Camping near Pu'u O Umi Natural Area Reserve, HI

Apparently this place is prone to high winds which we did not see in any review. Get here early to put your tent in a protected spot if you can find it.

Jake from the Dyrt here! The Uka Hawaiin Native camp is new to the Dyrt and we are happy to have them and the authentic hawaiin experience they provide to campers.  Check them out and leave a review about your stay on the Dyrt!

We were disappointed as the campground didn't actually come through with a couple of things promised. One is that yoga classes are NOT available for campers. Another is that you have to provide your own toilet paper plus take your trash off site: very tricky when you're a visitor from off Island. The sites for tents were well built, but on the small side, so we had to go into Mcgiver mode to make our 2 man backpacking tent secure. It's windy so that's a critical feature for this location. I think if they added tie on bars on the side of the platforms that would probably fix the issue. It's a beautiful & secluded site, but I'm not sure how much experience the host has with actual real camping.

This is a lovely piece of property on the north side of the Big Island. The land owner runs a small yoga retreat center and offers this small camping area as an alternative lodging.  She is very sweet.  Overall, the camping area is a good start, but needs a bit of improvement to make it workable for more than 2 people.

The approach to the camping area is through the retreat property and can be a bit slippery during the rainy season, so be careful with those rental cars, but ours made it up with a bit of luck. The campsites are down a short but steep walk from the ridgeline. There are 6 tent platforms which keep you level and off the ground, nice during any part of the year. We also saw a camper van parked up top, so that is an option if you are camping in a vehicle. 

There is a very small kitchen area with running water and a biogas stove.  It's big enough for 1 person at a time to cook, not at all a group kitchen.  The biogas comes from the toilet digesting tank and is a pretty cool idea. When we were there the tank wasn’t producing enough so they also had some small propane canisters and a burner for our cooking. The toilet and shower were functioning, but were pretty basic with very cold water and an exposed roof. Don’t expect luxury here…as we said, it’s a good start. 

The nearby town of Hawi, which is the turn around for the bike leg of the Ironman Triathlon, offers grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants and some amazing hiking areas along the north coast. It is a stunning area with lots of things to do. Since we were busy each day, we didn’t mind that our lodging was a little rough– all we needed was a flat place to pitch our tent and lay down for the night.

It’s super peaceful with very few people, but they don’t currently have the facilities open. Make sure you bring snorkel gear as well. great place for snorkeling and in the “winter” months, there’s a chance you will see whales.

This is such a serene park, lots of parking, trails to hike up to the heiau, beautiful open ocean to swim in, basketball court, bathrooms, a pavilion with outlets. Park manager comes through in the morning and night. Kids really enjoyed this location and we had no issues staying.

Awesome hiking/running trails, many native plant species difficult to find elsewhere. Pavilions and cabins for rent. check the county website for availability.

This place is amazing. You wake up right on the beach and get to watch surfers in the morning. I would recommend booking a spot well in advance. Very clean facilities is a huge plus. The one negative is gates close at 9pm.

it’s nice during the summer cause it’s not too hot and there are may “pools” around you that you might be able to swim in. If you look up 7 sacred pools you might be able to find them. I wouldn’t recommend going on a holiday because there might not be spots left. and once you’ve gone many times you will know what spot is best for you.

My husband and I really enjoyed coming to the Mahukona Beach Park. Although the waters here are a little rough, we found a great spot that the water was pretty calm and we were able to do some snorkeling and body boarding. We got some great shots of underwater life. This beach park has quite a few picnic tables around, so we were able to snag one and have a picnic. We packed some lunch, ate and people watched. The weather was great, a little humid, but not too bad. The park itself was clean, and the time we went it wasnt busy. We always go to Hawaii in December, and some parts of the Island are super busy but others are not. I could see this park being super busy during the summer. There is a boardwalk along the beach, we saw people running, walking, and skateboarding along this pathway. My husband and I walked this pathway during the evening and found a good snow cone stand. Not sure how this park is for camping? We did see some homeless people along the beach who looked like they were camping. I think I would be a little nervous to camp here, but thats just my opinion. Definitely recommend coming for the day and relaxing, though.

The Kalopa State Rec Area park/beach is one of my favorites. It has such a jungle feel to it is why I think I really love it. It is located in Honokaa. There are so many beautiful plants and trees, and the people who work there say that they are pretty rare plants. The hibiscus plants are amazing, and they are everywhere. Loved seeing these flowers everywhere that I walked. The weather was okay when we went. It rained quite a bit, it was damp and pretty cloudy. One thing we enjoyed doing was hikes nearby. You can do the Kalopa Nature Trail. It is super easy, and only about 1 mile long. The loop takes you through all the gorgeous greenery and pretty trees. You can stay in little cabins in the campground, which were about $90 per night. A lot cheaper than staying in a hotel. You can also camp, which we didnt do but I saw that it costs around $20 a night to do this, even cheaper! The cabins were pretty small. There was 4 of us staying in here, and it felt a little tight. We made it work, though! Restaurants are nearby, maybe a 10 minute drive. Some great yummy places to eat. There is also a grocery store around there too. We went here and grabbed a few groceries to have for snacks, breakfast and dinners. We also went down to the beach that isnt far away. Drove about 15 minutes to reach the beach. Loved swimming and body boarding.

If I could pronounce this park, that would be great :) The name is pretty cool, and sounds awesome when a local says it. This park was really cool, had a lot of great amenities. The location of the beach park was good too. Right next to the town, easy to get on the road to get something to eat or shop. We took the morning and did a quick hike, some shopping and had lunch nearby. We then picked our spot on the beach and laid by the water the rest of the day. We had fun body boarding in the water, and people watching. The beach was pretty busy, but luckily we found out spot early enough to have enough room between us and the next family beside us. There was a really good snow cone place right up the beach- i think we got a few each that day. The weather was great, definitely bring plenty of water and snacks and sun screen. Even in December, it was still high 80's. Beautiful day! The water was great, a little ruff but we didnt get in very deep. There is restrooms up at the top of the beach area, and they have water hoses to use for your sandy feet. Picnic tables in the grass area as well. Those seemed to be taken pretty early, so if you want a picnic table I would highly recommend getting there early and reserving your spot. It was pretty loud on the beach- people playing music and playing games. My family didnt mind this, but if you want something a little more relaxing and quite, I wouldnt recommend this beach for you. Lots of people and lots of music being played.

My husband and I really enjoy this beach. We stayed the entire day here, and loved how close it was to restaurants and shopping places. It is located in a great spot. We got up early in the morning and did a hike nearby, then pretty much just sat our bums in the sand and water the rest of the day. We ate at a really good restaurant within walking distance of Spencer Beach Park. The park itself is really nice. There was a walking path just up from the beach that we saw a ton of people walking on, roller blading on and running. If had more time here I would have loved to walk this path to see how far it went. There were people on the grass area in the evening doing a yoga lesson which i thought was really cool. There are also good palm trees that some people put their hammocks on and relaxed in those. Wish I would have brought mine to do this! The beach was clean, they had garbage cans along the whole beach and seemed like people ere actually using them which was great! The water is beautiful and nice. We liked that the part of the beach that we were in the water was pretty calm. No life guards on duty at this one, or at least where we were. Highly recommend this beach park!