Picnic Area

Just south of the park’s central village area, an oceanfront palm-tree grove holds one of South Kona’s choicest picnic areas. Parking, picnic tables and BBQs face a wide slab of pahoehoe (smooth-flowing lava), which is littered with wave-tumbled lava-rock boulders and pockmarked with busy tide pools where you may encounter sea turtles. Swimming is possible but can be dicey; judge the surf and entry for yourself. Note that it’s kapu (forbidden) to snorkel here.