Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park — Attraction in Hawaii

Your first stop at the park should be the visitor’s center. Talk to the rangers, grab a map, and then head through the center to start a short educational walk. It ends at the parking lot and has signs about Hawaiian culture and history.

If you’re doing the Junior Ranger program, you’ll find some activities to complete here.

For those with older kids, there’s a 20-minute hike from the visitor’s center to the beach. But for families with young children, I recommend driving to the marina and taking a 5-minute walk over volcanic rock and through a small forest to the beach. This path is easier and just as scenic, winding through rocky terrain and a forest to a sandy coastal trail.

One of my main reasons for visiting was the Canoe House in this Hawaii national park. If you love culture and history like I do, you'll find it fascinating. It’s open for visitors to walk through and see how it was built. It’s also a great spot for Instagram photos.

This beach is fantastic for seeing sea turtles; they often rest near the shore. Remember, it’s illegal to touch them, so maintain a good distance, especially in the water. Always use reef-safe sunscreen to protect the ocean.

The Junior Ranger program here is great for kids. The rangers will help you with the booklet and tell you where to go to complete it. It’s designed for kids 6 and up, with a simpler version for those 5 and under.

The park is busiest and hottest from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Try to visit right when it opens at 8:30 a.m. or in the early evening instead.

Wear shoes you don’t mind getting wet, especially if you plan to explore the fishing ponds. Pack plenty of drinks, snacks, beach gear, and sunscreen to stay comfortable and protected...

You'll enjoy your visit best with a few simple preparations. Properly prepared, it's a great spot to visit! First, be prepared for several types of experiences but taking a backpack with water, both sturdy-soled shoes (like athletic shoes or chakas AND water shoes, like flip flops. One trail is very rocky. One is on sand. And one is on boardwalk. Your feet will be happy is you can accommodate each surface. Second, soak up all info you can before you begin AND grab all the different trail information fliers. The large park flier is a nice overview, bit leaves many questions unanswered. Like, we tried hard to find all the petroglyphs, once we figured out we were in the petroglyph section (which wasn't easy). But they are hard to spot. Finally at the end of that section, we saw a box designed to hold laminated descriptive fliers about the petroglyphs, but we'd already completed that part of the trail, and there was only one flier, and it was missing a page! Later we learned we could have picked up a free flier from the visitors center. Third, they're is no introductory film and the ranger was only helpful if you asked specific questions. So be sure to ask lots of questions at the front end. Read what educational signage there is at the beginning and ask the ranger about what you'll be seeing. Fourth, when near the water, look for turtles. The ones on the sand are easy to see, but lots are in the water, too. you just have to be watching. The birds are gorgeous. We had field glasses, but no field guide, so we didn't know what birds we were seeing. Again... Ask in advance. This place is larger than it appears; allow more time than you think...

This was a pleasant surprise for a budget-friendly attraction with a 20-30-minute walk/hike from the parking lot to the ocean, where you make it to the water's edge where you are greeted by tons of green sea turtles! Entry is FREE and there are clean bathrooms at the visitor center.

ENTRANCE: FREE PARKING: FREE but gates only open 8:30a-4pm BE PREPARED: hat, sunglasses and sunscreen (as there's no shade), water, snacks, footwear that is slip-free!

PARKING: The parking gates close by 4pm, so if your car is stuck inside the lot after 4pm, you will not get access to it until the next morning at 8:30am, YIKES!

ACTIVITY LEVEL: It is an easy hike with a mostly flat trail over gravel and some lava rock with some steps or having to step over some obstacles. Once you get to the fishing ponds area there ARE some rocks covered in algae so PLEASE watch your step it's VERY slippery

SHADE: The reviews were correct, there is MINIMAL shade and I could see it being QUITE miserable in the sun (luckily it was overcast the day we went). And even with the overcast day, I got a good tan!

BATHROOMS: There was a set of port-a-potty's closer to the fishing ponds, as the restrooms at the end were out of order. Nice bathrooms at the visitor center, but again this can be a far walk depending on where you're at.

SNORKELING: Reviews report you can snorkel here as well and because of the rocks, the water looked like a calmer area where the kids were able to...