Waiʻānapanapa attracts tourists for two main reasons: its black sand beach and beautiful coastline.

There are other black sand beaches nearby that are free to visit. These other beaches do not require that visitors purchase timed tickets in advance and show ID at the door. (Note, these are COVID-era restrictions, subject to change.)

But, they do not have such beautiful cliffs, such awe-inspiring vistas.

This post contains a large number of images.

And, you will soon see why.

What you get for the cost of admission is access to some beautiful, beautiful coastline with some very pleasant hiking opportunities. A trail runs from the Northwest to the Southeast, effectively giving you two choices of direction.

The hike to the Northwest is more popular, and terminates at the Hana Airport. The hike to the Southeast continues indefinitely, giving you the choice of where to turn around.

I visited the park on two separate mornings (it was very easy to get a ticket for 7AM access – before the tourists staying outside of Hana could make it.) One day was sunnier, the other much hazier.

Volcanic rock is sharp. Fortunately, this area is pretty well worn and it’s easy to stick to the less sharp areas.