Chasing Waterfalls on Hawaii's Big Island

There’s just something about waterfalls. And whatever it is, we were determined to find these magnificent and awe-inspiring Big Island cascades all in one day.

With more than 130 inches of rainfall per year on the coast and 200 inches in the mountains, Hawaii’s Hilo side produces some of the most abundant waterfalls in Hawaii.

Some of these natural wonders tower hundreds of feet and have slowly but surely carved out niches in Hawaii’s verdant landscape over thousands of years. Many are located along the stunning Hilo and Hamakua coastlines, which span the island’s rainier northeastern shores.

Starting out early in the morning was a great plan.

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Part of the fun is figuring out where these falls are located. And since we knew there are more waterfalls on this island than can be explored in just one visit, we had to do some research and find the best within a day’s drive from our home base on the far western Kohala Coast.

Some are easy to find, while some are a little off the beaten path with more than a few twists and turns required to hit pay dirt. But all can be found by following a local Hawaiian’s guidance and words of advice.

Akaka Falls

One of Hawaii’s most recognizable waterfalls can be viewed during a short half-mile hike through Akaka State Falls Park, which follows a slightly-sloped circular path weaving through a lush tropical fern-covered rainforest.

Native plants, bamboo and massive trees reaching to the heavens guided our trek. The sounds of rushing and falling waters were accompanied by the sweet serenade of colorful island birds, (many of them endangered).

Often referred to as the “Crown Jewel” of Hawaii’s waterfalls, this impressively tall and narrow 420-foot flume thunders into a massive gorge and the resulting Kolekole Stream below before continuing its journey to the Pacific Ocean. On a rainy day when the falls are running heavily, a towering Niagara-like mist rises hundreds of feet high into the air.

Getting to the falls entails a relaxing four-mile drive through former sugar cane land.

Kahuna Falls

A half-mile circular footpath above Akaka Falls leads up through a lush bamboo-filled rainforest that takes waterfall enthusiasts like us past another set of neighboring cascades called Kahuna Falls.

Hawaiians say these falls are often overlooked, as they’re partially obstructed from a viewing platform below Akaka by the rich rainforest landscape framing the melodious cascade. But when this side of the island has seen some good rainfalls, it’s worth the extra time to enjoy its unique majesty from a small lookout near the falls.

Onomea Falls

Multi-tiered Onomea Falls is located within the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens on the magnificent Hamakua Coast. Several cascades feed the meandering streams that flow into Onomea Bay.

The waterfall system is flanked by lush tropical vegetation and moss-covered rocks in a nature preserve containing more than 2,000 species of tropical flowers, plants and colorful birds, including the macaw. Though there’s a nominal fee to enter the botanical garden, it’s worth every penny to see the relatively unaltered landscape here.

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Umauma Waterfalls

Unlike other waterfalls that cascade from hundreds of feet above, Umauma Falls is a spectacular series of three smaller but still impressive waterfalls. The cascades are located on site of the Umauma Zipline Company, though visitors don’t have to partake to gain access to the falls.

Umauma means “constantly flowing” in the native Hawaiian language, and that’s precisely the case with these examples even during the driest periods in the island’s weather patterns.

After visiting the triple-tiered falls, just a short stroll from the parking area, we loved walking the grounds of the tropical garden and along a trail through a palm forest overlooking the rushing waters of the river below. After a slight rainfall, plants glistened with water droplets and the air was infused with freshness.

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The Falls of Hilo

The environs of Hilo are among the Big Island’s wettest areas, and fittingly are home to several stunning falls all within a short drive of one another. Wailuku, the state’s longest river fills a divide created by lava stemming from two volcanoes.

This river is home to Rainbow Falls. The perfectly-named falls are fed from waters flowing down the slopes of Mauna Kea, eventually making their way to the sea.

Known as the land of rainbows, Hilo holds the magical combination of rain and sunlight that fills the river’s chasm with colors as the falls drop 80 feet into a large pool of water.

Parts of the rushing Wailuku River above Rainbow falls can be viewed at Boiling Pots—the massive bowl-shaped indentations in the riverbed that churn and boil as the roiling waters tumble downstream. Boiling Pots are especially impressive when heavy rains increase the flow from the five-spouted Pe’epe’e Falls, just a short uphill climb away.

A 20-minute walk through dense rainforest leads to Waiale Falls, a lesser-known and two-tiered flume situated further upstream from Pe’epe’e Falls. The hike offers multiple overlooks for viewing the cascades along the way.

John Muir once said, “As long as I live, I’ll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing.”

At the end of the day, we realized that our journey to find some of Hawaii’s most spectacular waterfalls was just as fun as the destination.