The Akaka Falls State Park on the Big Island’s northeastern Hamakua Coast is home to two of the island’s most popular waterfalls – Akaka Falls and Kahuna Falls. A beautiful 0.4-mile loop trail leads through the park, through a lush rainforest filled with bamboo groves, tropical flowers and ferns to the two waterfalls.

First up on this short hike will be the 100-foot Kahuna Falls, which will already make you curious to see the much larger, 442-foot Akaka Falls around the corner, which plummets from a cliff down into a pool of water below. You won’t be able to reach the top of the waterfall or the bottom pool area. But it’s nice enough to view it from a distance and the pictures that you can take of it will look gorgeous.

Akaka Falls is a popular attraction probably because it’s easy to reach and because the hike is easy, shady and takes less than an hour (it’s a half-mile circular paved path). The state park is located just a 20-minute drive (17.6 miles) north of Hilo.