Papakōlea Green Sand Beach, Naalehu

Beautiful, remote beach! It was overcast on our visit but the water was still beautiful and felt so good (a little chilly maybe). We did not hike in but spoke with a local who did not have a problem with us following him in. The ride, If you dare, is rough and you do need to be fairly knowledgeable of off road driving to prevent damage but once you get there it is totally worth it! The hike down to the beach is fairly easy with a well worn path.

To get to this beach, there are two ways: by hiking or by shuttle. The shuttle cost $25 for round trip or $15 for the ride back to the parking lot from the beach. The hike is 3-miles long and is practically 1 hour 10 minutes. If you have the time and energy, definitely go for the hike. The various roads and view makes it a fun mini adventure before you see the beach. The beach itself is gorgeous, although smaller than expected. If you plan on swimming, just be careful. The right side is more fun, but have high and rougher waves, while the left side is more calm, but still have the thrill! You can also climb on top of the cliffs for a panoramic view or just a bird's eye view of the scenery below.

The beach was awesome! Hiked the 2.8 miles with a 3 yr old only shoulders in 1.5hrs, but only doing that once in a lifetime. There are private individuals offering round trip rides to the beach for $20/person, but you’re only allowed 1 hour at the beach. We hiked to the beach and took a truck ride back for $15/person. We were able to spend as long as we wanted at the beach this way.

An adventure you’ll remember…just bring water, sunscreen, and if you hike the 2.8 miles from parking to beach, wear hiking shoes (not flippies :-). Early morning will feel better and less people if you can. We had the beach to ourselves by starting at 8am and hoofing in. There are lots of trails, but they all go to same place, just keep ocean on your right. Access beach from rear at picnic table, its an easy descent. There are trails around edges you can walk for nice photos.

Around 1 hour hike with nice views and an amazing shoreline. The beach itself is quite rough and not optimal for swimming but it has a very unique and impressive rock formation. There is also the possibility of being driven by an off road truck shuttleservice. We took that option for getting back to the parking lot instead of taking the same route by foot for 15$ per Person. It's a lot of fun!