Onekahakaha Beach Park is a large park along the strip of beach park and tide pool areas northeast of Hilo. Of the parks, this one may be the most popular for families with children owing to the large sand bottomed swimming area protected from the waves by a wall of boulders.
The beach park has quite a few shaded, as well as uncovered, picnic areas, including rental pavilions for larger groups. Throughout the park are showers, horseshoe pits, grassy lawn areas beneath large shade trees, drinking water, and flush bathrooms. The spacious parking lot and cement paths make this one of the most accessible beach parks in the area as well.
Views of the Hilo coastline and the slope of Mauna Kea are prevalent from the Onekahakaha. The main draw here are the large swimming areas. With stone walkways and steps descending into the pools, Onekahakaha has two seawater swimming areas under the watch of lifeguards. The easternmost pool is large enough to handle the crowds that visit the park on sunny days, with a sandy bottom and a wall of cement and boulders keeping the rougher surf outside and calming that water that does flow into the swimming area. Visitors should be warned that at higher and rougher tides, the water will breach the wall, however for the most part this pool stays calm.
A second pool to the west does not have a wall separating it from the ocean tides, and therefore is subject to rougher waters, as well as having a large sea urchin population on its floor, so this one is not as ideal for swimming in.
This section of coast is very rocky, providing visitors with a lot of lava tide pool area to walk out on and explore. The park continues to the west, though with no developments, for visitors who want to have a tide pool lounging experience without the crowds.
Onekahakaha is open from 7am until sunset.
Comments
Sign In and share them.