Honokohau Beach

Honokohau Beach is a long salt-and-pepper Kona Coast beach in Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, with reef-sheltered water and cultural sites nearby.

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Honokohau Beach

Honokohau Beach, Big Island

Honokohau Beach, located on the Big Island’s west shore, is a long salt-and-pepper sand beach, with fragments of ground-up seashells, coral and lava rock. There’s a low lava shelf at the water’s edge that lines most of the shore. The nearshore ocean bottom is shallow and rocky, and an offshore fringing reef shelters the beach from strong surf and currents. This is a good place for snorkeling.

A little inland near the northern end of the beach, there is a trail that leads across a lava field to a brackish-water pool, known as Queen’s Bath. It’s a spring-fed lava pool that some people use to rinse off after a swim in the ocean. To get here from the northern end of Honokohau Beach, walk approximately 600 feet (180 m) north until you reach a rock wall. From here, walk toward the mountains (toward the rock mounds) until you reach the pool, which is located right behind the rock mounds.

Honokohau is one of the many beaches that form Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. This 1,160-acre (4.7 sq. km) park has important archaeological sites and artifacts, including ancient petroglyphs (rock carvings), temples, burial sites, trails, house platforms and three fishponds – Aiopio, Aimakapa and Kaloko. Together, these features show that this area once supported a Hawaiian settlement of several hundred people.

Key Features

Long salt-and-pepper beach north of Kailua-Kona
Part of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park
Sand includes ground coral, shells and lava fragments
Low lava shelf lines much of the shoreline
Shallow rocky bottom makes footing uneven near the water
Offshore reef can help shelter the beach in settled conditions
Queen's Bath is a spring-fed brackish lava pool north of the beach
Nearby park features include petroglyphs, fishponds, trails and house platforms
Harbor-side parking is commonly used before walking to the beach
Visitors should stay on established routes and avoid disturbing cultural features

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much time should visitors allow?

Many visitors allow 1 to 2 hours, depending on the shoreline walk, ocean conditions, photos and whether they continue toward Queen's Bath or nearby park sites.

What is the beach surface like?

The shoreline has salt-and-pepper sand made from coral, shells and lava fragments, with a low lava shelf along much of the water's edge.

What makes the water tricky nearshore?

The nearshore bottom is shallow and rocky, so footing can be awkward even when the water looks calm from the beach.

How do visitors reach Queen's Bath?

From the northern end of Honokohau Beach, walk north toward the rock wall, then head mauka toward the rock mounds to find the spring-fed lava pool.

How should visitors treat the park setting?

Stay on established routes, avoid walking on archaeological features, leave rocks in place and treat the fishponds, trails and cultural sites with respect.