Pololū Valley

"Great side trip. Lookout is easy to get to. There is very limited parking but can park on the street. Would recommend going before 10am to avoid the crowds. Admission is free but a small donation is appreciated. Good views from lookout but much better views on the hike down to the valley. The hike is steep and potentially slippery / muddy if wet. Wouldn't recommend for kids under 5. Took approx 25 minutes to get to the valley. Beautiful area with a small black sand beach. Definitely worth visiting."

"Do yourself a favor and take the short “hike” down. The lookout is beautiful, yes, but the small descent is more than worth it. This is one of those places on Earth that is truly magical. My husband and I hiked Pololū with two local friends of ours at 5 AM to catch the sunrise on the beach. It was dark going down, but we will never forget the experience. Headlamps and good shoes recommended! My hiking sandals were a bit slippery as the ground was muddy from rainfall the previous night. Take your time! As always, Keep Hawaii beautiful. Respect the land, and plan to stay a while."

"The hike down is rough with the heavily rutted path, the views are amazing, the trek back up required a break in the middle. Take hiking shoes, leave the sandals at home or carry them with you, this is not a smooth path. We saw several local puppy dogs on the way, all made the path look easy. Took us about 15 min to get to the bottom and 25 min on the return. If the trail would have been wet or if raining, it would be a muddy mess and hiking sticks likely necessary."

"Hugely memorable place. No local houses in the way like there are in waipio (so no worries of disturbing someone or trespassing). Best hike I had on the island. If it's muddy, this would be a hard hike. I did it when it was dry, so flip flops and shorts were fine. It gets hot when climbing up or down the hills - but the top and bottom have nice breezes. There are two valleys in this hike. The first, right downhill from the parking, is a marshy lowland with some astonishingly green scenery. But it's a little crowded. If you keep following the trail up and over the next hill you'll emerge at the top with the most incredible view of the collosal valley. A couple benches are provided so you can breathe it in. There's only adventurous hikers by that point, so it's less crowded. The second descent is much harder, and requires the use of ropes (that are already there). I'm not the most fit, so I stopped there."

"We were slightly trepidatious after reading some of the comments, but so glad that we did the hike, instead of just visiting the lookout. It is so worthwhile. Yes it's a bit steep, but it's short, and the scenery is breathtaking. First off, I found the hike down, much more difficult than the hike back up. I've had two dislocated kneecaps, so the descent was much more arduous. It had just rained the night before (I wouldn't attempt this in the rain) - and the path is very slippery at points. The very beginning is the most slippery, so if you make it through that, don't expect it to get any worse on the way down. Definitely wear shoes with good grip, and a hiking stick wouldn't hurt, though there's usually a couple sticks to grab at the trailhead. All in all, it took us about 25 minutes down (pausing both for pictures and footing) and 20 going up. Once you reach the bottom, you can cross the stream and continue on the trail - it was high tide and we decided against this - or simply enjoy the beach and the views of the valley a bit inland. We brought some snacks for a light picnic. All in all, a great hike to do on the Big Island."