Road to the Sea

Road to the Sea is a popular 4wd route (that is, popular among Big Island 4wd routes; but otherwise practically deserted) that provides one of the few public access paths to beaches in the Ka’u region. It’s a dead-straight crushed rock path through a’a’ lava that descends 6 miles from Highway 11 to the coast. There are two beaches near the road’s end – a white sand (coral) beach on the east, and a larger black sand (lava) beach on the west.

We parked on the north side of the highway just across from the road’s start. Once on the road, the route is a dead-straight nearly monotonic drop to the coast. The going is hot (as expected for anything below 2000’ elevation on the Big Island); and the surfaces require some care to avoid twisting ankles or falling on sharp rock. Along the way, the route passes a few homesteads; and while we heard a number of dogs barking in the distance, none came out to hassle us.

Charlie’s notes: I found the beaches at the end to be among the most beautiful on the island, and despite the 4wd access, they’re only lightly visited. It might be worth packing swimsuits and planning to spend some time at the bottom before starting the climb back up. Most island tourists probably have 4wd-unfriendly rentals, and the 12+ mile round-trip puts it out of reach to most casual hikers. But it’s a perfect opportunity to experience a lovely beach for a runner.

Laura’s notes: Despite the typical heat of a coastward run, I loved this trek. The upper parts of the road were a bit sandy, so fairly gentle on the feet. Down closer to the coast is where the rough lava trail started. The beaches were lovely, and we had them all to ourselves. Leave yourself some time to explore tidepools, inspect the textured pahoehoe, relax and watch the waves, and go for a dip! We brought our swimsuits to enjoy some refreshing body surfing at the black sand beach.