Papakolea Green Sand Beach, the Most Beautiful Beach on Big Island, HI

There are only four natural green sand beaches in the world, and Papakolea Green Sand Beach on the Big Island of Hawaii is one of them. This very unique beach is hidden away along the coastline of South Point and definitely worth the visit.

STATS:

Where: 
Papakolea Beach hike trailhead:   18°55’11.49″N 155°40’13.72″W
Papakolea Beach:  18°56’10.77″N 155°38’46.17″W

Parking: There is a good sized dirt parking lot at the beginning of the trail. This hike is very popular so you might want to get there early.

Restroom: There are port-o-potties at the parking lot.

Distance: 5.05 miles

Elevation Gain: 386 ft

Level: intermediate

Estimated Completion Time: at least 3 hours, more if you want to spend more time on the beach.

Ideal Weather: The trail is completely exposed, so cooler weather would be preferable. It’s also very windy.

Ideal Time: early mornings might help you beat the crowds.

Dog-friendly: yes, but dogs must remain on a leash.

NOTE: LEAVE NO TRACE! Please make sure to respect the land. Take all your trash out with you but DO NOT TAKE ANY SAND! IT IS ILLEGAL AND ALSO BAD LUCK TO DO SO.

THE ADVENTURE:

The trailhead for Papakolea Green Sand Beach is about 23 miles from Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, another unique and famous beach. It is located at the end of South Point Road, off of Highway 11/ Hawaiian Belt Road. It is a beautiful drive, but you need to keep focused. The road is very narrow at certain spots, where you have to wait your turn to pass. There are vast green pastures, cows and windmills along the road.

We pulled into the parking lot later than we had hoped, and it was very busy. Lucky for us, a car was leaving so we took their spot. As soon as we got out, we noticed a group forming in the center of the parking lot. It was the line for the shuttle, that is run by the locals. I believe it is $20 per person each way. You will be riding in the back of a truck with a pipe rack, standing up the entire time over rough terrain. We’ve also seen a lot of people driving down to the beach on their 4WDs.

WARNING: So here’s the thing, the road along to coastline to go to Papakolea Green Sand Beach is drivable, however, it is illegal to drive there. The coastal ecosystem between the parking lot and the beach is very fragile and also host to many culturally significant sites. Heavy use of trucks, all-terrain vehicles, and motorcycles have destroyed sites, caused widespread sand and soil erosion, and scared the landscape. The owner of the land (DHHL) doesn’t permit commercial vehicular access to the beach. This means the people who are offering you rides are doing so illegally. All car rental companies on the Big Island also prohibit you from taking your rentals on the road to Papakolea Green Sand Beach. Personally, we think that the best way to take in the island’s true beauty is to get out of the car and see it on foot.

If you are standing with your back to South Point Road, the trail will be on your right. We started to go on the trail that was straight ahead with all the wrecked cars and realized that it wasn’t the right one. We looped back and headed down the right trail. It begins as a straight paved road. There are a couple of abandoned structures on your left side. It gets very warm on this trail since there’s no shade so make sure to bring A LOT of water.

Around 0.2 miles, the road will make a curve off to the right. Follow the curve and then look for a dirt trail that turns left and goes all the way to the ocean. Once you reach the water, look left and you will see a trail heading up a hill. There are two abandoned cars on your right-hand side. There is also a little sculpture that looks like a boat propeller on top of that hill to your left. This is a good landmark on the way out and back.

This trail is interesting because the terrain is always changing. It ranges from tricky rock gardens that can twist your ankle if you aren’t careful, to soft silt beds that kick up all kinds of dust to good old hard packed dirt. I know that it is tempting to wear flip flops for your entire Hawaiian vacation, but we definitely would not recommend it on this hike. These rocks are jagged and very unforgiving. The red silt also will stain your shoes and clothes if you’re not careful.

As you head up that first little hill, you will be starting in the rock gardens. Please be careful, we both got tripped up several times over the course of our hike. It is definitely easy to get distracted by the breathtaking coastline on your right side. We stopped several times to take in the beautiful scenery that this trail had to offer. We couldn’t help but be in love with the way that the teal and white foamy waves crashed down on the black lava rocks. Make sure to keep an eye out for cars. Between the shuttles and the Jeeps heading out to the beach, the road gets very busy.

About 0.7 miles in, you will come to a spot where the trail splits up into what seems like 1000 different trails. This happened because of all the cars driving to the beach. All these trails go to the same place. As long as you keep the ocean to your right and make your way along the coast, you’ll be fine. The shuttles seem to take the trails to the left so stay toward the right if you want to avoid them. Some of these roads to lead you into silt beds. It isn’t challenging to walk in but the fine sand gets on everything. If you have cameras with you, protect your lens. This stuff will get all over it.

At the 1.8 mile mark, we found ourselves in a beautiful field with tall, almost white grass. It was almost dreamlike with the grass glowing in front of a stunning coastal cliff background. This was another spot where we definitely needed to stop for some photos.

I believe it was right around 2.2 miles that you should start to see an almost ominous black sea cliff starting to peek over the horizon line. This is your destination. We didn’t realize that was it when we first saw it. I just wanted to check out the super cool looking cliff. As we got closer to the cliff and looked down, the green sand popped out against the ragged, jet black cliff.
All we had to do now is make our way to the back of the cove. On our way, we notice the fairly steep 80 ft drop down to the beach. This is made easier by a small wooden staircase at the top.

We were just about to head down the stairs to the beach when we noticed there’s a little trail going up the ominous black sea cliff. It is a short hike and not too steep. From up there, you’ll get a fantastic, almost aerial view of the Papakolea Green Sand Beach and the surrounding areas.

Warning: This next section is more advanced. If you want to attempt this, please be careful.

From the top of the sea cliff, we stood at the edge looking down over a beautiful rocky outcropping that pierced through the crashing ocean. We both looked at each other and knew that we wanted to climb down to it. We worked out way down to where the ocean was pounding on the rocks. The way down, for the most part, is quite simple. However, you need to watch your step. If you slip, you’re going all the way down. The only tricky spot was an overhang that you had to crawl under to get to the next level. Once you reach the bottom, you will get to take in the panoramic views that we don’t think many people get to see.

After spending some time at the sea cliffs, we headed back to the beach. We trotted down the mountain and made our way to the small ladder. The ladder is short but quite steep so be careful. At the bottom of the steps, you can just work your way down the beach. It is a lot easier than it looks.

If you are hoping for a vibrant deep green, I hate to disappoint. It is more like a light olive tint to the sand. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still pretty and I’m glad that we did this adventure. If you’re curious about why the sand is green, you can read about it here.

We took some time on the beach to build a pretty awesome green sand castle and a quick break. The beach is on the smaller side so if you want to claim some prime ocean front real estate, you may want to get there early. Swimming in the bay is possible although at times the surf can be rough. Once you’re done getting your tan on, you can head back the same way you came from. As with most hikes, the way back seemed much shorter. As long as you keep the ocean to your left, it will take you straight back to where the boat propeller statue, your landmark is. A quick right turn up the dirt hill, and you’ll be back to the parking lot in no time.

If you’re still up for more beach time, check out Black Sand Beach. Good news, you don’t have to hike there! It is a gorgeous beach with jet black sand. One of the most famous beaches on the Big Island. On your way there, check out Punalu’u Bake Shop for some cold drinks and delicious malasadas.

You can also hear Dustin talk about some of our favorite things to do on the Big Island on the Between The Mountains Podcast

Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, subscribe to our Youtube channel, and sign up for our newsletter!

RECOMMEND GEAR:

Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.

•  Sunscreen
We use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter – Zinc Oxide – Coral Reef Safe and All Good Sport Sunscreen Lotion – Coral Reef Safe (3 oz)(2-Pack) or Stream2Sea SPF 30 Reef Safe Sport Tinted Sunscreen.

•  Good hiking shoes
 The trail is uneven with a lot of lava rock gardens. Vy’s shoes are North Face HedgeHog GTX. Dustin’s shoes are Coleman Tasman Hiking Shoes.

•  Water
LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER!! The trail is 100% exposed and will get very hot, especially during the day.

•  Beach accessories/ Shades
If you want to spend some time there, bring your swimsuits and beach towels. There aren’t any shades anywhere on the beach so bring your hat, umbrella or some sort of coverup for yourself.

•  Food and snacks
There are no places to buy food or water at the beach, so make sure to bring enough food and water along when visiting and make sure to take away all your garbage.

CAMERA GEAR:
•  Camera:
    Sony a7 III

•  Lenses:
   Sony 24 -70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T Zoom Lens 
   Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX   

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