Hawaiʻi the Big Island
The US's southernmost bakery is squarely on the tour bus circuit and usually crowded – for good reason. If you want to try the Portuguese fried sweet pastry called a malasada (it's only a Madeira-style doughnut, but yes, you do) get here early. Bonus: clean restrooms, a picnic area outside, and all manner of kitschy Hawaiiana in the gift shop.
It also carries a variety of hot and cold sandwiches and lunch plates.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
29.61 MILES
Even among Hawaii's many wonders, this national park stands out. Its two active volcanoes testify to the ongoing birth of the islands: quiet Mauna Loa (13…
Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park
7.35 MILES
Beyond the nearly omnipresent green sea turtles basking in the sun, or the rare hawksbill turtles that lay their eggs here (be careful where you walk),…
29.9 MILES
This modest, charcoal-colored beach is backed by a steep green hillside. When calm, the bay's waters are good for swimming, kayaking and snorkeling …
6.13 MILES
Kahuku Unit's six hiking trails that lead through green pastures to volcanic cinder cones, lava tree molds, rainforests and lava flows come alive during…
22.31 MILES
The top sight in Miloliʻi is about a mile's walk south of the town itself. Honomalino Bay is simply gorgeous; with sand the color of all Big Island…
9.47 MILES
This legendary beach on Mahana Bay isn't really that green, but it is a rare and beautiful sight. Its color comes from crystals of olivine, the mineral…
11.9 MILES
Ka Lae, the southernmost point of the Big Island, feels palpably unwelcoming, yet hauntingly peaceful. It is mostly an empty grassland fringed by restless…
10.15 MILES
Be sure to get your bearings at the Hwy 11 viewpoint perched on a 1907 lava flow. Commanding views take in Paliʻokulani, the ragged cliff edge jutting out…
1.52 MILES
In 1866 Mark Twain wrote in yet another long letter home that in Waiʻohinu, 'trees and flowers flourish luxuriantly, and three of those trees – two…
2.26 MILES
For killer coastal views, pause at the scenic lookout above Honuʻapo Bay northeast of Naʻalehu. This sweep of shoreline and scrub is part of the longest…
2.79 MILES
Northeast of Naʻalehu, this small park has tide pools, an ancient Hawaiian fishpond frequented by birds, and the photographic ruins of a historic pier…
5.28 MILES
Repeatedly a flash-point for coastal-access and land-rights issues, Kawa Bay is now a quiet, pebbly cove. It's bounded by a creek and cliff-top heiau …
5. South Point Satellite Station
6.02 MILES
The Swedish Space Corporation's satellite tracking station along South Point Rd.
6.13 MILES
Kahuku Unit's six hiking trails that lead through green pastures to volcanic cinder cones, lava tree molds, rainforests and lava flows come alive during…
6.15 MILES
High points like this red cinder cone make great lookouts no matter whether you're Kamehameha keeping an eye out for rival chief Keoua in the 1780s,…
7.07 MILES
The rusty carcasses of 37 windmills from the failed Kamaoa wind farm lie next to their foundations along South Point Rd.