Best off the beaten path Big Island - must see list!

Hello,

What are the best off the beaten path things to see on the Big Island?

Plan to go see the volcano so that is the only thing on the current to go see list.  While I hope to get some great photos, I plan on just enjoying as well, so my wife and I are not big lay on the beach sun-tanners, so we want to go see some things, however, not interested in the crowded standard tourist fare.  Really only have 3 days to get out, one will likely be consumed by the National Park and Volcano.

Best beach that is not going to be full of people?

Best Waterfalls to go see?

What other secrets do you know of?

AM4L wrote:

Hello,

What are the best off the beaten path things to see on the Big Island?

Plan to go see the volcano so that is the only thing on the current to go see list. While I hope to get some great photos, I plan on just enjoying as well, so my wife and I are not big lay on the beach sun-tanners, so we want to go see some things, however, not interested in the crowded standard tourist fare. Really only have 3 days to get out, one will likely be consumed by the National Park and Volcano.

Best beach that is not going to be full of people?

Best Waterfalls to go see?

What other secrets do you know of?

It's not really off the beaten path anymore, but I'd make sure to visit the Green Sand Beach near the southern tip of the island. It's about a 5-6 mile round trip hike, but if you're going during peak tourist season it's not going to be empty. It won't be like a crowded beach in Kona either though.

If you're on the Kona side I'd recommend going to The Coffee Shack for breakfast. Try to get there when they open they have a few tables right against the edge which provide an absolutely amazing view while eating good food and drinking 100% Kona coffee

View from the Coffee Shack

Also, Waipio Valley is pretty popular from the overlook and the tours inside. But if you hike down into the valley it's actually pretty secluded as most of the tourists aren't in shape enough or willing to tackle the steep hike.

I had the entire 1 mile black sand beach to myself

You can take the Kohala Mountain Rd - route 250; Google the images - all of a sudden it does not look like Hawaii any more...

On the way to HAVO, check out the Akatsuka Orchid Gardens. Lots of flowers to photograph and maybe bring one home?

http://www.akatsukaorchid.com/

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at night is a treat. There is a lava lake in Halemaumau Crater that casts a nice glow onto the clouds at night:

HAVO at Night, Halemaumau crater glows at night

Also hit the end of the Chain of Craters Road for a nice dark park for viewing the Milky Way. But check the moon's phase otherwise all you get is a nice big moon:

Palm tree field at the end of Chain of Craters road.

I second Waipio Valley and the Kohala Mountain Road. Great places to visit. I think there is a flume ride there too. That would be fun.

On the way back to Hilo from Waipio Valley, Akaka Falls is still a tourist spot, but a nice one to see anyway.

Akaka Falls

Akaka Falls

Then there's the Scenic Route along the Old Mamalahoa Highway that take you past Onomea Bay. There's a Botanaical Garden there that is nice and empty too.

http://www.hawaiigarden.com/

In Hilo itself there the Waiola River State Park:

Waiola River Park

And of course old Hilo Town is good for a walk. Hit the Open Market for good eats.

Keiki at Play near the open Market

If you like bambucha (big) Strawberry Mochi, look for Two Ladies Kitchen on Kilauea Avenue a block from the open market.

Another favorite place to eat is Kuhio Grill near the big Mall on Route 11 (Kanoelehua Highway). The Fried Rice is very good and they are the home of the One Pound Laulau.

Hope this helps!

Aloha,
Val

Awesome, just the sort of tips I am looking for, many thanks!

Check!  again, just the type of advice I was seeking!

Check, Check check!  many thanks!

You don't say when you're going, but the Big Island just got hit with a tropical storm for the first time in decades. There is still a lot of damage (trees and telephone poles) in Puna, which is the area just south of Hilo.  Some things, like Lava Tree State Monument may be closed.

The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, up toward Akaka Falls, is indeed worth a visit - http://tinius-photo.com/Roger3/hilo2012/Flowers/index.html

Aloha!

Sample of what can be photographed on the big island......

link to gallery http://riwong.smugmug.com/Travel/In-Hawaii

Truth is unless the cruise ships are in town the Big Island is not overrun with people.  when we werre at volcano at night there were only 6 other people at the viewpoint.  Most tour companies start late and finish when the sunsets.  If your out at first light and still out after the sun sets you will have the beaches to yourself.

This was shot at the Blacksand beach just after sunrise and I was the only one on the beach besides the turtles.

Also you can experience the "old west" part of Hawaii by going to Waimea (also called Kamuela) by the Parker Ranch.

I haven't been "off the beaten path" and I can't think of a "must see" locale/activity.  I visited with grandkids a couple months ago, so take these comments with that in mind.

Akaka Falls drops 400 feet.

Kalapana Black Sand Beach.  As previously noted, Puna (which includes Kalapana) was hit by a tropical storm a week ago.  Many power lines and trees were knocked down.  Kalapana Black Sand Beach might not be accessible at the moment.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  Spent an entire day driving/walking around.  You can see petroglyphs (2 mile roundtrip) near the end of the Chain of Craters Road.  The glow of lava from Halemaumau Crater is very noticeable from 15 minutes prior to and 30 minutes after sunset.

Rode a kayak down a portion of the Kohala Ditch (irrigation system dug/created in the early 1900's)  Learned a bit of the history of the project in the process.  Interesting because my grandfather's first job was on the project.

Kona Coffee Living History Farm.  Centered around a 110 year old house where the Uchida family lived.  Was interesting for me because I grew up with some of the "things" in the house.

Hilo Farmers Market operates on Wednesday and Friday mornings.  You might see fruits, vegetables and flowers which aren't available in your home town.

We didn't visit Waipio Valley.  This might be classified as "off the beaten path" but you'll need a 4WD vehicle to get back up from the valley floor-Walking down is relatively easy.  (There are tours to the valley.)  If you're driving, be aware that much of the valley is private property.

The Big Island doesn't have any spectacular, white sand beaches.  Maui is a better place for that experience.

South Point is the the southern-most point in the United States.  It probably qualifies as off the beaten path.  Nothing there-Just the sound of the wind and waves.  You'll be on a ledge about a hundred feet above the water.

AM4L wrote:

Hello,

What are the best off the beaten path things to see on the Big Island?

Plan to go see the volcano so that is the only thing on the current to go see list. While I hope to get some great photos, I plan on just enjoying as well, so my wife and I are not big lay on the beach sun-tanners, so we want to go see some things, however, not interested in the crowded standard tourist fare. Really only have 3 days to get out, one will likely be consumed by the National Park and Volcano.

Best beach that is not going to be full of people?

Best Waterfalls to go see?

What other secrets do you know of?

I wanted to thank all here for your advice and contributions to making my trip most excellent!

First, let me say that my wife and I drove all the major highways around the island, so in that respect we got a good sampling of all the geographic features of the Big Island. Holistically both my wife and I were immensely satisfied with our choice to visit that island for the short time we had.

I did end up making a day trip to Honolulu, we did what we call the Hawaii Five O tour of sites just for fun. Lol, in fact, we almost got to see the premier of this season’s first episode, but unfortunately had to catch our return flight. We did see the setup though at the local park where the vent was to occur.

We did not want to do the touristy tour in general, hence the original off the beaten path requests.

We did not get to visit Mauna Kea, and we will have to get that next trip which we will plan to stay much longer. Of course we could see the Telescopes though from several vantage points on our travels around the island.

My favorite place was the black beach at Kalapana, which in itself will give me good cause to return in a few years! This is off the beaten path and something I found online googling and worth a visit if you are going to the Big Island. I cannot compare it to the other two black beaches I found as I did not visit those due to time constraints.

The falls were nice, you can’t really see the taller ones from the park trail, so maybe next time and some additional planning.

There were other beaches we visited off the beaten path, very awesome places. The volcano was ok, definitely not on our to do again list.

I liked the North East the most as everything was so lush. The Northwest as you all noted was very nice as well. The south is much more barren.

I’ll be back one more time with some photos when I get that far, literally hundreds and I am not one to take scores of pictures so I am sure of them all their will be a dozen keepers that I can eventually share.

I believe though that Hawaii is a wonderful place to go photography wise so maybe next time I will have more time to take a more selective set of pictures.

Many thanks!

Mark