Waipio Valley, Big Island of Hawaii: How to Visit and What to Do Nearby

Waipiʻo Valley cuts roughly 10 kilometers into the northeast coast of the Big Island of Hawai'i, its steep walls dropping 600 meters to a floor of taro fields, streams, and a black-sand beach at the valley's mouth. The valley served as the political and religious center of early Hawaiian civilization, home to an estimated 10,000 residents before European contact. Access to the valley floor is via a single-lane road with a 25-percent grade—one of the steepest paved roads in the state. The Muliwai Trail traverses nine gulches over 29 kilometers to Waimanu Valley. is just one of many options in Big Island of Hawaii. Major attractions worth considering include Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Mauna Kea Summit and Observatory, and Akaka Falls.