Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Pu'u O Umi Natural Area Reserve, HI is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Pu'u O Umi Natural Area Reserve is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Hawaii camping adventure.
The Waimanu Campground is located at the end of the 7.6 mile Muliwai Trail. There are nine designated campsites accommodating up to 48 campers total with 2 composting outhouses available. Camping in Hawaii's Forest Reserves is usually in remote, mountainous locations providing a wilderness experience. Campsites are accessed by hiking and have few or no amenities. Check site details closely to ensure you are informed and have everything you need before heading out.
At-A-Glance Trail Info:
Measured from the trailhead, the Muliwai Trail is approximately 15.2 miles round-trip. Measured from the Waipiʻo Lookout, it is approximately 19 miles round-trip. The trail is minimally maintained, steep, eroded in places, rocky, and slippery when wet. There are four emergency helipads along the trail used for maintenance and fire and rescue teams only. There is also a shelter about half way into the hike. There are nine designated campsites accommodating up to 48 campers total. There are 2 composting outhouses.
Legend has it, Kohala (the first of the 6 volcanos on the Big Island of Hawaii) is home to King Kamehameha I & this was the stomping grounds of the Ali'i & the training grounds for their warriors. You can feel it when you walk into the forest & listen deeply & intuitively to the ancestors. It is truly an honor to be on this 'aina (land).
Modern history: Up until 1984 this property was all avocado, Kukui & Ironwood land with the Kohala ditch running on the far south end. It wasn't until my current neighbor & sweet friend & her father bought the property & cleared away 160 Ironwoods to create a property that could be farmed & lived on. Then another couple bought the property in early 2000 and built it out with farm houses and gardens. Once they moved back to the mainland, this was home to the local skydive family where the pilots and instructors were housed. Finally, in 2021, Cirque-Girl Sequoia came in with a huge vision of a conscious community, learning and teaching alongside one another by way of events, projects, concerts, talks and certifications all the while farming and creating even bigger orchards to feed not just her community, but the community of Hawi and beyond. At this time, not only is it "hip" to farm and grow your own food, but it is crucial.
Learn more about this land:
Everybody comes to Hawaii and thinks beaches, surf & jungles but why not try a different side of Hawaii? The Ironwood Forests of Hawi are here you’ll find ios (Hawaiian Hawks) and Pueos (Hawaiian owls only found on the Big Island) as the ancestor's whispers run through the massive forest of Ironwood, Kukui Nut and Avocado in an ancient river bed of sugar plantation country.
Deep in the heart of Hawaii’s only dormant volcano of Kohala, this was home to the most prestigious Ali’i (Hawaiian Royalty)and the training grounds of warriors. Here our farm sits on 10-acres with over 30 varieties of fruit trees a a view of the Big Blue (the ocean). We provide 3 platforms and 3 pine-needle-floor campsites to camp on, a center camp that has a kitchen, bathroom and shower plus a healing tent for you to meditate, do massage, practice Reiki, read or just plain have a beautiful discussion in. If you feel inclined to step out of the forest, you are welcome to use our communal eating area THE GROOVY GRINDS CAFE under the mango trees & we would love if you wanted to be a part of any of the events that we host here with our live-on conscious community. Things we do and can offer aerial, yoga and meditation classes, massage (ask hostess about booking a sesh), drum circles, inipi sweat lodges, bonfire nights, fire-dancing, community potluck dinners, mini-concerts, painting, planting & building projects and whatever we get called to do. ….and what's camping without a bonfire? We have two bonfire pits lower on the property that you can join in on if our community already has one going. (NO bonfires in the gulch please.)
One of our biggest bragging rights is that we are utilizing the Homebiogas unit which turns your toilet waste and food compost into methane gas for cooking. Also ZERO WASTE since we offer a bidet hose at the toilet for washing oneself (no toilet paper needed, or bring your own) and the gray water from the shower and kitchen sink go into a plot of banana trees. So our bathroom, shower and cooking facility is completely self-sufficient! Please pack out what you pack in and you may distribute your trash at our garbage facility down below by to the main buildings.
PLEASE DO NOT ARRIVE AFTER DARK AND PLEASE USE DIRECTIONS INCLUDED AND NOT GOOGLE MAPS! Must come up and not down Kahei Road or it will take you down a 4x4 road.
And when it’s time to step out of the forest and out of Pueo Ridge, we are a 5-minute drive directly above the main center of town and 15 minutes to the famous Polalu Valley hike that runs deep in to the jagged switchbacks of the Northern coast. Our area also headlines in ADVENTURE with skydiving, zip-lining, hiking & forest adventures.
Mahalo for reading!
Book with The Dyrt but check out our Hipcamp listing to read reviews: https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/hawaii/the-hippocampus/the-hippocampus-of-pueo-ridge
$35 / night
Camping at Kiholo is allowed on weekends only (Friday-night through Sunday-night). Camping sites may be reserved up to 30 days in advance.
Campsites are located along an unimproved gravel access road in a shaded kiawe (mesquite) grove fronting an ‘ili’ili (pebble) beach. This is a remote area with no facilities and NO WATER. Portable toilets are provided.
This area is under park reserve status and still undergoing conceptual planning for future public use. The area is a stark, lava-covered coastal park with small bays, sparsely vegetated coastline, historic lava flows, and wide open spaces. Gates are locked nightly. When entrance gates are locked for the night, vehicles will not be able to enter or leave the park.
$20 - $30 / night
This area offers one drive-up campground. Campers are advised that Kīpahulu is wet, remote, and far from most amenities. Come prepared - bring water, food, and a tent. There is no water available, but shared grills, picnic tables and pit-toilets are provided. Permits are not required, but campers must pay the $20 park entry fee. Camping is limited to 3 nights in any 30-day period.
The Kīpahulu campground is about 1/8 mile (.2km) south of the Kīpahulu Visitor Center. It overlooks ocean cliffs and is a short walk from ʻOheʻo Gulch. In the evenings, the sound of the ocean waves makes this a peaceful place. The campground has picnic tables, BBQ grills, and pit toilets. No water is available at Kīpahulu Campground; However, drinking water is available at the Kīpahulu Visitor Center restrooms. There are two general stores in the nearby town of Hāna (10 miles[16km] away) where you can purchase water and basic food supplies. Be prepared for rain, harsh sun, and mosquitoes.
This area offers one drive-up campground. Campers are advised that Kīpahulu is wet, remote, and far from most amenities. Come prepared - bring water, food, and a tent. There is no water available, but shared grills, picnic tables and pit-toilets are provided. Permits are not required, but campers must pay the $20 park entry fee. Camping is limited to 3 nights in any 30-day period.
The Kīpahulu campground is about 1/8 mile (.2km) south of the Kīpahulu Visitor Center. It overlooks ocean cliffs and is a short walk from ʻOheʻo Gulch. In the evenings, the sound of the ocean waves makes this a peaceful place. The campground has picnic tables, BBQ grills, and pit toilets. No water is available at Kīpahulu Campground; However, drinking water is available at the Kīpahulu Visitor Center restrooms. There are two general stores in the nearby town of Hāna (10 miles[16km] away) where you can purchase water and basic food supplies. Be prepared for rain, harsh sun, and mosquitoes.
Sandy beach, rocky shoreline. Overnight parking pass required and can be picked up at the guard shack with a valid camping permit.
Gate closes at 9pm and reopens at 5:30am. Security guards on duty 24hours
Nicest place I know so far.
$20 / night
