Parks around Hilo

The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument is the single largest conservation area under the U.S. flag, and one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. It encompasses 139,797 square miles of the Pacific Ocean (362,073 square kilometers) - an area larger than all the country's national parks combined. The extensive coral reefs found in Papahanaumokuakea - truly the rainforests...

Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge consists of the 33,000-acre Hakalau Forest Unit and the 5,300 acre Kona Forest Unit, located at elevations between 2,000 and 6,600 feet on the east and west sides of the island of Hawaii. The sloping terrain is forested with some of the finest remaining stands of native montane rainforest in Hawaii. The refuge was established to conserve endangered fores...

Volcanoes are monuments to Earth's origin, evidence that its primordial forces are still at work. During a volcanic eruption, we are reminded that our planet is an ever-changing environment whose basic processes are beyond human control. As much as we have altered the face of the Earth to suit our needs, we can only stand in awe before the power of an eruption.

The Hawaii Volcanoes Wilderness now contains a total of 130,790 acres and is managed by the National Park Service. All of the Wilderness is in the state of Hawaii. In 1978 the Hawaii Volcanoes Wilderness became part of the now over 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities and extraordinary opportunities for solitude....

How many places in America can you walk in the footsteps of a king? Where else has a stranded sailor risen up to become a great chief over an entire island? Where else can you experience the culminating event of a people, foretold from centuries past? And where else can you stand on a beach and watch as sharks pass over a submerged temple? Experience all this & much more only at Pu`ukohola Heiau!

How many places in America can you walk in the footsteps of a king? Where else has a stranded sailor risen up to become a great chief over an entire island? Where else can you experience the culminating event of a people, foretold from centuries past? And where else can you stand on a beach and watch as sharks pass over a submerged temple? Experience all this & much more only at Pu`ukohola Heiau!

Imagine you had just broken the sacred laws, the Kapu, and the only punishment was death. Your only chance of survival is to elude your pursuers and reach the Pu'uhonua, a place of refuge. The Pu'uhonua protected the kapu breaker, civilians during the time of war and the defeated warriors. No harm could come to those who reached the boundaries of the place of refuge.

Imagine you had just broken the sacred laws, the kapu, and the only punishment was death. Your only chance of survival is to elude your pursuers and reach the Pu'uhonua, a place of refuge. The Pu'uhonua protected the kapu breaker, defeated warriors, as well as civilians during the time of battle. No harm could come to those who reached the boundaries of the place of refuge.

To survive in a hot and arid environment the native Hawaiians (kanaka maoli) used ancient fishing skills, including the building of fishponds, and the knowledge of the location of precious fresh water (wai) that flows into the many brackish pools throughout the park. The spirit of the people (poe) and the knowledge of the elders (kupuna) created a tradition of respect and reverance for this area

To survive in a hot and arid environment the native Hawaiians (kanaka maoli) used ancient fishing skills, including the building of fishponds, and the knowledge of the location of precious fresh water (wai) that flows into the many brackish pools throughout the park. The spirit of the people (poe) and the knowledge of the elders (kupuna) created a tradition of respect and reverence for this area.

Established in 2000 for the preservation, protection and interpretation of traditional Native Hawaiian culture and natural resources, Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail is a 175 mile corridor and trail network of cultural and historical significance. It traverses through hundreds of ancient Hawaiian settlement sites and over 200 ahupua'a (traditional sea to mountain land divisions). Connect now.

The Haleakala Wilderness now contains a total of 24,719 acres and is managed by the National Park Service. All of the Wilderness is in the state of Hawaii. In 1976 the Haleakala Wilderness became part of the now over 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities and extraordinary opportunities for solitude. In an age of "...

This special place vibrates with stories of ancient and modern Hawaiian culture and protects the bond between the land and its people. The park also cares for endangered species, some of which exist nowhere else. Come visit this special place - renew your spirit amid stark volcanic landscapes and sub-tropical rain forest with an unforgettable hike through the backcountry.

No one knows exactly when humpback whales first began wintering in the warm, shallow waters around the Hawaiian Islands. Narrative reports from whalers document the appearance of these majestic giants in Hawaii in the 1840s, but little evidence substantiates an earlier presence. But arrive they did, and today the waters around the main Hawaiian Islands of Kauai, Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Lanai ...

Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge is one of the few natural wetlands remaining in the Hawaiian Islands. Located along the south central coast of the island of Maui between the towns of Kihei and Ma'alaea, this 691-acre wetland is home to the endangered Hawaiian coot (ae'o) and Hawaiian coot ('alae ke oke'o). The refuge is adjacent to Kealia Beach, which is a nesting ground for the endangered h...

Kakahaia Refuge is a coastal freshwater pond, originally used as an artificial fish pond. This 44-acre refuge is situated on the south coast of Moloka'i. Established in 1977, it provides habitat for the endangered 'alae ke'oke'o (Hawaiian coot) and small numbers of 'ae'o (Hawaiian stilt), migratory waterfowl, and shorebirds. Northern pintails are common in winter months; and the Pacific golden...

When Hansen's disease (leprosy) was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands, King Kamehameha V banished all afflicted to the isolated Kalaupapa peninsula on the north shore of Molokai. Since 1866, more than 8000 people, mostly Hawaiians, have died at Kalaupapa. Once a prison, Kalaupapa is now refuge for the few remaining residents who are now cured, but were forced to live their lives in isolation.

O'ahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge is located on the upper slopes of the misty northern Ko'olau Mountains, and protects some of the last remaining intact native forests on O'ahu. Many of the native plants and animals that once thrived in these forests are either extinct or on the brink of extinction. Management intervention is needed to stabilize native ecosystems and prevent more speci...

James Campbell Refuge consists of over 160 acres of wetland habitat in two separate wetland units near the community of Kahuku on the northeastern shore of Oahu, Hawaii. This wetland refuge is primarily devoted to the recovery of Hawaii's four endemic water birds (Hawaiian stilt, Hawaiian moorhen, Hawaiian coot, and Hawaiian duck). All four birds are listed as endangered species due to their preci...

The Honolulu Engineer District Pacific Regional Visitor Center (PRVC) is located atop historic Battery Randolph at Fort DeRussy, Waikiki, Hawaii. The Pacific Regional Visitor Center is presently undergoing a renovation, but has on display an interim exhibit that describes the Corps of Engineers' mission in the Pacific. The PRVC is presently open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to...

World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument preserves and interprets the stories of the Pacific War, including the events at Pearl Harbor, the internment of Japanese Americans, the battles in the Aleutians, and the occupation of Japan.

The West Loch and Middle Loch of Pearl Harbor are sites of small urban refuge units. This wetland refuge is primarily devoted to the recovery of Hawaii's four endemic waterbirds (Hawaiian stilt, Hawaiian moorhen, Hawaiian coot, and Hawaiian duck). All four birds are listed as endangered species due to their precipitous decline in the 20th century. The 36-acre refuge unit at West Loch, kno...

Encircled by waterfall-draped mountains, the picturesque Hanalei Valley on Kauai's north shore, harbors the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge. Hawaii's first National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1972, it provides essential habitat for endangered Hawaiian water birds, including the koloa maoli (Hawaiian duck), 'alae ke'oke'o (Hawaiian coot), 'alae 'ula (Hawaiian moorhen), and ae'o (Hawaiian stil...

Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge's rocky cliffs provide premier nesting and roosting habitat for seven native Hawaiian seabirds. It is one of the most important seabird nesting sites in the inhabited Hawaiian Islands. Reintroduction of the endangered nene (Hawaiian goose) began on the refuge in 1991 as part of a statewide recovery program. Predator control and a predator proof fence line...

Encircled by waterfall-draped mountains, the picturesque Hanalei Valley on Kauai's north shore, harbors the Hanalei Refuge. Established in 1972, it provides essential habitat for endangered Hawaiian water birds, including the koloa maoli (Hawaiian duck), 'alae ke'oke'o (Hawaiian coot), 'alae 'ula (Hawaiian moorhen), and ae'o (Hawaiian stilt).