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Why you must Experience Hiking on the Best Hiking Trails in Hawaii

Kate Smith
2 min readApr 13, 2017

If you want to hike in your upcoming vacations then Hawaii is a perfect site for hiking and other adventurous activities.

The state of Hawaii is basically a group of islands located in the Northern Pacific Ocean. Hawaii is the biggest Island in a chain of islands, which extends over 1,576 miles. The 132 islands of Hawaii have a total area of 6,470 sq miles, comprising 6,425 sq. miles of land and just 45 sq. miles of internal water.

Hawaii is the most admired place for hikers. Whether you are looking forward to a difficult trail on the fields of lava or picturesque hikes via momentous locations, you will get what you actually want to explore the Island.

Most of the hiking expeditions start from the ‘Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park’ that provides you more than one hundred fifty miles of a hiking trail for hikers. Some popular hiking can be done on the Kona Shore on the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, also renowned as the King’s Trail. The 175 miles path merge through hundreds of vital cultural spots comprising sacred heiau (temples), Hawaii fishponds and several other momentous locations. You will also see a diversity of other incredible hikes comprising the ‘Pololu Valley’ in the North Kohala that lead to a black sand shoreline and guide hikes into a flourishing ‘Waipio Valley’ which is called as the ‘Valley of Kings’.

Best Hiking Trails on Hawaii Island

  • Kilauea’iki Trail hike: 4 miles round trip, difficulty: medium, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
  • Waipi’o Valley hike: 6.5 miles round trip, difficulty: hard, Kohala.
  • Pololu Valley hike: 2.5 miles round trip, difficulty: easy, Kohala.
  • Hawaii Botanical Gardens: 1.5 miles, difficulty: easy, Hilo.
  • Mauna Loa Lookout: variable, at least 1.5 miles, difficulty: easy, Volcano Village.

Essential Things you must Have when Planning for Hiking:

You should take care of your safety at the time of hiking and take benefit of the entire safety tips and guidelines. When planning to hike on Hawaii Island, be sure to be equipped with the following essentials:

• Gloves

• Warm jacket

• Mobile phone

• Light rain jacket (if you are exploring a rainforest)

• Light pant and shirt to keep you cool

• Good hiking shoes

• Light shirt

• Sufficient water and lunch for you

• Mosquito repellent

• A good sunscreen lotion

• Flashlight

• Compass

• First Aid Kit

• Map

Safety Tips for Hiking

  • For the safety reasons, avoid hiking alone as it can cause difficulty for you if you are in a dangerous situation.
  • So, always hike in a group or at least with someone else.
  • Do not drink water from the water streams or ponds you may possibly see at the time of hiking.
  • Always stick to your trail to avoid getting mislaid in a forest.

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Kate Smith

Kate Smith is a Hawaii native, blogger, and avid traveler and began her adventures since the age of five.