Pololu Valley

The past three days had been easy, relaxing days….Hapuna Beach, ziplining and the Waipio Valley Shuttle. We were ready to kick it up a notch again and tackle hiking down and up Pololu Valley. The guidebook approximated 15 minutes down, 30 minutes back up. No such luck for us, we were closer to 30 minutes down, 45 minutes up, with the temperature in the upper 90’s. Was it worth it? Absolutely, 100% worth it, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. 

The Beginning of the Pololu Valley Trail

To get to the valley drive to the end of HWY 270. It literally ends in the parking lot. The lot is small, again, the early bird gets the worm….and the parking spot. If you are not up for the hike, this is also the lookout point; however, the view is much better half way down.  You can see from the photo the bottom of the valley, so it gives you a good idea of how far down the valley is. If you are trying to decide where to hike, Waipio Valley or here, this hike is MUCH easier. Although the ground is rocky and uneven instead of paved, the incline is much less intense. You can also see in the picture the multitude of warning signs at the beginning of the trail. Two are warning of dangerous shorebreak and strong currents and two are warning of falling rocks and uneven terrain.

An Easy Section of the Pololu Valley Trail

Some of the trail is pretty level and easy to traverse and some is very rocky and uneven. If you take this trip be sure to wear sturdy shoes, sunglasses, a hat, bring water and wear sunscreen. The sun gets very intense during parts of the hike and on the beach. A walking stick would also be very helpful for negotiating the rockier areas of the trail.

The Difficult Part of Pololu Valley Trail

This picture didn’t turn out very well, but it does show the most difficult part of the trail, so I’ve included it. We didn’t have any difficulty, but we did take our time, especially over the rocky areas.

A Rocky Portion of the Pololu Valley Trail

The ground was nice and dry during our hike, I would imagine the difficulty would be much higher if the ground was wet. This photo does a good job of illustrating that part of the trail is shaded and part of the hike is in complete sun.

Half Way Down the Pololu Valley Trail

As you are zig zagging your way down into the valley, when you get to this amazing view you will know that you are about half way. This is the best view of the coastline, so be sure to spend some time savoring the moment. On the way up, it’s a good spot for a water break as you take in the view one more time; however, you will not be in shade here and on the way up, you will probably not want to linger too long. The trail will end in the valley a few hundred yards from the beach.

The End of the Pololu Valley Trail

The trail ended at the stream for us, we walked through the trees to get to the beach. There were people camping down in the valley, but I am not sure if that is legal or not. I’ve recently read that much of the valley is private property. The beach and the front of the valley are excellent areas for a picnic, if you have anyone willing to carry it down. There are no garbage cans, so you will need to carry everything back up. There are also no bathrooms.

Pololu Valley Beach

Once you make it to the beach, you can see the lush vegetation adorning the cliff that you just climbed down.  (The picture is deceptive, you will not be in shade the entire time you are climbing back up.) The waves were relentless while we were here. It was easy to see why there were so many warnings about not swimming here. Since we were so hot, we walked along the water’s edge and even just walking up to our ankles we could feel the pull of the water as the waves came in and receded.

Watching the Waves at Pololu Valley Beach

Although the waves weren’t really high, they never paused. They were quite mesmerizing to watch. We would have stayed here much longer had the temperature been a bit cooler. We wandered up and down the shoreline, took a lot of pictures, and sat and watched the waves. All in all, we were down in the valley for about an hour before we headed back up.

The Rock Strewn Pololu Valley Beach

Although the rocks made our leisurely strolling along the beach a little more challenging, I really enjoyed all the amazing shapes and colors that lay before us. This beach is different every day, because the ocean is constantly pulling out the rocks and redeposting them elsewhere on the beach.

The Northern Kohala Coast

You can only get this view from the water’s edge, looking south down the coastline. Simply a spectacular view, and worth the climb up and down! The ocean was a beautiful deep blue and we had the whole beach to ourselves for the majority of our visit.

The Cairns of Pololu Valley Beach

The cairns on the beach were not as numerous or as impressive as the ones in Kilauea Crater, but nonetheless, I love cairns and had to take some photos. After drinking some more water, we started our climb back up. Since it was so hot and our teenagers hike much faster than I do, we gave them the car keys and told them not to wait for us, but to cool down the car when they got to the top. When we reached the car, they looked impressed. My son told me we only took about five minutes longer than they did.

We headed back to the hotel to shower and cool down before our ocean front dinner at Kamuela Provision Company. I’m not going to do a whole post on them, food and drinks were good, very expensive. Presentation was more important than portions, each plate was a little work of art, but my husband and son were not even close to being full. They are located in the Hilton in Waikoloa. The view was amazing and if you are looking for a special place to have dinner this will fit the bill nicely. 

Our trip is coming to a close, we spent the next day taking a long, leisurely scenic drive down the Hamakua Coast, stopping repeatedly to check out the views. Our final day was spent at Hawaii Tropical Gardens. Two more posts and then I will be moving on to another adventure. Not sure which one to pick….California, Arizona or Peru will be next. If you have a preference speak up! As always, wishing you happy travels and fantastic adventures in this thing called life.

(All pictures are available as Fine Art Prints or Digital Downloads for purchase at full resolution through Alamy. If you see something you like, click on the link. If you are unable to find it, use the Contact Me page and I will make sure the image is available.)

                                                                   Pin for later!

What you need to know to get to Pololu Valley, Hawaii