Your Epic 4-Day Big Island Road Trip: Volcanoes, Waterfalls, and Beaches

When I made our Hawaii Bucket List, before PCS-ing to Wheeler Army Airfield, it included all of the islands. I hoped that we could visit the other islands while stationed on Oahu. However, I greatly underestimated the cost of island hopping.

We’ve been here for 18 months, and this is our first trip to another island. And we’ll be lucky if we get to visit another one before it’s time to move again.

I wanted to make the absolute most out of our first island hop and see the whole island! So, I planned this epic 4-day Big Island road trip.

Where to Stay on the Big Island

Most visitors to the Island of Hawai’i stay between Kailua and Kona on the west side of the island. There are more resorts, hotels, and vacation rentals there. Some choose to stay in Hilo on the east side of the island, since it’s closer to some of the main attractions, such as Volcanoes National Park.

We chose to stay in the National Park at Kilauea Military Camp (KMC). KMC reservations are only open to U.S service members (active duty, Reserve, and Guard), DOD employees, retirees, and their families.

Since KMC is located in Volcanoes National Park on the Hilo or east side of the island, that’s where our adventures were based out of.

(To learn more about KMC, check out this post: Kilauea Military Camp: Our Stay Inside a Volcano.)

Can You Drive Around the Big Island in One Day?

Technically, yes!

You can take a Big Island road trip in just one day. You don’t have to take 4 days to do it.

However, the drive itself would take 6-7 hours, closer to 10-12 hours if you include North Kohala and lower Puna. And that doesn’t include any stops. That’s strictly driving time.

To stop, get out, and spend time at places, I would opt to see the island over a few days. Here’s the itinerary for how we did it:

Day 1: Exploring the North Side of the Big Island

We flew to the Big Island for a 4-day weekend. Arriving at the airport in Kona around 9:30 on Friday morning, we spent the first day exploring the northeast side of the island.

We drove through Kona’s lava fields, then headed to the Pololu Valley and Waimea for rainy day shopping, lunch, and learning about paniolos. Then we made our way to our cabin at KMC with a few little stops along the way.

Pololu Valley Lookout

The Pololu Valley Lookout has magnificent views of steep sea cliffs and the beautiful Pacific Ocean. During the winter months (December-March), it is a popular place to watch for whales.

We spent about 10 minutes here taking pictures, but you can extend your visit by hiking down to the black sand beach. It’s a short (0.6 mile), but steep (420 ft vertical height) hike down to a black sand beach.

It was raining while we were there. So, we chose not to do the hike, but I’m sure it’s absolutely beautiful.

Lunch & Shopping in Waimea

After leaving the lookout, we headed to Waimea for lunch at The Fish & The Hog. This restaurant came highly recommended, and it lived up to its reputation. It was delicious!

However, we did make a little stop in Kapa’au on the way to Waimea for a picture of the original Kamehameha the Great statue.

After lunch, we stopped at a few stores for some shopping.

We don’t always like picking up the typical souvenirs. Thrift stores, antique shops, and flea markets are some of our favorite places to shop. So, we headed straight for Calabash Collectibles in the Waimea Center and a few other vintage/antique stores nearby.

Waimea is known for its cowboy culture and reminded us of our time at Fort Hood in Texas.

Antique Shopping in Honoka’a

After leaving Waimea, we headed to Honoka’a to do some more antique shopping.

The girls got some ice cream at a local shop, while their dad and I looked through some more vintage and antique stores. We walked down their main street, looking through stores and stretching our legs.

There weren’t many people out and about on this rainy day, but we did see a lady casually walking her goat.

After this stop, we headed to Hilo. There was still plenty of time to make another stop or two. However, we were getting tired and needed to go to Walmart to pick up drinks and snacks to keep at the cabin.

We opted for a cheap dinner at Subway, as we try to keep our trips budget-friendly. However, there are plenty of great restaurants in Hilo or the village of Volcano if you want something better!

Our night ended with checking into the cabin and going to bed early.

Alternatives:

There are so many ways to change up this trip. If I could do it over again, I would skip the overlook and head to Mauna Kea instead. I also would have done some shopping in historic Hilo. And there was a little park that we drove past near Hilo that looked absolutely beautiful!

Here are some more alternatives you might want to check out:

• Hapuna Beach: one of the prettiest white sand beaches on the island
• King Kamehameha’s birthplace: near the ruins of the Mo’okini Heiau
• make the drive up Mauna Kea for stargazing
• visit Parker Ranch
• visit the Waipi’o Valley lookout or take a tour of the valley

Day 2: Volcanoes National Park

The second day of our Big Island road trip had less driving. We spent the whole day in Volcanoes National Park.

This was the main attraction for our trip. And we were lucky enough to be there while Kilauea was active.

We did a couple of hikes in the park, but the only road tripping we did was driving the Chain of Craters to the end and back. It was an interesting drive, and we’re so glad we did it!

We ended the day with dinner at Crater Rim Cafe and a late-night walk to see the volcano’s nighttime glow.

Alternatives:

I highly recommend spending a day at Volcanoes National Park. Seeing a smoking caldera that could erupt at any moment was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. But even if Kilauea isn’t active when you’re at the park, there are so many beautiful hikes and sights in this park.

However, here are some alternatives that you might want to check out:

• take the Crater Rim Drive tour: it’s a self-guided tour, so you can make as many stops as you want
• head over to Volcano Village for shopping and different dining options
• visit the Kahuku unit to see the shoulders of the biggest volcano on the planet – Mauna Loa
• play a round of golf at Volcano Golf Course
• visit the orchid farm, winery, or art gallery in Volcano Village

Day 3: Waterfalls & Hot Springs

We began day 3 with a walk over to the volcano overlook because there was a tiny eruption with a lava flow! It made us get a bit of a late start to the day’s road trip (but worth it….because, ya know, real-life lava!).

Day 3 was spent exploring the most popular waterfalls and the last hot springs left on the Island of Hawaii.

Rainbow Falls

Rainbow Falls is probably the most popular waterfall on the Big Island. Not only are the falls absolutely beautiful, but they are located in Hilo and require no hiking! You can see the falls from the parking lot.

Rainbow Falls gets its name from the rainbow that appears over the falls early in the day when the sun shines at the right angle. We didn’t see the rainbow, as we got there later than we originally planned, and because it was overcast.

The 80-foot waterfall was stunning, but we were equally as impressed with the giant Banyan tree beside it. Make sure you take the time to walk under its canopy for pictures!

Akaka Falls

If Rainbow Falls is the most popular waterfall on the Big Island, then Akaka Falls isn’t far behind it.

This 422-foot spectacular cascade is one of the best waterfalls I’ve ever seen. The water falling down the side of a cliff and the lush foliage surrounding it was one of the highlights of our trip. It truly looked like something straight out of a movie.

This waterfall comes with a little bit of a hike. The walk there is only 0.6 miles long, but there are lots of stairs.

There is another waterfall on this hike – Kahuna Falls – but it’s much harder to see.

Shopping

On our way to the next activity, we stopped for a little shopping and looking around in Honomu.

Honomu is a sleepy little community known as the gateway to Akaka Falls. It was once a bustling sugar mill town, but nowadays the little main street is filled with a few tourist shops and cafes. There wasn’t much open, as we were there on Easter Sunday, but I did manage to buy a wooden sculpture of a mosquito.

It was my favorite find of the whole trip. And when I got home and Googled it, I found out that it was a sculpture done by an artist named Perry Policicchio. So, I’m very glad that we made this stop!

Hot Springs

After we left Honomu, we headed south to Pahoa for the last stop of day 3 on our Big Island road trip – the hot springs. The drive there was over an hour long, and the road to the springs was very narrow, albeit pretty, but we made it.

The hot springs and the beach were not what we expected, but it was a fun afternoon! (You can read all about our experience in this post: Soak It All In: Your Guide to Big Island Hot Springs.)

We stopped for dinner at a little Mexican restaurant on our way back to the cabin. Of course, we had to walk to the overlook again that night before bed to see the glow of Kilauea.

Alternatives

There are so many things to do in and around Hilo that this alternative list could go on forever. I highly recommend seeing at least one of the waterfalls while you’re here, but maybe pass on the hot springs.

• take a farm tour – you can choose between coffee, tea, vanilla beans, or chocolate farms
• swim and relax at Coconut Island or one of the many beaches
• walk through the main street of Pahoa and visit the Painted Church
• go to Kaumana Caves State Park
• visit the Pana’ewa Rainforest Zoo – the only tropical zoo in the U.S.
• see the Lava Trees State Monument

Day 4: Exploring the South Side of the Big Island

The last day of our Big Island road trip was filled with exploring the island’s south side as we made our way back to Kona. I purposely got us an early flight on Friday and a late flight on Monday to make the most of our time.

Day 4 was also my birthday! And what better way to kick off year 36 than touring paradise?

Punalu’u Beach

Our first stop of the day was the most famous black sand beach in the state – Punalu’u Beach. With its sparkly black sand and palm-framed edge, it’s easy to see why this beach attracts a crowd.

Punalu’u Beach is known not only for its unique black sand but also as a popular site to see turtles. Green Sea Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles are known to frequent this spot. We counted 10 while we were there!

There are freshwater springs in Punalu’u Bay, which make the water here colder than other beaches on the island. But we didn’t plan on swimming anyway. It was hard to leave the beautiful black sand beach, but our next stop was even prettier!

South Point

South Point is the southernmost point of the United States and quite an experience for brave cliff jumpers.

The drive there reminded us a lot of Texas, with the small farms, horses, and windmills. But as soon as you reached the point and saw the beautiful blue Pacific waters, there was no mistaking it for anywhere else but Hawaii.

It is a popular spot for fishing and cliff jumping. There were a couple of jumpers we saw go off the cliffs while we were there. But you couldn’t hogtie me and throw me off! Just watching them do it gave me anxiety!

Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

We couldn’t take a Big Island road trip without visiting Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park (the ‘Place of Refuge’).

This land is considered a sacred site and a key piece of Hawaiian history and culture. The rugged South Kona coast, the coconut grove, and beautiful blue Pacific waters offer a sense of peace and tranquility. However, the ancient people who arrived here were literally running for their lives.

These grounds were a safe haven for those who had broken the Kapu laws, which in old Hawaii were punishable by death. If you were able to evade your captors long enough to make it here alive, you would be pardoned and given a second chance at life.

Dinner/Shopping in Kona

Honestly, we weren’t feeling our best after leaving the park. So, we headed to Kona for an early dinner before catching our flight back home.

We ended up at an open-air dining establishment, Huggo’s On the Rocks, and it was fantastic. It was exactly what we needed to fill our stomachs, relax, and feel better after the nightmare car ride to the park.

And since it was my birthday, we opted for a HUGE slice of Hula Pie! I can’t recommend this place enough.

Alternatives:

Once again, there are endless ways that you could change up this leg of the trip.

Kailua-Kona is the most touristy area of the island and there are SO MANY fun things to do there. I wish we had spent more time in Kona. And I hope one day we can come back and explore this area more.

Here are some things I would consider:

• tour one of the coffee or macadamia nut farms
• hike to the green sand beach
• snorkel in Kealakekua or Honaunau Bays
• take a stroll down Ali’i Drive
• go on an outrigger canoe ride
• shop at a farmer’s market

This Big Island road trip has been one of our favorite family vacations ever!

We will never forget seeing the nighttime glow of an active volcano or the feel of a volcanically heated natural pool. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience!