The Papakōlea Green Sand Beach on the Big Island is a place you need to put on your bucket list. If you’re dreaming of or planning a future trip to Hawaii, visiting this beach is a no-brainer. After all this time being quarantined in 2020, this is the place that you should visit when traveling is acceptable again. You deserve it!

We visited the Papakōlea Green Sand Beach twice during our time living in Kona. I’ve written up this blog post, a travel guide, of all the things you need to know in order to successfully visit this beautiful beach. I hope you find this post helpful and that you enjoy this area of the Big Island as much as we do!

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Getting to the Green Sand Beach

Off-Roading / Jeeping

The hardest part of visiting the Green Sand Beach is getting there. In my opinion, having a Jeep (or another type of off-roading vehicle) is crucial to have when on the Big Island to see some of the best things that the island has to offer. We loved having our Jeep when we were there. It became a part of our family and took us on so many memorable family adventures.

The Green Sand Beach is located on the southern most tip of the Big Island and even the southern most tip of the United States. We put “Green Sand Beach” into Google Maps on our phones (it’s located in Naalehu) and made our way there, as far as the regular paved road goes at least. That’s the easy part of the journey. However, to actually get to the beach, you have to go a little further, and the GPS doesn’t tell you that. it’s about 2 more miles before you actually arrive at the Green Sand Beach.

This last 2-mile trek isn’t an easy one. It’s an off-roading adventure only capable with a handful of vehicles. There are a variety of different off-road trails that you can take to get to the beach that have been made by people continually driving on them over the years. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable driving it myself without Nate there. Nate has done a lot of off-roading in the past and feels confident with it. He was the one at the wheel, and I was happy to stay in the passenger seat. Jimmy was buckled up tightly in the back in his booster.

These trails can be crazy at times, navigating deep channels due to erosion. A few trails were so deep that while driving, the ground was as high or higher than our car windows! Some are just wide enough for a car to fit through. We were worried about our side mirrors being taken off by the tall walls on each side of us, but luckily they were ok. Some of the trails have very steep drops and obstacles to get around, a few more impossible to get through safely than others. There would be times where we would start down one trail and then decide to reverse and try a different trail once we fully saw what was ahead of us. Don’t worry about which road you take and where it goes. They all lead to the same place – the entrance to the Papakōlea Green Sand Beach. My advice is to follow the trail that you feel comfortable driving on, take your time, have fun, and you’ll be fine! While this all sounds a bit dangerous, it was actually really fun. Getting to the beach was nearly as fun as being at the beach itself. It was such an adventure. We were blasting music and laughing the whole way. When we’d hit a big bump, Jimmy would yell, while giggling, “Whoa! Let’s do that again!” It was priceless.

The first time we visited, we got caught in a rain storm on the way back. Driving those off-road trails with the top of the Jeep completely off, in the rain, as it’s getting dark, made for a very memorable time. We were drenched and freezing, but we were still in good spirits. We blasted the heat from the Jeep and hurried as fast as we could to get out of there, which wasn’t very fast at all. Off-road driving is not something that you can do very quickly, safely at least. That’s the thing with Hawaii. It could rain at any given moment and sometimes you just aren’t prepared. Once we got into town we dried off, stopped for some hot pizza at Ocean View Pizzeria, and were golden.

Ocean View Pizzeria – Lotus Blossom Ln, Ocean View, Hawaii, 96737

Hiking

If you don’t have an off-roading vehicle to drive but you still want to make it to the Green Sand Beach while you’re on the Big Island, there is the option of hiking. While we were off-roading in our Jeep, we saw several groups of people hiking the 2 miles on the off-road trails towards the beach. They drove as far as they could with a car, parked, and then hiked the rest of the way. They were carrying their stuff on their backs, making it slowly but surely. This option takes longer and would be nearly impossible with young children, but if you’re up for it, it’s doable. You’d be sure to get your exercise in and the views are incredible along the way. And because I know this question might come up, this hike is definitely NOT stroller friendly.

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What is Green Sand?

Green Sand? What’s that? That was my initial reaction when I heard about it. I knew we needed to visit because it just sounded so unique and different. There are only four green sand beaches in the world – Guam, Galapagos Islands, Norway, and the Big Island in Hawaii. The green sand is made from olivine crystals that are mixed into the sand, making the green color. The color is unreal! I couldn’t stop playing with and analyzing this sand. The grains of sand are this gold-ish, green-ish color with some black mixed in. After visiting the first time, I found a tiny amount of green sand at the bottom of Jimmy’s sand toy bucket. There was also some white sand from another beach day in the back of our Jeep. (As best as I try, it seems impossible to not leave with some sand in our car) I compared the two sand colors side-by-side, and it was crazy to see the difference when they were right next to each other. The green sand really is something that you have to see and experience for yourself.

(There is a sign at the Green Sand Beach that says to please leave the sand there and to not take any back with you. Please follow these rules and keep this beach beautiful and alive for future guests to enjoy.)

The Green Sand Beach

After the big Jeeping adventure, you can finally enjoy the beach! When you arrive at the entrance of the Green Sand Beach, you’ll be in awe. That view from the top is stunning, one I will never forget. The beach is small but gorgeous. It’s this beautiful little cove filled with green sand and turquoise water. It’s complete paradise in my book and totally worth the trek. You’ll never want to leave! The two times that we visited, it was not crowded at all. I think this is partly due to how difficult it is to get here that it scares some people away. This is an all day adventure not just a quick in-and-out beach destination.

Hiking down into the beach is another short adventure, especially when you’re carrying a bunch of stuff like I was. Life with kids right? There is a path to go down, with some stairs and narrow little areas to climb through. The second time I went, I slipped and skinned my knee a little going down. My arms were too full of stuff to catch myself! Luckily, a kind lady saw I was struggling and helped me carry my stuff the rest of the way down. So nice!

Swimming at the Green Sand Beach

Swimming at the Green Sand Beach can be intimidating. The waves generally are very powerful, and you have to be alert and take caution. This isn’t an ideal spot for kids to swim or for beginners. We made sure to have Jimmy in his life jacket any time he was near the water. Once you get past the big waves and out a little further, the water calms down and is easier to swim in. All three of us swam here, even Jimmy. The tough part is the getting out part, between the times that the waves hit. It is tricky, and you have to move quickly, but if you time it right, it’s doable. Once we were out, we were joined by a friendly sea turtle swimming near us in the water. Later while on the beach, we saw him sticking his head up now and again to say hello.

Nate was taking a video of me here swimming to post on my Instagram stories, and it ended up being a total flop because of the power of this water. It was hilarious, and I couldn’t stop laughing because it was such an epic fail. I couldn’t even stand up because the waves kept pushing me down, time and time again. Instead of a confident sexy swimming video, I got a recording of a ridiculous and pathetic swimming attempt. This video didn’t end up making it to my Instagram stories, but it might just win me first prize on America’s Funniest Home Videos!

What to Bring

Make sure that you come prepared when visiting the Green Sand Beach. There are no bathrooms, no lifeguard, no food stalls nearby to grab lunch, no drinking fountain, nothing really. You need to bring everything with you that you’ll need. Don’t forget the sunscreen! Also, there is no cell phone service at this beach. We stopped at a sandwich shop in Kona before we came and packed a picnic lunch with snacks and drinks. It was fun to picnic on the beach and just chill. Jimmy loved playing in the green sand with his shovels and buckets and using his imagination to build and explore. We brought everything that he would need to enjoy his time on the sand since he wouldn’t be playing in the water as much as he does at other beaches. The sand literally creates hours of fun for young kids, especially this unique green colored sand.

Anything to Nibble Along the Way?

As I am the City Nibbler, I find it appropriate to also share something delicious that I found on our way home from the Green Sand Beach driving north back up to Kona. Check out Miranda’s Coffee Farm. If you love good quality coffee like me, you’ll love this place. It’s a family owned coffee farm that grows 100% Ka’u coffee right there on their land. They just opened up a shop where they sell their coffee beans as well as delicious espresso drinks and drip coffee. They sell baked goods and other fun finds like local Lehua Blossom honey (amazing!) and fresh fruit. The lady who owns it is a big sweetheart, and her kids are adorable. It’s the perfect place to grab some bags of coffee beans to take home as gifts for your family and friends. I’d recommend the award winning yellow caturra beans. It made some of the best coffee I’ve ever tasted. Truly. You can’t get fresher than this!

386H + 77 Naalehu, Hawaii

I hope you found this information helpful. I’d love to hear from you and answer any questions that you might have about the Green Sand Beach. Leave me a comment below. Cheers!