The End to Our Hilo Road Trip
Our next stop was the part of the day my son was most looking forward to, which was the HILO ZOO. The Hilo Zoo is what is it commonly referred to, but its real name is the Pana'ewa Zoo and Gardens. It's located right in Hilo and is about a 40 minute drive south of Akaka Falls.
Before you jump right on the road and head from Akaka Falls into Hilo, you must...and I mean must...do one thing. Right between mile markers 7 and 8 on Highway 19 you will want to take the exit to a scenic drive. You will see a sign shortly before you need to take the exit. I had read about this scenic detour several times when I was planning our trip, but had forgotten about until the moment I saw the sign. As soon as I saw it, I started to yell frantically at my husband, "TURN! TURN!" He had no idea what was going on, but he did as he was told and turned. And he was so happy he did. This was one of his favorite moments of the whole trip.
We had found ourselves on the Pepe'ekeo Scenic Drive. Sometimes it's also called Onomea Scenic Drive because you will drive past and get wonderful views of Onomea Bay. This scenic drive is 4 miles long and fairly navigable. It's a narrow road with some tight curves, but nothing scary or worrisome.
As we began our drive on this road, we found ourselves surrounded by the most lush, green, tropical plant life. We saw dark green trees with bright red flowers adorning them, streams flowing below bridges as we crossed, and even a small waterfall. There were several turnouts and we ended up stopping at a few just to take it all in. I can't put into words the beauty we saw along this 4-mile stretch of road. This scenic drive is the most popular scenic drives on the Big Island and its obvious why. It's something you cannot miss and need to make the time to drive it.
Before you jump right on the road and head from Akaka Falls into Hilo, you must...and I mean must...do one thing. Right between mile markers 7 and 8 on Highway 19 you will want to take the exit to a scenic drive. You will see a sign shortly before you need to take the exit. I had read about this scenic detour several times when I was planning our trip, but had forgotten about until the moment I saw the sign. As soon as I saw it, I started to yell frantically at my husband, "TURN! TURN!" He had no idea what was going on, but he did as he was told and turned. And he was so happy he did. This was one of his favorite moments of the whole trip.
We had found ourselves on the Pepe'ekeo Scenic Drive. Sometimes it's also called Onomea Scenic Drive because you will drive past and get wonderful views of Onomea Bay. This scenic drive is 4 miles long and fairly navigable. It's a narrow road with some tight curves, but nothing scary or worrisome.
As we began our drive on this road, we found ourselves surrounded by the most lush, green, tropical plant life. We saw dark green trees with bright red flowers adorning them, streams flowing below bridges as we crossed, and even a small waterfall. There were several turnouts and we ended up stopping at a few just to take it all in. I can't put into words the beauty we saw along this 4-mile stretch of road. This scenic drive is the most popular scenic drives on the Big Island and its obvious why. It's something you cannot miss and need to make the time to drive it.
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When planning this day, one thing I knew I needed to have was something for my kids to look forward to. The idea of pulling them away from the pool and spending the day driving quite a bit and sightseeing, isn't really their idea of fun. So, looking for ideas of what to do with kids on the Hilo side of the island, I came across this zoo. The best part was that it was free. They do accept donations, which we did end up giving something to support this amazing zoo.
One thing I know about Hawaii is that nothing in is free anymore, especially after the pandemic. When I saw that it was free, I wasn't expecting much, and to my surprise this zoo ended up being perfect and my son was in heaven.
One thing I know about Hawaii is that nothing in is free anymore, especially after the pandemic. When I saw that it was free, I wasn't expecting much, and to my surprise this zoo ended up being perfect and my son was in heaven.
This zoo houses over 200 animals and is the only zoo in the United States located in a rainforest. It is a smaller zoo, but extremely well cared for and clean. My favorite part of the zoo is that it's also considered a botanical garden, so it's teeming with stunning plant life.
Earlier in this day, my husband and I had seen some of the most beautiful and amazing sites of our lives and we were taking pictures nonstop. Whereas on the other hand, my son, who has his own phone didn't take a single photo. But as soon as we entered the zoo, he had his phone out and was obsessively taking pictures. He saw birds, monkeys, tigers, turtles, snakes, and his absolute favorite animal, the ring-tailed lemur. My son LOVES animals and he was in his own version of a tropical paradise.
One thing to note about the zoo is that it's not open very long during the day. Always check the website for the most up-to-date hours, so you don't miss out on this fun stop while visiting Hilo.
Now that it was getting later and my kids were getting tired, we knew it was time to start heading back to our hotel on the other side of the island. But I had to fit in one more stop. We were about 20 minutes from another popular waterfall, Rainbow Falls, and I figured we had made it this far, I wasn't about to miss out on it.
Rainbow Falls might be the easiest waterfall I have ever visited. It's located right in Hilo. You pull into a parking lot, park, get out, and walk a short ways to a viewing area. If you visit early in the day on a sunny day (which is the recommended time to visit), you might see rainbows form, hence the name, Rainbow Falls. We were there later in the day, so unfortunately we didn't get to see any.
Earlier in this day, my husband and I had seen some of the most beautiful and amazing sites of our lives and we were taking pictures nonstop. Whereas on the other hand, my son, who has his own phone didn't take a single photo. But as soon as we entered the zoo, he had his phone out and was obsessively taking pictures. He saw birds, monkeys, tigers, turtles, snakes, and his absolute favorite animal, the ring-tailed lemur. My son LOVES animals and he was in his own version of a tropical paradise.
One thing to note about the zoo is that it's not open very long during the day. Always check the website for the most up-to-date hours, so you don't miss out on this fun stop while visiting Hilo.
Now that it was getting later and my kids were getting tired, we knew it was time to start heading back to our hotel on the other side of the island. But I had to fit in one more stop. We were about 20 minutes from another popular waterfall, Rainbow Falls, and I figured we had made it this far, I wasn't about to miss out on it.
Rainbow Falls might be the easiest waterfall I have ever visited. It's located right in Hilo. You pull into a parking lot, park, get out, and walk a short ways to a viewing area. If you visit early in the day on a sunny day (which is the recommended time to visit), you might see rainbows form, hence the name, Rainbow Falls. We were there later in the day, so unfortunately we didn't get to see any.
Rainbow Falls
It is a beautiful, powerful waterfall. I will be honest and say that after seeing the giant AKAKA FALLS earlier in the day, this one seemed to be a little bit of a letdown. Compared to the 442-foot Akaka Falls, this waterfall is only cascades 80 feet down. One thing that does make this waterfall interesting is that legend says this is the home of the ancient Hawaiian goddess, Hina, the goddess of the moon.
You can take a short hike to see this waterfall from a different perspective. We had two tired out kids who were ready to get back to the hotel pool, so we settled for taking it in at the viewpoint, which was a pretty good perspective to take it in from.
Overall, all parts (PART 1, PART 2, PART 3) of this day were amazing. It was my favorite day of the whole trip and one of my favorite days I have ever spent on any of the Hawaiian Islands. If you find yourself on the Big Island, take these ideas and make your own Hilo Road Trip day adventure.
You can take a short hike to see this waterfall from a different perspective. We had two tired out kids who were ready to get back to the hotel pool, so we settled for taking it in at the viewpoint, which was a pretty good perspective to take it in from.
Overall, all parts (PART 1, PART 2, PART 3) of this day were amazing. It was my favorite day of the whole trip and one of my favorite days I have ever spent on any of the Hawaiian Islands. If you find yourself on the Big Island, take these ideas and make your own Hilo Road Trip day adventure.