One of my favorite hikes of all time. Arrive early (before 9 am) to get a good parking spot and start your trek down. Wear proper hiking shoes, I saw several people wearing sandals/flip flops. The first part down is all on black top and pretty well straight down. Our legs were pretty shaky by the end. If you have hiking poles they would be nice here but this is a completely doable hike without them. Once you get to the bottom of the black top turn right. There, we were able to see some wild horses. Respect the no trespassing signs as there is quite a bit of private property. We walked on the trail to the beach, and instead of continuing on the trail in the tree line decided to walk along the beach instead. It was beautiful. The black sand and the views from the beach are awe-inspiring. There is a river that connects to the ocean that you will need to cross if you choose to continue on the trail across the beach to the lookout (which I highly recommend). So, take water shoes or something you don't mind getting wet and wear shorts or something you don't mind again getting wet. You can cross closer to the ocean but the current is stronger and there are more rocks making it more slippery. Your best bet is to cross in the waist deep water where you can walk across on sand. Once you get to the end of the black sand beach take a left into the tree line and follow the trail up to another lookout (I'm not sure of the name). The view from here made the uphill hike so worth it. From here you can see Ipuu and Hiilawe waterfalls. They look like twin waterfalls located just slightly to your right if you are looking straight out from the lookout. Seeing these falls is really unique. Many people walk along the beach and never bother to look back at the valley, and most people definitely don't make the hike to the lookout to see the falls. The falls are on private property so do not try to hike to them. It's less than 1 mile to the lookout from the beach so it is well worth it! When you leave the lookout and head back down, I suggest walking on the dedicated trail through the treeline that lines the beach. The vegetation here is spectacular and the trail feels great to walk on. Heading back up to the Waipi'o lookout is brutal. It's straight up and there are no switch backs to rest at. Rest when you get the chance to let cars by. It's tough but so worth it! Definitely one of my favorite hikes ever.