Hiking the Papakōlea Green Sand Beach Trail on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi
Distance (Roundtrip): 5.6 miles / 9.0 km
Papakōlea, or more commonly known as the Green Sand Beach, is one of only four green sand beaches in the entire world!
How to Get to the Green Sand Beach on Hawaiʻi Island?
To visit the Green Sand Beach, you have the option to either drive your 4WD car, take a 4WD shuttle with one of the locals, or hike to Papakōlea, which is what this post is all about.
Know that while 4WD cars can make it out to Papakōlea, I highly advise against driving a rental car out to the Green Sand Beach. The 4WD road out to Green Sands is not nearly as straightforward as simply driving up Mauna Kea, which you’ll clearly be able to see from the photos in this post.
This is because there are a number different paths to drive, and only the locals that provide the shuttles know the best route to take without getting stuck. Deep sandy/ muddy eroded roads are a real issue on the coast north of South Point.
Papakōlea Green Sand Beach Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Papakōlea Green Sand Beach Trail is located at the very end of South Point Road, where the trail/ 4WD road begins.
The Green Sand Beach parking lot should not be confused with South Point itself, which is located down the turn just prior to where South Point Road ends at the Green Sand Beach Trailhead.
Google Maps Directions: Papakōlea Green Sand Beach Trailhead
My Hawaiʻi Hiking Checklist
Hiking to Papakōlea Green Sand Beach
Overall, the hike to Green Sands is fairly easy and fairly straightforward.
Know that after the parking lot/ trailhead area, there is no shade on the entire Papakōlea Trail. However, what’s perhaps even more significant is the wind.
I have hiked to Papakōlea Green Sands many times, and not once has the wind been calm. Papakōlea is a dry, dusty trail, which is why sunglasses and a thin sun shirt with a hood, like the one below, will be your best friend.
Initially, the Papakōlea Trail heads directly down to the Kaulana Boat Ramp before turning north up the coast toward the Green Sand Beach.
Kaulana Boat Ramp
Once you reach the Kaulana Boat Ramp, turn left (north) to continue hiking toward Papakōlea Green Sand Beach.
From here, the Papakōlea Trail simply follows the coastline north until you reach the Green Sand Beach.
While the trails along the coast tend to split often, it’s generally easiest and fastest to walk along the coast as much as possible.
Areas like this are exactly why I advise against driving a rental car out to the Green Sand Beach.
There are simply too many different trails to know if you’re choosing the best one, especially if it has recently rained.
While I don’t advise taking a rental car, if you bring cash to the trailhead, at least $20-30 per person, you can have the locals shuttle you out to the Green Sand Beach.
When the cliff/ high point in the photo below starts to become more visible, you’re getting close to Papakōlea Green Sands, which is located just below.
Papakōlea Green Sand Beach
Whether you take the shuttle or decide to hike out to Papakōlea, this last descent is always the same.
For some, this final descent proves to be more tricky than it looks, as there is typically only makeshift steps and/ or a ladder down the initial cliff.
Past the ladders, the rest of the hike down to the beach involves navigating down a typically very sandy and sometimes slippery set of rock ledges.
Mahana (Green Sand Beach)
Personally, I don’t think these photos do a good job at showing just how green Papakōlea (Mahana Beach) really is.
The green sands of Papakōlea are truly a must-see, which is why I believe that Papakōlea Green Sand Beach is easily one of the best things to do on the Big Island!
Native Plants on the Papakōlea Trail
There aren’t a ton of native plants to find on the Papakōlea Green Sand Beach Trail, but if you keep your eye out for low-growing coast plants, you’ll likely spot a few natives on the hike.
Some of these native plants on the trail include Milo, Nehe, ʻIlima, ʻĀkulikuli, ʻUhaloa, and Alena, to name a few.
If you would like to learn more about identifying these and tons of other native Hawaiian plants from around Hawaiʻi, I encourage you to learn more in my separate post.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
