique mix of lush forests and rocky beaches. Driving in, we first stopped at the Kaumana Caves. Right off the side of the road, it’s easy to access by stairs and a short path. Nearby is Rainbow Falls, which is also easy to view right off the road. Then we went to Akaka Falls State Park. It’s a paved, short loop trail that takes you through the forest. On the road leading up to Akaka Falls is Honomu Goat Dairy, a goat farm selling goat milk products. We were able to feed and pet the goats, and we also had some goat milk ice cream. Driving back into the main town of Hilo, we spent some time at the Wailoa River State Park. There are unique walking bridges over the Wailoa River. Carlsmith Beach Park has a lot of open grassy areas and shallow calm water to float around in.

We spent a day at Volcanoes National Park, seeing some of the natural formations created from past eruptions. The Sulphur Banks Trail is a flat and paved walking path. The trail passes by volcanic gases seeping up from the ground, surrounded by colorful mineral deposits. The trail eventually leads to the rim of the Kilauea Volcano crater, which has had eruptions in recent years. We then went on the Kilauea Iki Trail. It’s a path through trees along the rim of the Kilauea Iki Crater, and has some great scenic views of the crater along the way. The trail leads to the Nahuku-Thurston Lava Tube, and underground tunnel naturally formed by past flowing lava. It’s dark inside, but the path is illuminated by lights, and you can walk from one end through to the other. From the National Park, we went south and passed through the Ka’u region in the southeast. We stopped by Punalu’u Black Sand Beach.

The Kona region on the Southwest side of the Big Island is known for its rocky volcanic coastline. Its also home to the infamous Kona coffee bean, we went to Thunder Mountain Coffee for some samples. There are demonstrations on how they pick and roast their coffee, along with a short, paved natural trail to their coffee fields. The trail ends on a viewing deck. Along the highway through Kona are large volcanic rock fields. We pulled off near the Kiholo Trailhead and explored some of the rocks. The trail is a long hike down to the coast, so we just opted to drive down a dirt road to Kiholo Bay. After walking a short distance from where we parked, there’s a hidden gem called Queens Bath, which is an underground pool that you can swim in. There are many snorkeling spots in Kona, and we decided to go to Kahalu’u Beach Park.

00:00 Big Island Introduction
00:29 Waikoloa Beach Resort
01:05 Waikoloa Petroglyph Reserve
01:41 Anaeho’omalu Bay
02:39 Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail
03:12 Spencer Beach
03:45 Kauna’Oa Mauna Kea Beach
05:07 Kalopa State Recreation Area
06:00 Waipi’o Valley Lookout
06:44 Kaumana Caves
07:41 Rainbow Falls
08:05 Akaka Falls State Park
09:00 Honomu Goat Dairy
09:26 Wailoa River State Park
10:17 Carlsmith Beach Park
11:40 Volcanoes National Park
11:51 Sulphur Banks Trail
12:51 Kilauea Overlook
13:16 Kilauea Iki Trail
13:55 Nahuku-Thurston Lava Tube
14:36 Punalu’u Black Sand Beach
15:37 Thunder Mountain Coffee Plantation
16:22 Kiholo Trailhead
16:47 Kiholo Bay
17:04 Queens Bath
17:44 Kahalu’u Beach Park Snorkeling
18:40 Big Island Recap