Akaka Falls State Park

Welcome to Ah-kah-kah Falls State Park. Situated just eleven miles north of Hilo along the spectacular Hamakua coast, this park encapsulates the quintessential, hyper-lush Hawaiian rainforest experience. …

Our expedition begins with a notable physical descent. The trailhead immediately drops you down a series of paved stairs into the belly of the gorge. …

Continuing along the right-hand loop, the pathway forces us through immense, towering groves of bamboo. These aggressive plants have colonized significant portions of the upper gorge, their thick, segmented stalks rising fifty…

Approximately halfway along the eastern edge of the loop, the dense vegetation briefly parts to offer our first geological vista: Kah-hoo-nah Falls. Plunging roughly one hundred feet, this secondary cascade is formidable in its…

As the trail turns inward toward the main attraction, we must consider the immense geomorphological forces responsible for excavating this landscape. We are walking along the high western shoulder of a deeply incised V-shaped…

We arrive at the crescendo of the park: the primary viewing platform for Ah-kah-kah Falls. From this secure vantage point, you are granted an unobstructed view of the Kolekole stream as it launches itself off the precipice,…

Before completing the loop, direct your attention to the informational plaques regarding the biological marvels of the Kolekole stream, specifically the Oh-oh-poo a-la-moo, or the Hawaiian freshwater goby. The life cycle of this…

As we conclude our loop trail and face the final, steep ascent back to the park entrance, we must synthesize the overwhelming sensory and intellectual inputs of Ah-kah-kah Falls State Park. This is an environment defined by…