Best Tent Camping near Hilo, HI
Are you in need of a campground near Hilo, HI? Enjoy the scenic camping, fun activities, and sights and sounds of Hilo. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Hilo and user-submitted reviews.
Are you in need of a campground near Hilo, HI? Enjoy the scenic camping, fun activities, and sights and sounds of Hilo. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Hilo and user-submitted reviews.
$49 - $69 / night
Looking back on our three weeks touring the four main islands of Hawaii, our stay at Wild Blue Water Ranch was by far the best value for money
VNP sits between Kailua-Kona and Hilo and if you do the drive from Kona, you will have a nice drive through the mountains and travel through
$25 - $250 / night
$20 / night
My family and I visit Hawaii every other Christmas.
I had always wanted to come up and camp here because the nights are cool and the tent site is in the woods.
I live on the island, but down at sea level. I had always wanted to come up and camp here because the nights are cool and the tent site is in the woods. Some times we need to escape the heat. :) It is a small location that needs to be reserved in advance. The cost is different for residents and visitors. We stayed at the tent sites, but have heard good things about the cabins. There are three tent sites, with a men and women bathroom and large shared pavilion. I liked how the sites have raised and covered places you can pitch your tent under in case it rains. Make sure you bring a mattress of some sort as the shelter floor is concrete. Also bring mosquito spray they like this campsite as well.
We met the others camping that night and had great conversation under the shared pavilion. There are also a couple really lovely hiking trails to explore during the day!
This camping site is great! It’s 10 miles inside the volcanos national park. At the end of the drive there is parking for about 4 vehicles and a very clean and nice structure housing a pit toilet with paper. No running water, no fires allowed. Camping stoves ok. There are I believe 10-12 sites some right off the lot some farther out ours was up over a hill so you could not see any other sites or the lot from our location. There was a picnic table in each site. You pay at the gate (we got the year pass) and then $10 a night you put it in the bash box on site and put the receipt at your site if you happen to love for the day. We both tent camped and put up hammocks. You are in the shadow of Laura loa volcano and when we went you could see the glow of the main crater from our site however with the recent activity I am pretty sure the level may be too low now.
We hikes for a half hour towards the crater glow in the night to get to a ridge to look out over the valley. The moon was bright enough you didn’t need flashlights. It’s very windy at night and the temp drops. I had a sleep mat in my hammock and slept in sweats with a blanket and Summer sleeping bag. Our hammocks were swaying in the wind all night.
One of the best sites was the moon setting behind Mauna Loa just before sunrise and then watchingbehr sure from purple to pink to red as the sun came up from behind us and cast colors on her. A few miles farther on the drive you will reach a dead end with a pavilion and an incredible view of the Pacific.
Its close enough to hilo we left our site for the day and went to the hilo parks to swim than did all of the volcano park activities in the early evening.
A friend came to visit from off island and I had to take her to see Volcano National Park. We tent camped one night at this campground. It has toilets and a large pavilion, that we utilized to cook and eat under due to early morning rain. The night we stayed was verily quiet with not many other campers. I paid in the onsite dropbox with a check, but I am sure there is a way to probably pay online. Unfortunately there are no shower facilities.
The all time highlight is that when it got dark we made the 15-20 minute hike up to the Jagger Museum overlook/observatory to see the glowing lava in the crater.
The campground is technically outside of the national park and if you hike in there is no park fee.
Decided to check out the road south of Pahoa and happened to find this park/campground. I bought the permit online with my iPhone and we picked a tent site. The camping area has little to no trees, so enjoy the sun. It is directly across the street from the ocean where there are many people enjoying the waves and fishing. It's not a beach and not really a good place to swim. There was a nice playground close by and water for kids to play around in.
The bathhouse was pretty clean, but I found the general area to be loud with noise of other campers being so close. It kind of had a party campground feel, if you like that sort of thing. I normally enjoy quieter environments. However, the sunset and the sound of the waves couldn't be beat.
There was no fire pits, but there were grills and picnic tables.
We stayed here Thanksgiving night prior to spending a day in Volcanoes national park. Given the holiday, everything was closed in town so make sure you bring some food and supplies. It was also pretty quiet and felt very safe.
In the middle of the night we woke up to RAIN! And if anyone knows rain in Hawaii is HARD - so make sure you are prepared if you decide to camp in Hawaii.
This is a great way to be close to the volcano park to get an early start.
There is a paystation on site and restrooms, firepits and picnic tables.
If getting away from the crowds is on your list at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, then this primitive camping area is one of the places to do it. This lovely primitive camping area has 9 designated sites, 1 pit toilet that was kept clean and well-stocked, and an ADA accessible paved path that accesses many of the camping sites. The sites are a short walk from the parking area so you have to carry your gear to the site. There is no water available at the campground so be prepared. Water is available at the visitor’s center up the hill about 7 miles away.
The campground offers expansive views of Mauna Loa and the surrounding area including some pretty cool night-time glow of the eruption in Kilauea crater. One of the great benefits of camping in the park is the proximity to many hiking trails, but also to some of the better night time viewing. The popular Kilauea overlook is packed like a rock concert as soon as the sun goes down. Parking is a disaster, and the overlook is simply too crowded. If you can wait until around 9-10pm until you arrive you can have a much easier time finding parking at the trailhead and space along the overlook. Then it’s just a short drive back to your tent, and not an hour’s drive back to your hotel in Hilo. Just outside the park is Volcano Village with a small market and gasoline station for groceries and limited camping supplies. For something specialized like camping gas we had to drive to a hardware store outside of Hilo. The Volcano House Lodge near the park visitor’s center offers two restaurants with the same menu, one is more of a bar and grill, the other a sit down style.
Hiking is extensive in the park, and many trails will carry you far from the crowded center of the park, but be sure to be prepared with layers, water and snacks. Hiking across the lava flows offers no discernable trail except for the regularly spaced ahu stone piles(cairns) which are the only way to navigate. Should the weather turn or fog roll in, visibility can be greatly reduced. Cycling is also a great activity along the park roads, but be ready for a great deal of elevation change.
Note: This campsite is NOT free. It was $10 per night.
If you are like me, you want to see the black sand beaches when visiting Hawaii. This is one of the nicest, biggest parks of black sand. There are tide pools and swimming so it is a popular park for daytime beach going.
The campground is NOT in the sand - you are on a grassy area next to the beach so you can sleep to the sound of the crashing waves without the hassle of sand.
For a chance to camp among the unique lava landscape of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Kulanaokuaiki Campground is a great opportunity.
Although most people visit Hawaii for the luxury and relaxing beach setting, Hawai’i Volcanoes shows a very different side of the Big Island. Camping at Kulanaokuaiki allowed us to immerse ourselves into the park and access some of its greatest sights.
The most important thing to note about this campground is that there is no water here. They do offer pit toilets, but you’ll have to be prepared with food, water, and supplies. Also remember that this small campground (only 9 sites) is first-come, first-served only, so arriving early will be important in securing a site for the night. Although the campground used to be free, there is now a $10 fee per night (as of November 2016)
The campground itself is a very unique setting: you’ll walk among old lava flows to get to your site. The sites are spaced out nicely, offering great sunset views and quiet wake-ups.
Other highlights from our time in the park include: learning about the myths and legends surrounding the volcanoes, seeing the “glow” from the Jaggar Museum, attending intriguing ranger programs, watching the sunset from midway up Mauna Kea, and driving the Chain of Craters road to hike short trails and see the lava destruction path.
You can read much more about our two days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Hawai’i Volcanoes)
We stayed here for two nights and greatly enjoyed quiet and near solitude of the beach park. We arrived in the dark to several locals who call the park home. We were hesitant about the situation, but after chatting with some of them, we discovered that they were very friendly and down to earth. After waking up and exploring the park, we found some sea turtles on the beach and continued walking around the various trails. We felt very comfortable here and will gladly return when we come visit Hawaii again!
Tent camping near Hilo, Hawaii offers a unique blend of natural beauty and outdoor adventure, making it a perfect getaway for nature enthusiasts.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Hilo, HI is Wild Blue Water Ranch with a 5-star rating from 2 reviews.
TheDyrt.com has all 19 tent camping locations near Hilo, HI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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