The best walks and hikes around Waiohinu

Great path, which is easy to walk on and you can walk side by side

There is a nice picnic table with an amazing view of the surrounding forest reserve. This area was acquired by purchasing a large portion of a cattle farm. The area is still being developed, but most of the trails and view here are ready to go!

Reaching Kamakapa‘a peak is a relatively easy run thanks to the flat terrain. At the summit, take in sweeping views encompassing the expansive breadth of lower Kaʻū, an exceptional panorama as your reward for the moderate ascent.

This spur trail leads towards the Lava Flow of 1926 and deposits runners at the base of an old Ōhiʻa tree. Ōhiʻa trees are native to Hawai'i and form an important part of Hawai'ian history and culture. Its famous flowers come in shades of white, yellow, and red. The Ōhiʻa tree is a keystone species in Hawai'ian rainforests, and has evolved remarkable adaptations to thrive in harsh volcanic conditions amongst sulfuric gasses. Recently Ōhiʻa trees have been in danger from fungal diseases termed Rapid Ōhiʻa Death (R.O.D.). This is why visitors are asked to disinfect their boots before entering the northern region of the Kahuku Unit.

This spur trail leads towards the Lava Flow of 1926 and deposits hikers at the base of an old Ōhiʻa tree. Ōhiʻa trees are native to Hawai'i and form an important part of Hawai'ian history and culture. Its famous flowers come in shades of white, yellow, and red. The Ōhiʻa tree is a keystone species in Hawai'ian rainforests, and has evolved remarkable adaptations to thrive in harsh volcanic conditions amongst sulfuric gasses. Recently Ōhiʻa trees have been in danger from fungal diseases termed Rapid Ōhiʻa Death (R.O.D.). This is why visitors are asked to disinfect their boots before entering the northern region of the Kahuku Unit.

The R.O.D. gate is currently the northernmost parking area in the Kahuku Unit. Here visitors must disinfect their boots to avoid spreading Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (a disease that affects the native ʻŌhiʻa trees) within the park. All routes to the Kona Trail and Glover Trails start here with a 1.2 mile walk up the R.O.D. road. The ridgeline Pali o Ka‘eo Trail (which provides views of the coast, and Pit Crater Trail to the Forested Pit Crater are also accessible to the east of the gate.

The Kona Trail takes hikers through pastures that used to be part of the Kahuku ranch. Before cowboy culture was popularized in the western U.S., Hawaiian cowboys called Paniolo wrangled cattle across Hawai'i. Cattle were introduced to Hawai'i in 1793 and rapidly grew out of hand, eating the thatch roofs off of villages and destroying fields of crops. From the mid-1800s through 2003 when the Kahuku Unit was annexed to the park, Kahuku ranch trained capable paniolo who battled the volcano and demands of the landscape to make a living.

The 250 foot high walls of the Forested Pit Crater have protected the flora and fauna within from ecological changes caused by ranching in Kahuku. The crater is a time capsule of the natural landscape, and harbors many unique endangered species.