A long road down and a steep climb up.
For our second hike since arriving to Hawaii we chose something a little more on the tropical side. Using the app called "AllTrails" we were able to find one in no time. This hike was about 20 miles outside of Waimea and completely gorgeous! The app rated this as a moderate 3.8 mile hike.
We woke up early the morning of our hike and made sure we had everything we needed. After applying a hefty coat of sunscreen and bug spray, we were on our way. We didn't exactly fly there, as the car we are using is electric and only gets about 70 miles per charge. Because of this, we had to stop at a charging station in Waimea and were able to wake up a little more.
The road from Waimea to the hike was absolutely beautiful. There were animals everywhere. I saw goats, sheep, cows, horses and even a donkey! It is a usual practice in my family to roll down the windows and holler at the animals, and that's just what we did. Many cows turned their heads with alarm as I mooed loudly at them. I would highly recommend this, as it is a very fun and cathartic thing to do.
Once we reached the Waipio Valley Lookout, it was clear that we were not alone in wanting to come here today. There were at least five other cars in the parking lot and this was enough to make us hesitant. We had read on the AllTrails website that this hike was regarded as heavily trafficked, but we were hoping this wasn't the case on a Wednesday morning.
The Waipio Valley Lookout was absolutely stunning. It had tropical trees, beautiful flowers, a lush landscape and a great view of the cliff on the opposite side of the valley with a wide beach lined with trees in the middle. It looked like the perfect postcard.
We headed down the trail, not knowing what to expect. The pathway down the cliff was completely paved and ridiculously steep. It was not only for hikers, but a shared road for cars with four-wheel drive. The steepness of the road was very uncomfortable on our legs and in no time mine started to shake. We were careful to walk down it slowly as to not injure our knees. I found that zigzagging down this road was actually way easier and put less pressure on our bodies.
Keeping a slow pace going down wasn't the only annoying part of our hike. As the website informed us, this was going to be a busy place to be. Since arriving to Hawaii we have kept a very far distance away from other people. We have ordered all of our groceries via delivery, only gone to beaches when they weren't crowded, and stayed home when we weren't exploring the coast in the safety bubble that is the car. The people on this hike shocked us. We were the only people visiting that were wearing masks, and this didn't help ease our anxiety.
Once we reached the base of the road it tapered off into a dirt path that was lined with a jungle landscape on either side. It was so relieving to be on a flat path, and so much prettier here. This road led to the ocean which was lined with tall trees like a beach in the Pacific Northwest.
On our way down, we encountered a foul and it's mother. It had the sweetest eyes and if we had an apple or some carrots, I would have been delighted to feed them.
When we reached the black sand beach we took our time and relaxed on the rocky shoreline. Unfortunately, we forgot our sandwiches in the fridge at home, so we weren't able to have lunch here. It would have been the perfect spot for it though.
After taking some pictures and resting we began our steep journey back to the top. We took our time to look around more on the way back, making an effort to notice the trees and the light coming through their leaves. There were birds singing beautiful melodies and people hooting far in the distance.
The trek to the top was not at all easy, and I suspect the people who rated it as a moderate hike may have driven up at least part of the way. Our calves and cores were burning and we were extremely out of breath. We took many breaks and unfortunately passed many cars with their windows down. We haven't had to do much mask wearing yet, since we haven't really been out of our bubble, but breathing heavy with a mask is not a fun thing to do.
Once we reached the top we sat ourselves down on the guard rail for a solid amount of time before moving on. This hike was very pretty and the view from the top was spectacular but we both found that the hike itself was not as important as admiring the view from the lookout. This lookout is right next to where you park your car, and no hiking is necessary to get there. If you would like to hike it, I would recommend driving down and hiking to the other cliff opposite from the lookout.
We are glad that we went. It was gorgeous, despite the challenge of the steep road. We hope to go again sometime soon and visit the other side. Waipio Valley Lookout was mesmerizing and should be a top destination if you are ever on Big Island, Hawaii!
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