Distance: 3.4 miles round trip on paved and dirt roads
Summit Elevation: 914' (at trailhead)
Elevation Gain: 998'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.8
Round trip time: 1 hours 50 minutes
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Waipi'o Valley Lookout
Difficulty: Easy
Waipi'o Valley is a secluded area on the north shore of the Big Island, HI. The valley shore has a black sand beach and the valley itself is rumored to harbor wild horses. Most tourists take the 100' walkway to the lookout, then move on. A steep paved road drops into the valley where dirt roads take over. Tours are available (fully booked when we checked) or you can drive in with a rented 4x4 (which we did not have). After viewing the lookout, we decided to hike down to the black sand beach.
The paved road has a grade of 25 degrees. It drops almost 1000' in less than a mile, ending at the fork of two dirt roads. The road to the right cuts back sharply under the cliff and was not visible from above. Along this road is a burial memorial that we avoided out of respect. The road ends at a campground next to the black sand beach. There were two vehicles in the area, but we had the beach to ourselves. The decomposed lava rock sand was like charcoal dust, darker than it appears in photos. There were warning signs about the undertow so we just enjoyed ankle deep nearshore water.
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