- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Papakolea Green Sand Beach
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- No
8 reviews for Papakolea Green Sand Beach
The kid and I drove to South Point because I had the brilliant plan of jumping off a cliff into the sea. Bad plan. The kid jumped. I miss her.
Just kidding. The kid jumped. She is just fine.
Anyway, we saw three hot college chicks at South Point with backpacks and they were about to make the hike to Green Sand Beach when a local explained to them that it was too late in the day. Being the cool dude that I am, I decided to offer them a ride in our 4x4 VW SUV thing.
Long story short...
We ended up driving over what I truly believe was modeled after the surface of the moon. We had the SUV on three wheels a few times. We feared for our lives.
So, we get to the beach and we are all thrilled and excited! We were alive! We could not wait to see the amazing green sand! We had visions of mineral laden emerald jewels of sand!
It was brown. There was no green sand. Damn you "Big Island Revealed!"
If you decide to hike to this place make sure that you plan a whole day and take water and food and a Swiss Army knife and a sense of adventure and about three ace bandages and a box of band-aids. Whew! Long sentence there. Out of breath!
The views along the trail of the ocean are absolutely incredible. The waves crashing were beautiful to watch! But the damn sand was brown. Maybe it is green on occasion. We missed that occasion.
This is one of those things you do just so you can say that you did it. We did it! Oh yeah baby! We conquered that beast! Columbus has nothing on our killer discovery skills!
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (3)
- Cool (2)
We got to drive to the beach each since we had a Rubicon (we loved that car to death). I don't think we would have made it if we had to do the ARDUOUS hike. Driving just to get to the beach was pretty challenging itself. I don't know how people managed it.
I think the beach is alright...the sand really is green. However, it's a really small beach (but my camera isn't good enough for the green to come out) and the waves are pretty strong. Worth going to if you can get a ride; otherwise, I would advise skipping it.
Take South Point Road, off Hwy 11 in the Ka'u District - the absolute worst road ever to torture a rental car - all the way down to Ka Lae ( the Southernmost Point of the US ) - then hike about 2.5 miles to Papakolea - aka Green Sand Beach
The lava rock has this mineral called Olivine which remains behind when lighter sand grains are washed away by strong ocean waves ..... creating a GREEN BEACH!
Really, really, windy on the Point & the beach is near impossible to find......in fact we gave up after getting to the boundary of the beach; picked up some green sand & snapped a few pics. That was enough for us & we turned back around.
But never found the actual beach - friends also on the Big Island said they found it but it was a trek......we felt like we *had* made a trek but guess it wasn't as big as we needed to find the elusive beach
Best Tip: save yourselves the hassle of shlepping your shtuff for miles & miles & make sure you get a 4X4 so you can just drive right up to the beach - well worth it, if you can find it!!
People thought this was:
- Useful (5)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (4)
Back in 2006, my mom and I decided to check out the different colored beaches as we were intrigued. We had just checked out the Punalu'u Black Sand Beach and headed off to Puu Mahana Green Sand Beach. Well, it is certainly a trek!!! Set aside a day as it is a hike. You can get to it quicker if you have an off road vehicle such as an ATV.
To make a long story short, we were unaware of how long the hike would be to the green sand beach. After 2 hours of walking, we decided to head back because it was nearing sunset but I did take a picture of a cool worm and what appeared to be green sand!!!!
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Funny (3)
- Cool (3)
When my mom and I were on the Big Island 5 years ago, we tried to find this beach but when we almost ruined our rental car on the rutted road, we decided to turn around. On this trip, I was determined to find it! Unfortunately (or fortunately for future green beach seekers), the road that everyone has complained so much about was being paved (4/6/09) and though the sign said "Expect Long Delays" it actually meant that the road was closed. We were stopped mid-way down the long road and were told to come back late on the 7th or on the 8th. I hope others had better luck than we did :(
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
For my bday, appley day, this year I decided to take a much needed solo trip to Hawaii. I love Hawaii. It's a marvelous tropical paradise a short plane ride away. Well, a medium plane ride.
I arrived on the Big Island and rented a mustang convertible in homage to Thelma and Louise, minus Thelma, or Louise. Guide book in hand, I had a list of places I wanted to see, hikes I wanted to do, snorkeling, swimming with the animals, everything.
One of the things that looked cool was a marvelous Green Sand beach. The sand is green from some sort of mineral interaction with the sand. Something about basalt lava. Who knows, I am no scientist. The photos looked great and the concierge told me it was a quick two mile hike out to the beach from the parking point.
Ok people, those of you who have been to Hawaii can attest to the fact that the national park system is in complete disarray. When I arrived at the parking lot, after miles of rocky of road driving, there was a spray painted sign that said Green Sand Beach. Another tourist told me that some squatters were asking for money and pretending they worked there. Apparently, they didn't get enough because several of the cars had been broken into and the other tourists lost their luggage.
If you have an off road vehicle, you can drive to the beach. I, not having said vehicle, walked it.
After three hours of hiking out and being the only person within miles of an open field and a coastline, I decided to head back. I am not a marathon runner, but hey I walk pretty fast. I thought I must have passed it but I didn't see anything green.
I was a bit scared being a small girl. A strange man offered me a ride, and I feared for my life. I asked him if he knew of the green beach, which I had just passed. He pointed it out to me. The green sand in the guidebook must have been photoshopped because this was more brown sand. I had to walk down a steep wooden ladder to get to the beach part and it was windy. Not recommended for tanning or eating lunch.
I walked back to my car and made it back, but I was literally the only person within miles. Friends, if you do attempt this day trip, I highly recommend driving. There are some beautiful coastlines, but I wouldn't hike the six hours in the cold for it.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
Many tourists will stumble on this beach by reading about it in "Big Island Revealed" - my wife and I take our tacoma out to a spot about 2/3's out from the trail head and see plenty of tourists headed for this beach.
Let me be honest that the subtly of the green sand is quite remarkable BUT most people underestimate the hike and often will arrive with much disappointment. The hike is a GOOD three miles from the parking area (just above a make shift boat ramp) and is not easy (very hot and 90% sunny, no shade, very windy, tradewinds are normally 20 knots). Hike is through lava fields (sharp rocks) and very dusty fields. You must be prepared for the hike, don't bother with sandals and you must pack water (a 16oz bottle of water won't do it), flashlight if you will hit dusk and a hat for sun protection. We see many people attempt the hike with a swimsuit, towel and sandals (none ever make it).
I'm usually out there fishing with my wife and most people who are not prepared are usually lost and disgruntled by the time they reach us. We ALWAYS see the husband yards ahead of either the kids or wife - not how anyone wants to spend their vacation or honeymoon.
You will pass two metal gates (first at beginning of hike) and second is about 25% there. Hugging the coastline is probably the most scenic, but you'll see alot of ocean trash (anything that you can think of that is made of plastic) that washes up on shore. Trails that are inland (stone's throw from the coast) are more direct. Hike past several bays (of all sizes), past a large field of car-sized lava rock boulders and, at this point, you'll see a HUGE black rock (on the scale of a small mountain, locally known as 'battleship rock' - refer to the photo that I posted) breaking the horizon. Green sands beach is below that black rock. The actual beach is in a small alcove bay, you have to hike down a steep slope descending 20-25 feet. Any locals here will have their 4x4 trucks parked at the top, don't bug them unless you want a taste of hawaiian sovereignty. If you have a 4x4 jeep or truck, you can drive in, but use caution as any towing bill for stuck vehicles will be very costly - there are several areas that are difficult to pass. Locals will be reluctant to help anyone stuck, especially if you're obnoxious and disrespectful to the 'aina (land).
If you're using Google maps to plan your trip, look for Mahana Bay and you'll find Green Sands Beach.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Cool (1)
i just read all of the other reviews for this before posting. and i feel EVERYONE'S sentiments and wish i had read jesse w's post before we went . . . needless to say, the beach right next to where the boat launch is a scenic beach, certainly not one you'd sunbathe at, since the waves come crashing into it . . . but looks cool and quite picturesque nonetheless.
and yes, we also followed the "big island revealed", and to our dismay, our fate was the same as everyone elses - sheer disappointment, but i would have liked to see what was described.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
