Kolekole Beach Park

We are visiting the Big Island at the end of July and plan on stopping at Akaka Falls. The Hawaii Drive Guide mentions Kolekole Beach Park as a beautiful place for a picnic and mentions a rope swing ';invites a swim across the stream.'; I have found very little on TA about this beach in general but had a concern about the guide mentioning swimming in the stream. Isn%26#39;t that dangerous due to not knowing how much water can be flowing from the mountains at any given time? That%26#39;s the curiosity part and now for my question...Is this a nice beach to stop for a short visit? It would be one visit of many along that coast before stopping in Hilo. Thanks for your help!!

Kolekole Beach Park

It%26#39;s a favorite area for locals to spend a day at and it%26#39;s pretty busy on weekends. It probably is not mentioned much anywhere because the road to it is basically a one-lane road from the highway and the whole place is kind of hidden. As to swimming in the stream, you will not see too many people swimming there, not even the locals. Draw your own conclusion or send the travel writer ahead to check the water. :)

Kolekole Beach Park

It%26#39;s a nice little park. We%26#39;ve never done any swimming there but we%26#39;ve watched the local kids using that rope swing and we%26#39;ve sat on big logs along water%26#39;s edge just watching the waves crashing ashore. The drive down to the park from the highway is kind of scary (steep, twisting and narrow) but we%26#39;ve done it several times and had no problems. I%26#39;d say it%26#39;s worth a stop.

I like Kolekole, as TT says it is a favorite haunt of locals on the weekend so it gets kinda busy. I have swum in the stream, and used the rope to swing out there. I don’t recommend it. (I was a foolish youngster). The water is cold, so on a hot humid day it felt good. If one MUST swim there, look mauka before turning off the highway. If it looks like meringue or darker clouds up against the mountain, DO NOT enter the water.

It is a nice place to stop for a mid week lunch picnic. I would not advise visitors to be there on Sat/Sun or evenings.

Good luck and happy travels!

I last went by there in February during the day ... and then said, ';why?'; The road didn%26#39;t bother me, but the park felt depressing with the poor upkeep of the facilities, the rocky beach, the litter, the water in the stream cold and the concern of flooding (valid but less of an issue in July simply because less chance of heavy rain).

On weekends, yes, there will be lots of local family life ... but honestly I can%26#39;t say if you would feel welcome. You will certainly stick out!

Conversely, when we parked there on a weekday, there was only one other car. There were some characters hanging around who made me nervous about walking away from the car (thinking of theft). I just got the vibe. It%26#39;s a very isolated spot when it%26#39;s only you and one other group of people.

I%26#39;m very seldom nervous about my car on the island but I have pretty good antennae when something is off. I also got a heavy duty ';haole'; doesn%26#39;t belong here vibe. I%26#39;m happy to leave it to the locals now.

The Drive Guide like a lot of guides is just pumping something up to make it sound like an idyllic place when it%26#39;s not. I remember from my first trip to the island, I dutifully stopped to enjoy this fantastic swimming hole and ... didn%26#39;t find it to be as described. I hate when that happens.

Maybe we can think of someplace more fun for you if you say what you%26#39;re driving that day and what you%26#39;re looking for the most?

Thank you so much for the information. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical when I had not seen ANYTHING on this beach except for a small blurb in the Drive Guide. I LOVE consulting TA for this reason and always pay especially close attention to the local experts%26#39; writings. We have received INVALUABLE information regarding the BI from several members but most notably, TT, echo, and KK. Hats off to you! We%26#39;re driving early morning from Kona to Hilo and already have a full day planned with several stops. We won%26#39;t add this...... Thanks, again!!

I know your trip is long past by now but I just wanted to resurrect this for anyone who might be traveling in the near future who has read the same guide. It did sound enticing, didn%26#39;t it? But I was just there last month and I definitely didn%26#39;t see anyone swimming in that stream, never mind a rope swing! I%26#39;m not the paranoid type and I was excited to visit somewhere a little ';off the beaten path'; but I immediately noticed that ours was the only new car in the parking area, and that the rest of the visitors seemed to be groups of younger locals, most with beer. Someone came up to me and my daughter almost immediately after we got out of our car and started telling us about this tourist site we just HAD to see, 10 or 15 miles north, and she seemed really enthusiastic about the idea of us getting directly back into our car and leaving. She also mentioned that Kolekole is usually pretty busy with locals, some of whom more or less live there. I noted that it sounded like someplace we might go see later, I thanked her for the suggestion, and we went about our business. It occurred to me about 10 minutes later that she might have been trying to do us a favor by hinting that we really didn%26#39;t belong at that particular park, and once I realized that, I stopped thinking about the interesting scenery and started watching our rental car! We left a few minutes later. I am definitely not saying it%26#39;s a dangerous place or that there%26#39;s actually anything to be worried about, but on the other hand, I were someone who lived on Hawaii I%26#39;m sure I%26#39;d prefer to have a few places that weren%26#39;t swarmed with tourists. So, I will leave that place for them if we visit again.

Since this thread has been resurrected I will put in my 2 cents as well. It is a lovely spot but is not kept up very well, unless things have changed in the last few months which I doubt. Certainly it should not be considered a swimming spot or a place to lounge around in your bathing suit and get some sun. Because there are not many spots like this on the Hamakua Coast it is a definite hang out place for local residents who have few other options in the area. If someone is looking for a place to stop for a bit and ';stretch their legs'; during the long drive from Hilo to the West Side, I would recommend Laupahoehoe Point instead(no swimming there either but amazing scenery and decent facilities).