The Best of the Big Island, Hawaii

The Trip

Get ready for a lovely, lively week exploring the diversity of the Big Island. We will snorkel at Carlsmith Beach Park, where the water is warm, clear, and filled with tropical fish.  

Hilo town is widely known for its farmers’ markets, where we will find the best of the island’s fresh fruits, veggies, and fish. Hilo is also the home of the University of Hawaii. We will identify plants while touring the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.

Photography opportunities are plentiful, especially when we visit the numerous waterfalls on the Hamakua Coast. While there is plenty to explore, we will also find time to simply relax.

We will spend the week at a grand Victorian house located within walking distance of historic Hilo on Reeds Island, a hidden treasure of the Hawaii Big Island. In the early 1900s, royal families occupied this prestigious island, which is covered by a tropical rain forest and adjacent to the Wailuku River. Surrounded by natural beauty, this gorgeous house is on the National Registry for Historic Places.

Day 1: Please arrive at the Hilo International Airport by early afternoon on the first day of the trip. You will be driven to the guest house in Hilo, Hawaii, where you can relax and recover from traveling. The first meal served at the guest house is dinner. After dinner, we will have a short orientation meeting. 

Day 2: We will spend the morning giving back to a local community organization with a few hours of service. This will vary based on needs and availability, but could include planting native trees or other light work. After our volunteer work, we’ll have lunch then continue to explore Hilo, a charming mix of old and new Hawaii. To help us better understand Hilo, we will visit the Lyman Museum/Missionary House as well as the Pacific Tsunami Museum. Nearby Hilo is Rainbow Falls, a lovely place for photography and a visit today as well.

Day 3: We will pack a sack lunch and explore the beaches and tidepools around Hilo. If we are lucky, we will see a honu (green sea turtle) swimming in the shallows chewing on limu (seaweed). After the beach, we will return home to wash off the salt and get ready for a ride up to the Saddle Road. If the weather is cooperating, we will look for birds along the Pu’u O’o Trail (6,758 feet elevation).

Day 4: Depending on conditions of volcanic activity in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the District of Puna, we will explore any trails or areas that are open inside the Park or near the town of Volcano.

Day 5: Today we will drive up the Hamakua Coast, stopping at numerous waterfalls. Our first stop will be at the Hawai'i Tropical Botanical Garden where we will wander through the gardens to see as many as 2,500 exotic types of marked tropical flora. Birds abound in this exceptional rain forest habitat, so binoculars are a good idea. We will visit the 420-foot 'Akaka Falls, Laupahoehoe Point, and the town of Honoka'a. Beyond Honoka'a, the road ends at the Waipi'o Valley Overlook. Here we see the lush tropical forests and the breathtaking views of the Waipi'o Valley, known as “The Valley of the Kings." Rich in cultural and historic significance, the valley was once populated by thousands of Native Hawaiians. 

Day 6: Our goal today is to get into the sky that surrounds Hawai'i. We will start at the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo. Later we will drive up Mauna Kea mountain to the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Center (Ellison Onizuka was a native of Kona and a crew member on the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986). We will want to bring warm clothes for the 9,200-foot elevation on Mauna Kea as it can be cool up there. Once we acclimate to the elevation, we can take a short trail to Sunset Hill.

Day 7: Sadly, it is our last full day together. To continue making those Hawaiian-warm memories, we plan to spend this last day at nearby beaches swimming, snorkeling, and relaxing. After today’s Big Island adventure, we will celebrate our time together with at a special dinner at a local restaurant in Hilo.

Day 8: After breakfast, we will check out of our accommodations, and everyone will be transported to the Hilo Airport.

Getting There

The trip begins on Saturday on the Big Island of Hawaii (fly into Hilo International Airport). Each participant must make arrangements to arrive in Hilo sometime during the day. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

We will be staying at a guest house located in Hilo, Hawaii.

All meals, beginning with the orientation dinner on Friday and ending with breakfast on the following Friday, are included in the trip price. As on most Sierra Club trips, all members help with cooking and clean-up, meaning that each person assists for a day or two. Vegetarians and various dietary restrictions can be accommodated.

Trip Difficulty

Since we will be staying at a guest house, relatively little will have to be carried on our daily adventures.  Participants will need to carry less than 15 pounds in a small day pack that includes lunch, water, cameras, and extra clothing. The most strenuous activity is hiking at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. On each hike, there will be a leader and a co-leader for “sweep” so no one will be lost. We will carry a first aid kit and two cell phones.

Equipment and Clothing

Trip participants are expected to furnish their own personal gear (mask, fins and snorkels either owned or rented). A first aid kit is provided by the Sierra Club.

The leader will provide a more complete equipment list to registered trip participants, the following minimum equipment is required:

General gear: Day pack, toothbrush, lunch container, sunglasses, sunscreen, lip salve, personal first-aid kit, prescriptions.

Clothes: Bathing suits, bathing suit cover-ups, socks (at least three pairs), night gown, long-sleeved lightweight (30 SPF) shirt, pants (zip off are best), sun hat and wool hat (for elevation on Mauna Kea), heavyweight synthetic shirt, down coat, comfortable evening shoes. NO COTTON. When cotton becomes wet, it takes a long time to dry and becomes useless to wear. Wool and synthetics retain their heating power even when wet.

Boots: Sturdy, firm hiking boots, well broken in. Hiking poles are a good idea if you are used to them.

Rain gear: Rain/wind jacket with hood and wind/rain pants. No ponchos. Be sure to reseal all seams before the trip and test all rain gear in the shower. It can be quite rainy anywhere on the Big Island of Hawai'i. 

Evening shoes: Crocs, Tevas, tennis shoes, or equivalent footwear.

Reading material and games: These are handy in case we have to spend a day or two inside our guest house waiting for bad weather to pass.

Optional: Binoculars (good quality), waterproof camera, and phone camera.

References

• https://sierraclubhawaii.org/
• https://content.sierraclub.org/grassrootsnetwork/teams/sierra-club-hawaii
• http://content.sierraclub.org/outings/critical-bird-habitat-restoration-mauna-kea-big-island-hawaii

Conservation

The real purpose of Sierra Club outings, which began in 1901, is to follow John Muir’s example of bringing more people into the fold of protecting the earth’s ecology. Muir wrote, “if people could be got into the woods, even for once, to hear the trees speak for themselves, all difficulties in the way of forest preservation would vanish.”

On several evenings, we will discuss Sierra Club history, public lands background, the challenges they face, and what the Sierra Club is doing to protect them. “How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! To behold this alone is worth the pains of any excursion a thousand times over.” — John Muir

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.