Exploring Hilo
Markets, Lava Tubes & Scenic Drives
Hilo Farmers Market
A visit to Wailuku River State Park pairs perfectly with Hilo's vibrant local culture. Start your morning at the famous Hilo Farmers Market. Located at the corner of Kamehameha Avenue and Mamo Street downtown, this bustling market is a feast for the senses.
While open daily, the "big market days" on Wednesdays and Saturdays are true spectacles. Over 200 local farmers, crafters, and food vendors set up. Wander through stalls piled high with exotic tropical fruits like sweet lychee, spiky rambutan, and multiple varieties of mango and papaya. Pick up fresh-baked goods, jars of local honey, or a plate lunch from food trucks.
Market Schedule & Tips
Schedule
- • Daily: 7 AM - 4 PM
- • Wed & Sat: "Big Market Days"
- • Best time: 8-10 AM
What to Try
- • Dragon fruit & rambutan
- • Local honey varieties
- • Fresh poi & malasadas
- • Plate lunch combos
This is your chance to directly support local agriculture and taste authentic island flavors. After gathering provisions, find a safe scenic spot for a picnic. Try the designated tables at nearby Wailoa River State Recreation Area or Kaumana Caves State Park. Remember to avoid the dangerous slippery rocks along the Wailuku River itself.
🕳️
Journey into the Earth
Lava Tube Adventures
If the volcanic geology of Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots sparks your curiosity, Hilo area offers chances to step inside the earth. Two nearby lava tubes offer different experiences for different adventure levels.
🔥 Kaumana Caves State Park
For bold explorers - a massive 1881 Mauna Loa lava tube system just 4 miles from downtown Hilo.
- • Raw, untamed experience
- • No lights or paved walkways
- • Bring headlamps & sturdy shoes
- • Steep metal ladder entrance
🌿 Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube)
Family-friendly experience in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with electric lighting and smooth paths.
- • Well-maintained and lit (8 AM-8 PM)
- • 500-year-old lava tube
- • Beautiful fern forest walk
- • Park entrance fee required
The experience at Kaumana Caves is raw and untamed. No lights. No paved walkways. Visitors climb down a steep metal ladder into a collapsed "skylight." Two tunnels extend into darkness from there. Sturdy closed-toe shoes and multiple light sources are absolutely required. Headlamps work best for navigating the uneven, sharp lava floor safely.
🌿
The Old Road to Paradise
Pepeʻekeo Scenic Drive
After exploring the Wailuku River's power, a journey north from Hilo presents the perfect chance to experience a gentler side of the Hamakua Coast. The Pepeʻekeo Scenic Drive is a beloved four-mile detour off the main Hawaii Belt Road. The turnoff is clearly marked and begins just north of Hilo between mile markers 7 and 8.
This narrow winding remnant of the old highway forces a slower pace. You absorb the scenery naturally. The road plunges into lush jungle, forming tunnels of green canopy overhead. It crosses a series of pretty moss-covered one-lane bridges that span gurgling streams and small waterfalls. The air is thick with the scent of tropical blossoms and damp earth.
🌺 Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve
World-class botanical garden nestled in Onomea Bay valley with stunning plant collections.
🌊 Onomea Bay Overlook
Stunning view of rugged cliff-lined coast and access to steep bay trail.
🌉 One-Lane Bridges
Moss-covered bridges spanning streams and small waterfalls through jungle canopy.
Driving this road requires caution and willingness to yield on narrow sections. But the reward is one of the most beautiful and immersive driving experiences on the island.
More Hilo Discoveries
🏛️ Pacific Tsunami Museum
Learn about the devastating 1946 and 1960 tsunamis that shaped modern Hilo. Located in the historic First Hawaiian Bank building.
🌸 Liliʻuokalani Gardens
Beautiful 30-acre Japanese garden with koi ponds, pagodas, and peaceful walking paths along Hilo Bay.
☕ Hilo Coffee Mills
Tour local coffee farms and roasters. Hilo Coffee Mill offers tours showing bean-to-cup process with tastings.
🏝️ Coconut Island
Small island connected by footbridge in Hilo Bay. Great for picnics with views of Mauna Kea on clear days.
Planning Your Hilo Day
Morning (8 AM - 12 PM)
- • Early visit to Rainbow Falls (9-11 AM)
- • Explore Boiling Pots
- • Hilo Farmers Market
Afternoon (12 PM - 6 PM)
- • Lunch at market or downtown
- • Kaumana Caves or Pepeʻekeo Drive
- • Liliʻuokalani Gardens sunset
Leaving with Aloha
To journey through Wailuku River State Park is to meet the deep duality at the heart of Hawaiian landscape. It's a place of almost impossible beauty. Rainbows born from mist. Water carving poetry into ancient volcanic stone. Yet it's also a place of immense and unforgiving power. A living entity whose name Wai-luku serves as a constant vital reminder of its capacity for destruction.
The moʻolelo of Hina, Māui, and Kuna are far more than charming myths. They're sophisticated culturally-ingrained field guides to this environment. They're ancestral science, cautionary tales, and spiritual framework through which this place has been understood for centuries. They teach that the cave behind the falls is a sacred home. That the churning pools are the site of a great battle. That the entire river can turn violent in an instant.
A visit here comes with deep responsibility, kuleana. It calls upon us to be more than tourists checking boxes on lists. It asks us to be temporary stewards. To act with aloha love and deep respect. To practice mālama to care for and protect.
Heed the river's warnings, both ancient and modern. Walk lightly and leave no physical trace. Offer only your quiet respect. By taking on this role, we ensure that the powerful voice of the Wailuku River can continue to tell its epic story of creation, destruction, gods, and geology for all the generations yet to come.
🗺️ Hilo Quick Guide
- Drive from park: 5-10 minutes
- Best market days: Wed & Sat
- Parking: Free downtown
- Weather: Often rainy
📍 Distances from Park
Farmers Market 3 miles
Kaumana Caves 4 miles
Pepeʻekeo Drive 15 miles N
Thurston Lava Tube 45 miles
🎒 For Hilo Exploration
- Rain jacket/umbrella
- Cash for market vendors
- Headlamp for caves
- Cooler for market finds
🌧️ Hilo Weather
Hilo receives 126 inches of rain annually - bring rain gear!
Mornings often clearer than afternoons. Plan outdoor activities early.
