hilo Road Trip - Part 2 - Waipio Valley Lookout

The morning part of our Hilo road trip was off to an amazing start. We had experienced farmers markets, had amazing coffee, and at delicious malasadas. If you missed that part of the trip, check out this post first to see how we started our day before experiencing the Hilo side of the island. 

The next stop was the Waipio Valley Lookout. Waipio Valley is an important cultural and historical site for Hawaiians.  This valley used to be home to thousands of Hawaiians, but now there are only around 100 residents in the area. It is also the location of the boyhood home of King Kamehameha I. The valley itself has cliff sides as high as 2,000 feet and is about 1 mile wide and 5-6 miles deep.

The towering cliff sides provide the most stunning backdrop from the lookout and you can see why this valley is a place with unmatched beauty and a great stop to make when heading over to the Hilo side of the island.

The drive from Honokaa, where we got our malasadas, to the lookout was only 15 minutes and very scenic. From Honokaa, there are road signs leading you to this popular tourist attraction, but we just put it into our phones and had Siri lead the way. 

Once there, we found a parking space easily. There isn't a ton of parking, and it does fill up. We saw most cars parking along the streets. You can see in the picture below the setup of parking and where people were parking up the roadside. But this is lookout, meaning people come, look, and leave. So, if you can't find a spot right away, just wait a bit and one will open up.

We got out of our car, and instantly had the most amazing views of the ocean below. After stopping to just take it all in, we continued down a paved path to the actual lookout area. The lookout area had a large field with restrooms and a covered picnic area. So, if you are doing an all-day adventure like us, this might be a great spot to have lunch and use the restroom. ​

The path itself isn't too steep, but the climb up can feel like it is. So, if you are someone who has a hard time climbing up a bit of an incline, be prepared for this. There are rails on either side to help as you go up and down. 

View from the parking lot.

Path down to the lookout.

​As soon as I approached the edge of the viewing area and peered over, my breath was taken away. The lush green hillsides to your left and the ocean to your right is the perfect contrast to creating one of the most stunning views you might ever see.

The lookout sits high above the deep valley, affording you awesome views deep into the valley and far out over the Pacific Ocean to the horizon.  

My husband had brought his drone and was looking forward to flying it here. It's one of the few locations that you can fly a drone. There are a lot of regulations and rules around places you can and cannot fly drones around Hawaii, and luckily, this was one place he could fly it. But unfortunately, it was a really windy day. He took his drone up, and almost instantly he started getting a high wind warning and needed to bring it back. He was still able to get a little footage, which you can check out below.

In the video, you can see the stunning Waipio Valley Black Sand Beach below, meeting up with the deep blue ocean water. It's one of the best black sand beaches on the island, but extremely difficult to get to. In order to reach this beach, you have to have a 4x4 or get ready for a pretty intense hike. Access to the valley can sometimes be closed, so you will always want to check the most up-to-date information. But the lookout is open and ready for you and you can still get great views of the valley!

In the video, you can also see the taro fields below, and hidden deep back in the valley are many waterfalls. We were there in summer time, but during rainier parts of the year, you would be able to see these stunning waterfalls running down the sides of the green cliffs.

If you choose to do a day trip over to Hilo, or you are staying in this area, make sure to build in time to come check out this lookout. Don't forget to bring your camera, because these views are ones you will want to capture for a lifetime.