Puako Petroglyphs

We took this hike and unintentionally came across these historical images. The view during the hike is beautiful, but I would not make this trip just for this reason. A bit of a let down.

Short little hike through some pretty neat areas. Petroglyphs were kinda cool but not too exciting to look at. I’m an archaeology buff and they were cool but underwhelming. Would of been better if they had interpreted the different symbols for us. Still all in all worth the walk.

A short mile and a half hike to see some ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs. Don’t be turned off by the fake ones that you see at the beginning of the trail. Some are pretty amusing, so it’s actually worth a quick look at these amusing «petroglyphs» that greet you at the beginning.
Once you start on the hike, you’ll feel like you’ve been walking forever and should have crossed Winnie the Pooh by now because you feel like you’re in the Hundred Acre Woods or something, but don’t lose hope. Just keep following the laid out path until you FINALLY get to the field of petroglyphs. It may be wise to wear long hiking pants because there are a lot of weeds that could leave you itchy or even scratched. Just be careful.
When you get to the field, you are required to stand from a viewing site and can’t walk into the field. You can see quite a few petroglyphs in the rocks, though. Is it worth the weedy hike? I don’t know about that, but it was a neat little journey if you have some time to kill.

PUAKO PETROGLYPH PRESERVE:
Somehow we had the hardest time finding this … I guess we did get to the park entrance petroglyphs. These were pretty but gave up on the others.

This was a quick and interesting activity. However here are some better directions. From hwy 19 turn off onto Mauna Lani Dr. Turn right on N Kaniku dr. Go about a mile turn right onto holaholakai beach park rd. This dead ends at Holaholakai Beach Park. Nice facilities, clean restrooms, outside shower, well kept lawn and picnic tables in the shade. Beach is steps away although more rocks than sand. On a hot day you’ll be ready for a swim :)

Not too far from our hotel was the largest concentration of petroglyphs in the Pacific, in the 233-​acre Puako Petroglyph Archaeological District. These petroglyphs were made thousands of years ago by native Hawaiians on a small plain of large, flat lava slabs.
To get there, it’s a 1.4 mile round trip hike from a beach park, through broken lava fields and a small forest of thorny trees. Make sure to wear sturdy shoes and go early or late in the day. At midday, the sun on the open lava fields can feel like an oven.
We made the mistake of bringing our kids in their flip flops, so dad (me) was giving lots of piggy back rides, which is much harder than it used to be (daughters are 70+ pounds now — how did they get so big?). On the bright side, I got a morning workout as a result. Good thing it was relatively early and cool.
There is a collection of petroglyphs at the park entrance, but these are recent creations by artists, usually framed perfectly on smaller lava rocks, and copies of the actual petroglyphs in the park. There were plenty of people just snapping photos of these and jumping back in their cars. The real thing, at the end of the hike, is on much larger slabs, and looks like this: (
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Nothing like a little ancient culture to start the day.

Nice little area to check out while at the Mauna Lani Resort. Cool little adventure/​hike to take with the family and saw the old petroglyphs.
Perfect little thing to do while in the area, and don’t need to set the whole day aside… can walk this in the morning and still visit the beach and do other activities later in the day.

My husband and I were very excited to visit this place and it did not disappoint! It was so cool to be able to see such old artifacts from long ago so well preserved in the volcanic rock. The hike is .7 miles, but seems a bit longer when it’s a bit muggy out and when you’re going over the sharp rocks (seriously — wear tennis shoes or hiking boots for this venture! It’s sharp and VERY dusty) and rough terrain through the trees — it really does look like the setting for a horror movie, but it ends as soon as it begins and the sights at the end are so worth it. Definitely take time out of your schedule to visit this place if you enjoy anthropology, culture, or history. It was a lot of fun to get out and get some exercise and venture around.

I went to see the petroglyphs with my kids… they loved it! I wrote a blog post about our time there and the fun stuff to do around this area, as well!

Nice little spot on the grounds of the mauna lani resort. Small but adequate parking lot by the glyphs, as well as a bathroom right there. The petroglyph trail is 0.7 miles each way, and starts from a corner of the parking lot on the far end from the beach. The first little bit is asphalt and leads to some petroglyphs, and is totally accessible to people with mobility issues. The rest is uneven and rocky dirt, and not accessible, although certainly not a difficult walk.

I recommend this adventure, just don’t do it in flip flops or crocs like we did. (Really, the rocks are sharp and there are thorns.)
The walk to the petroglyphs is .7 miles (1.4 miles roundtrip) and the terrain is rocky. You’ll walk through a dead tree section that looks like the backdrop for a scary story, but it’s worth it.
When you get to the end of the trail, there are so many petroglyphs to see. Lots of shapes, people, and (I think) hunters.
Where else can you see something thousands of years old up close and personal?
We were high-​fiving ourselves for making it to the end of the trail when a little boy (literally) came skipping down the path, full of energy. So, this adventure is good for adults and kids. The walk isn’t that strenuous or long.

The hike was hot and muggy but it was a neat area. There is also a geocache which is easily accessible. There are petroglyphs all over the place even outside of the fenced area. Look for circles of rocks.

Just north of the Mauna Lani (address given). Not that exciting, if you’ve explored some of the petroglyphs in the Southwest. However, if you like petroglyphs, this still might be a good place to visit. Brutally hot if you’re hiking at high sun in the summer. And small children must be supervised because those lava rocks are very sharp!