Kipuka Puaulu Trail

Nice hike in a quiet area of the park. Lots of birds and beautiful forest. Highly recommend. Easy hike and parking.

This pleasant, well-maintained trail through a protected forest was a nice break. We heard many birds, although we saw very few, however, it was only early afternoon. We also saw Kamehameha butterflies flitting in the tall shrubs. The trail hike took us about 45 minutes.

Amazing. It is a bit of an up and down because the trail is on the side of the mountain but there are a lot of neat info plaques about plant species. Definitely download the trail guide before you go. There is no restroom at the trailhead but there's a day use area just before you get here that has one as well as picnic tables.

Great, non-strenuous hike through indigenous flora of the Big Island. Lots of Kalij pheasants on trail, beautiful birds. Heard but didn't see the 'apapane singing in the trees. Not on the standard tourist radar, but definitely worth seeking out!

Good birding trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Short, easy trail in quiet part of park. Easy to get to, easy to park, not far from entrance station, but no line of cars to wait in. Picnic area with vault toilet nearby.

This is a great, easy trail that is a 1.2 mile loop. There are a lot of plants and snimals here. I could hear many birds and even saw several kalij pheasants. There is a bench along the trailer to rest or sit and listen to the birds. There is a lava tube with a sign saying not to enter. I recommend buying the $2 pamplet at the entrance. It is very imformative and makes a great keepsake of the walk.

A perfect trail for anybody with limited physical ability. With a really bad back I still had no problems walking the entire 1.2 mile trail, and there were many spots along the trail where you can stop and sit quietly while watching for birds. The weather in late May was perfect: partly sunny with a cool breeze and the occasional misting from passing clouds. The trail is shaded more often than not, and the slope going up is very gradual as it is going down on the other side. We heard lots of birds, including cardinals, but most kept out of sight in the canopy. The exceptions were the numerous kalij pheasant that are very friendly and will approach without fear. We also saw an 'apapane and numerous small birds that were too far away to identify. Plenty of interesting and beautiful flora if you are not into birds. We encountered only a few other hikers during our visit and the parking at the trailhead was empty.

A well maintained walk in the tropical forest with lots of signage to identify trees and plants. I really liked it! It can be a bit strenuous on the first half of the loop because of going uphill, but it's not bad for most people. Note that the trail is uneven terrain, so I don't recommend it for wheelchairs or other wheeled devices such as strollers.