Hawaii Forest & Trail

The Summit and Stars experience is a favorite for good reason. You ride up the access road on the rugged north flank of Mauna Kea, stopping at 9,000 feet for a hot picnic dinner and a slow walk among rare silversword plants. After sunset the van climbs to the 13,803-foot summit, where observatories glitter against more stars than you have ever seen. Back at a dark-sky pull-out, your guide sets up a large aperture telescope and layers myth, science and laser-pointed constellations into a night you will talk about for years.

If waterfalls call louder than galaxies, choose the Kohala Waterfalls adventure. A four-wheel-drive ride carries you down a private dirt track to the lush back side of Kohala volcano, where you hike short jungle paths to hidden cascades, swim under a 40-foot veil of water and picnic on a clifftop overlooking Pololu Valley. Throughout the walk your guide points out kukui trees, fragrant guava and the ancient terraced walls of long-abandoned taro fields.

Bird lovers lean into the Hakalau Forest tour, a federally permitted hike that steps inside a rare closed refuge. Here you linger under towering ohia trees while crimson apapane, endangered akiapolaau and the bright-eyed iiwi dart through the canopy. Spotting scopes and top-tier binoculars come included, and every guide is trained in Hawaiian ornithology and Leave No Trace protocols.

The company also runs zipline and volcano tours, each built around small groups, access to private land and deep natural history. Whatever itinerary you choose, quality gear, hot drinks, fresh local snacks and reef-safe sunscreen ride in the van, and every guide carries first-aid training, satellite communication and a passion for sharing the island's wild side.

Ready to add these hidden corners to your holiday? Lock in a summit seat under our Big Island stargazing tours, chase spray on Big Island waterfall hikes or browse all Big Island activities to weave Hawaii Forest and Trail into a day that matches your sense of wonder.