Kiholo Bay - Queens Bath Hike, Big Island, HI

Kiholo Bay is an off the beaten path hike that will take you to the beautiful turquoise water, tide pools, black sand beach, and basking Green Sea Turtles. This area is also full of history and Hawaiian heritage. There are two different routes to the bay. The main one starts at the Kiholo Bay State Park Reserve trailhead. The alternate one starts near mile mark 81, on the side of Highway 18. In this blog, we mainly focus on the main route there.

Note: There are signs at the main entrance to the Kiholo State Park Preserve and just before the entrance to the day-use parking area that state that entry into caves and lava tubes is prohibited by Hawaii State Law HSC 6D with penalties for violation of this law include a fine of not less than $1000. Please respect the area.

STATS:

Where:
Main Route (A): Kiholo State Park Reserve
Coordinates: 19°51’04.1″N 155°55’54.6″W

Alternate Route (B): Trailhead starts near mile marker 81 on Highway 19.
Coordinates: 19°51’05.1″N 155°54’49.5″W

Parking:
Official parking (main route – A):
This is a small dirt parking lot right before the trailhead.
Coordinates: 19°51’04.1″N 155°55’54.6″W

Parking for the alternate route – (B):
This is on the side of the main highway, Highway 19
Coordinates: 19°51’07″N 155°54’47″W

Hours:
April 1st to Labor Day: 7 am – 7 pm
Labor Day to March 31st: 7 am – 6 pm
Gates are locked nightly. When entrance gates are locked for the night, vehicles will not be able to enter or leave the park.

Restrooms:
There are porta-potties located in the parking lot at the Main Route only.

Distance: 2.8 miles R.T from the main route.

Elevation: about 30 feet

Level: Easy

Estimated Completion Time:
45 minutes – however long you want to spend there.

Ideal Weather:
Cooler weather is preferable but this hike is good at any time.

Ideal Time:
Morning since it will be cooler and you’ll have more time to spend there. If you want to go in the evening, Route B will be best since the Route A gate closes at sunset.

Dog-friendly: No

THE ADVENTURE:

About 5 years ago, we first discovered Kiholo Bay by driving past the trailhead and seeing parked cars on the side of the road. Little did we know, we would be finding ourselves at a beautiful black sand shoreline, complete with goats, sea turtles, and the perfect snorkeling area. At that time, we took Route B, the one right off Highway 19, on the ocean side. It wound its way across lava fields, dirt trails, and residential areas before dropping you almost right next to the Wainanalii Pond. However, you’ll miss Queens Bath if you go this way. The main route for the Kiholo Bay hike, Route A, takes you right onto the beach. It is where you’ll spend all your time along the coastline. Route A is definitely way more scenic.

The parking for the main route is located off a dirt road right around mile marker 82. If you’re coming from Kona, the dirt road is about 0.25 miles before the scenic overlook. You can also use the coordinates above. This dirt road is about a mile of gravel, occasional washboard, and bumps. High clearance vehicles are recommended. However, you should be able to get there in a normal car, just take it easy. The road is straightforward. Just make sure to stay on the main road. All the side roads and gates all lead to private properties. As always, please be respectful to the locals and their properties.

The trailhead for the Kiholo Bay hike starts at the back corner of the traffic circle. You don’t have to worry about getting lost since it is only about 175 ft before you can see the ocean. As you reach the water, you are going to make a right and head towards the small tree tunnel. If you go on a hot day, this is one of the few shady spots you can take advantage of. This hike is not long or difficult, but you will be walking in a mixture of sand, volcanic rocks, and pebbles. This combination is not the easiest to walk on. Hike shoes are definitely recommended.

After a short hike, the sand will turn into small round pebbles. You might want to put your shoes back on because walking barefoot on the rocks hurt. You will also walk past some of the most epic houses that we have ever seen. There was one that looked like some kind of temple that was straight out of a movie. It definitely made me want to start playing the lottery a little more often. Again, these are private properties so make sure you stay out of them.

After you pass all of the mansions, you will come upon our favorite piece of driftwood in the whole world. The bleached white massive piece of driftwood is a stark contrast against the black sand and the turquoise water. We couldn’t help but to stop and take a few pictures with it.

After you pass the log, you’ll get your first view of the teal waters and black rocks of Kiholo Bay. Keep your eyes peeled, you might see the Honu (Green Sea Turtle) at any point. The honu loves to visit this bay to eat in the shallow tidepools. If you see one, please keep your distance. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it is actually against the law to get close to them.

After making the right turn, just follow the palm tree-covered bay around. You should find yourself at a tiny man-made stream with one of the smallest bridges that we have ever seen. If you look right at this point, you will see a beautiful tropical lake. There were a few people with their zoom lenses taking photos of the turtles, basking on the side of the lake. This lake is private property so stay out of it.

If you are hoping to swim or snorkel, the turquoise bay is on the other side of the tiny bridge. The trail is slightly hidden at the end of the beach, under the lush tropical trees and vegetation. At this point, the trail changes drastically from a tropical paradise to an immersive magma-filled valley. This is the part where you can see goats, scattered amongst the jagged black rocks. They were adorable and quite curious. The trail is kind of tricky at this point. There is a bit of scrambling over lava rocks. The trail through lava rock is actually split into two trails, one toward the ocean, the other one through the lava field. For some reason, we didn’t see the split on the way. If you missed it, just scramble the rocks toward the ocean. Here are the coordinates for our swimming spot: 19°51’25.2″N 155°55’13.7″W.

The area here is known as the Blue Lagoon. It is because the water here is brilliant turquoise as a result of the mix of freshwater and seawater. Because of this, the water here at the lagoon is murkier than the open water. This place is perfect for swimming or snorkeling. The turtles are usually sunning themselves on the island. If you swim here, you’ll experience some thermal vents. As we dove down about 6 ft, the water changed from cold water to almost too hot. It was pretty crazy.

Once you’re done hanging out with the turtles, you can head back the way you came from. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time for the hike back. The gate closes at either 6 pm or 7 pm depending on when you’re going. Your car could be locked in. We cut it pretty close on our last trip and we had to run to our car. It was definitely not fun running on lava rocks.

Kiholo Bay hike is something that we definitely recommend. It is such an easy but beautiful hike. The beautiful teal water and the green sea turtles definitely are icing on the cake. Another cool spot to check out for turtles and snorkeling is Two Step. Don’t forget to check out our top 10 things to do on the Big Island. If you’re spending sometimes over on Hilo, do yourself a favor and visit Kaumana Caves if you want to see some tropical lava caves.

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

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