Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park

Kaloko-​Honokohau National Historical Park is probably one of the easiest parks to get to if you’re staying in Kona or Waikoloa, as it’s located near the Kona Airport. To me, it’s also not one of my favorites. There are great views from the park, which also includes petroglyphs and a fish pond. However, the distance you have to walk in the blazing hot sun are very long. The petroglyphs are difficult to see, as they’re quite weathered. The beach really is beautiful, though, and could be worth it if you’re looking for a day at the beach.
I understand the site was the location of an ancient Hawaiian village, which is probably why the distances are so great. Admission/​parking is free.

A nice park. Didn’t think so at first. The walks are mainly through lava rocks and with no shade.
What made me change my mind was the beach. It’s lovely and not crowded. And there are sea turtles and nice fishes! Enjoyed the walk at the beach.

Traffic was really bad heading to the airport so we took a detour stop at this location. I love history and was looking forward to another historical park while we waited for the traffic to clear. However, I’m confused by the previous pics posted because all the Tiki’s and beach shots are actually from the location of Pu’uhonua o Honaunau. (Which we visited the previous day.) Walking up to the visitors station was kinda interesting because I thought there was going to be more stuff. There was maybe 6 plaques in a half moon loop. That’s it. I looked towards the beach to see where’s the water? The ranger station is super far from the ocean and there was giant mounds of lava rock with signs saying hazardous conditions do not enter. With that said, didn’t find the beach, Tiki’s, temples, monuments etc.

Beautiful beach. Soft current and full of turtles. Had a great time and it has trees for shade. Parked at the Marina and then walked down the trail for about quarter of a mile.

FREE. BEACH. PETROGLYPHS. SEA TURTLES!
LOCATION: few minutes drive south of the Kona airport
PRICE: this is a free national park. I think. We didn’t pay anything.
VISITOR CENTER: if you have kids, ask for the junior ranger booklet. Similar to the ones we’ve done on the mainland, the kids have to complete the booklet to get the Junior ranger badge. This is free and helps the kids really get into the culture of the park. The first thing my daughter got to do was make a ti leaf bracelet. There is a small selection of books for purchase at the visitor center, some of them are reef fish identification books, and some are books on Hawaiian history, birds, flowers etc.
SCENERY: When you drive up to the visitors center, all you can see is lava rock surrounding you in every direction. It looks pretty boring but if you take the path that leads down to the beach you will be rewarded with a stunning coastline filled with sea turtles. Stay 20ft away from them or one of the park rangers/​marshals will come up to you and give you a TICKET FOR HARASSING THE TURTLES. Do not stick your selfie stick GoPro camera into the turtles face under water and do not try to carry the turtles.
If you’ve done Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park (City of Refuge) already, check this place out. Bring your swim clothes.

I love this place, it is not too big, and it has the lovely view of the Honokohau Bay and lovely statutes (Great photo op) and there is an amazing beach for snorkeling near by. So it is well worth it. There is free ranger tour at specified schedule so check before you go, but it is easy to walk around yourself and with the info you can try to get everything yourself.

Beautiful scenic park with lots of history. There’s a little shop where you can buy some books on hawaiian history or fish guides. Would recommend hiking along the coast where there are plenty of tidal pools and it is super quiet, peaceful and beautiful! Sort of bummed that you can’t walk on the fishpond wall anymore.

I unfortunately only got to see half of this park because of time constraints, but it was beautiful. Near the airport at Kona, there is ample parking and bathrooms right near the lot. One of the first things you see when you walk up the path towards the beach is a memorial to a Park Ranger killed in the line of duty.
Along the path to the beach, you will see beautiful trees, flowers, and some weird birds. I stopped at the petroglyph board walk, which can be hard to see, but there is a brochure in a box at the beginning. The volunteer at the trailhead said that this park has one of the highest number of petroglyphs in Hawaii.
Very cool. Free. Informative, and the beach has sea turtles!

This historical center is basically a round a bout sidewalk path about 10 minutes away from the kona airport. There is a park ranger who stands guard here all day and points to a terrain model of the actual nature preserve which is about 5 minutes away toward kona town. Im not sure why this place is located separately from the park itself.
The park ranger was very knowledgeable. There are also restrooms located here.
Embedded in the lava rocks are the indigenous Hawaiian Caper bush, which gives bloom to some of the most beautiful flowers i have ever seen! It’s Hawaiian name maiapilo means «bad smelling banana,» which some of the chiefs used to refer to it as, although in smelling the flower itself i found it has a refreshing lemon like scent. Historically the plant was used to treat broken bones or aching joints although modern day use often includes using parts of the plant in cooking for additional flavor.

Last day on the big island, so we stuck nearby the airport. Didnt realize that a National Park would just be down the road. Little did I know how impacted the beaches in Honolulu would be and that this would be one of the last serene places I’d experience before the crazy «tourist Hawaii» crushes would arrive.

Highly recommended. Go to the beach by the ancient fish ponds during low tide. You’ll see lots of sea turtles and crabs.

We’ve driven by this particular park many times over our visits but never stopped until this visit. Hubby has a National Park passport and is intent on collecting as many stamps as possible.
The park is massive. Pick up a nps brochure at the open air visitor center. It’s not very big. Perched up on the hill by the parking lot. Yesterday ranger Dan was there. Very friendly and knowledgeable.
The trail is unpaved. Gravel and mainly lava rocks so wear closed toe shoes, not flip flops like we did.
We attempted to make it to the restored fish ponds but it was high tide. We came across a couple of green sea turtles on the beach. That made it worth our efforts.
Bring water. It’s hot. There’s bathroom facilities at the visitor center and further inside the park. Not ADA so it may be very challenging.
After we spoke to ranger Dan, we got in our car and drive a ½ mile north and took the one lane road to the restored fish pond. As it was Sunday there were lots of cars cuz it’s a nice beach area.

Drove past this park several times and finally decided to check it out.
This is one of my favorite parks now! After parking, hit the trail through a desolate lava field, which transitions into an acacia forest, then on to the beach. I took ten steps on to the beach and saw sea turtles grazing in the shallows within arm’s reach. Great walking beach or sunbathing beach. Check out all of the wildlife at the fish pond. Beautiful views everywhere.

Great place to see petroglyphs, black sand beach, and old fishponds.

We missed the turn off twice from the highway, so keep your eyes out for it.
This has some great short walks though some interesting terrain, including some petroglyphs.
The beach in this park is great. We saw honu sunning on the beach and there was a nice protected area (though there were 2 or more shark sightings in the area when we were there). The tide pools had lots of interesting creatures too.
Do keep in mind that this is a sacred site for the Hawiian people and certain areas have specific rules you need to mind.
There’s free parking at the Visitor’s Center and the bathrooms are nice.

The beach belonging to this park is so beautiful it defies description. A beach hut in the ancient Hawaiian style makes a day on the beach comfortable even for sun-​sensitive people. Turtles bask in the bushes and swim in and out through the waves. The sand is fine enough to make sand castles — which is not the case on many area beaches. The ancient fish traps just off-​shore are curiosities, and the fish ponds just inside the beach are beautiful. Parking is at the harbor — it’s a short walk to the beach.

The park was established for the preservation, protection, and interpretation of traditional native Hawaiian activities and culture. It was the site of important Hawaiian settlements before the arrival of European explorers. It includes coastal areas, 3 large fishponds, a house site, and other archeological remnants. The park is rather large and you almost have to drive around to see the whole park since getting from one area to another is sometimes next to impossible because there are sacred areas the government wants to retain.
There are areas where you can do some activities, such as hiking, fishing, swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. There is also a small stretch of secluded beach with very small waves which is good for kids. A lot of the area is very rocky, so getting to some areas may be difficult.
Perhaps the best thing about the park is the harbor, where Gilligan’s Island was filmed.
(Pics included)