Waipio Valley Lookout

Stunning, breathtaking, and a moment that you can’t help but say out loud… «Wow! Amazing!»
That’s right, Waipio Valkey Lookout is like a picture perfect postcard. In fact, I stopped in Hilo the next day and met a local photographer who had a photograph of this place, which of course, I instantly recognized the view. Photographers seek out places like this. That’s a good sign that this is a must see!
To get here from Kona, I took interstates 190, 19, and 240. The scenery is beautiful all the way through. Of course, thanks to everyone’s suggestions. I had to stop by Tex Drive In to get a couple malasadas. The malasadas came in handy when it started raining heavily and I had to wait it out in my car. It gave me something to do. Devour them!
The weather is unpredictable, but after all, this is Hawaii. Please don’t miss this. Definitely one of my top three highlights during my trip!

The view from the top was beautiful, but the view was even more beautiful at the bottom! It took us 30 minutes to make it to the beach and 45 minutes to make it back up. The distance is nothing… it’s the slope. It’s about a 1000 feet in elevation and much of the hike is a 20 degree slope. My husband and I aren’t in the best shape, but we still managed to do this… with no water. Yes, I stupidly left the water in the car. Anyways, it’s a pretty dangerous one-​lane road. Even with a 4×4, I don’t think I would take a car down.
At the bottom of the valley, the road splits. One goes towards the waterfall, the other goes toward the beach. Near the beach, there are four portapotties. There are multiple signs saying no camping. However, it’s obvious that lots of people camp at the bottom. We went on a Friday afternoon, it was pretty deserted at the bottom.
This was absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend this. Do take the hike down there. Bring a swim suit and some snacks.

Great views of the water, shoreline. and cliffs. Can’t see much of the valley though. There are some placards giving some information, and the lookout is nicely surrounded so people don’t fall off. There are some trees and bushes in the way of pictures though, but no worries. There’s also a really janky restroom if you need that. There’s limited 30-​minute parking slots for the lookout, but the street is available to park on as well. No entrance fee or parking fee; definitely recommend coming here!

Wow! Was this beautiful! Not to far too find. Please map your trip before you leave because you will lose cell reception when you near the coast. We set out to conquer this area and we did but at a cost. :)
The lookout is stunning. A must see and worth the little drive for those near the area. If you plan on hiking down to the beach and/​or waterfalls, please come prepared and informed.
This hike is no easy feat. My husband and I own a crossfit gym and consider ourselves more in shape than the average person… this was a good hike but a bit challenging. We hiked for a total of about 2 ½ –3hrs. Took probably 30 min to get down and 30 min to get up. You hike down on a complete paved road that is open to passing 4 wheel drive vehicles. It is a VERY steep road down & up. PLEASE wear tennis shoes and/​or hiking boots. We were shocked to see some trying to hike down in flip flops and totally laughed thinking these folks are just not going to make it.
Once you make it to the base of the mountain, you’ll come to fork in the road. If you go to the right, you’ll hit the beach, if you stay to the left you’ll make your way towards the waterfalls.
Our mission was to hike to the base of the falls, but we were misinformed by many on where the actual fall trail began… and we ran into many numerous no trespassing signs.
We crossed through ankle deep rivers and through many paths and couldn’t exactly figure out how to get to the falls.
Then, it was time for the venture back up.
Make sure you’re hydrating! I would advise taking a camelback filled with pediatlye or gatorade/​powerade.
Have fun! Be sure to take lots of good pics!

Waipio Valley Looking is a beautiful spot. Restrooms, picnic tables & gorgeous scenery. Gaze out onto the valley & if you’re super-​adventurous (or risky as the case may be), the steep, 4×4-required road will take you down to the homeplace of King Kamehameha.
We were more risk-​adverse & did not trust our AWD to take us there & back & we likewise did not have the time to hike all the way there & back… but for this overlook & what it had to offer, we were more than satisfied

This was a great experience! I loved the view. We hiked down the road, as our rental car would not have made it down the steep grade and it was definitely worth it.
The other Unilocal reviews really threw us off– here are some corrections /​suggestions:
«HIKE»
1. Parking at the top was fine when we went. I could see how this could get crowded. Parking along the road is 24hours. There is a very friendly ranger at the top.
2. It only took us 25 min to get from the lookout point to the beach. It took us about 35 min to get back up (with a few stops)
3. Yes the hike up was pretty steep/​difficult but it was so short– it wasn’t a big deal. We had to stop a few times to let trucks get by.
4. We brought camelbaks and drank both– definitely bring water. We also had tennis shoes on– I wouldn’t want to do this in sandals.
5. The beach is to the right of the split at the bottom of the road. If you go left you walk into the neighborhood
BEACH:
6. Go right at the split. It has silky black sand. When we went there, there were a lot of people– locals grilling and children playing. It backs up to a burial site which is beautiful/​eerie.
7. There are 2 waterfalls visible from the beach that we could see– we hiked along the beach to the one on the right side (if you are facing the ocean). Took an hour from the beach to there and back total. It was rocky and difficult.
8. There is a little river to the left (if you are facing the ocean). It has a great view of the valley.
9. There are portable restrooms here. No other amenities that I saw.
NEIGHBORHOOD:
10. Go right/​straight at the split. If you go into the neighborhood, you will be rewarded with dramatic waterfall views (within 5 min from the end of the steep grade road). It is lush and beautiful.
11. We stayed on the road and did not go off of it. We respected the privacy and boundaries of the landowners.
12. The beginning of the old waterfall hike is about 10 min down the road. It is private property and clearly marked as such.
13. The county road ends at the river and it is private property thereafter
14. We saw the wild horses — they were friendly and approached us. We left them alone.
IN SUMMARY
15. We spent about an hour hiking down to the beach and back up. We spend extra time going into the neighborhood area (an hour). We spend extra time hiking along the beach to the little waterfall (an hour). In total we spent 3 hours. We totally recommend the hike down– the beach and neighborhood are fun to explore and see. If you are short on time– the view was worth it alone.

If you don’t want to spend $ 50 on a van ride, or $ 90 on a horse ride into Waipi’o Valley, do the pake (cheap) thing and go to the Lookout: Its Free! The Lookout is on Pakalana St in Honoka’a. BTW, Honoka’a is a quaint little town. After the Lookout you can drop by to check out an old school theatre built in 1930, get a $ 5 plate lunch and stroll along the tiny shops in downtown Honoka’a.
History lesson; The Waipi’o Valley has two-​facing cliffs, and is a sacred valley. It has been called the Valley of the Kings. The Valley contains numerous historical and cultural sites including burial grounds. It was originally used for taro production, but like many countries, the indigenous population died when foreigners brought their diseases. Migrant farm workers started cultivating rice in the 1800’s which lasted until the 1930’s.
In 1946, a tidal wave destroyed the Valley and forced people to move to neighboring Kukuihaele and Honoka’a. After the tidal wave subsided, the locals re-​introduced taro and it is still grown here today.
If you do descend into the Valley, there are no restrooms or potable water. However, it is pretty cool viewing from the Lookout, and even better if you actually go into the Valley on one of the guided tours.