Richardson Ocean Park has a narrow beach of dark olivine sand that reads as green in full sun. It is one of the few beaches in the state where you can see that coloring, and it is free. All seven beach parks in Hilo are free, and most sit within a few miles of each other on the east side of town.
Carlsmith Beach Park and Richardson are our two top picks. Carlsmith’s lagoon stays calm even when the ocean outside the reef is moving, which makes it the calmer option for families with small children. Richardson has lifeguards seven days a week. Hilo’s rainfall is real, and these beaches read very differently under clouds. If you get a sunny morning, use it.
Table of contents
The beaches we discuss on this page are:
Table of Contents
The beaches we discuss on this page are:
- Coconut Island (Moku Ola)
- Reeds Bay Beach Park
- Onekahakaha Beach Park
- Kealoha (James) Beach Park
- Carlsmith Beach Park
- Leleiwi Beach Park (Wai’uli)
- Richardson Ocean Park
The seven parks below run from west to east along the Hilo coastline. We list the main amenities for each: lifeguards, restrooms, showers, and snorkeling. For current lifeguard schedules, see safebeachday.com.
Details and map locations below last verified June 2026.
| Name | Swimming | Snorkeling | Lifeguards | Restrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Coconut Island (Moku Ola) (Details ↓) | Yes | No | None | Yes |
| 2Reeds Bay (Details ↓) | Yes | No | None | Yes (portable) |
| 3Onekahakaha (Details ↓) | Yes | Yes, in protected lagoon | Mon-Sun, 9:30am – 4:45pm | Yes |
| 4Kealoha (Details ↓) | Yes | Favorable conditions | None | Yes |
| 5Carlsmith (Four Mile) (Details ↓) | Yes | Favorable conditions | Mon-Sun, 9:30am – 4:45pm | Yes |
| 6Leleiwi Beach Park (Wai’uli) (Details ↓) | Yes | Yes, in protected inlets | Mon-Sun, 9:30am – 4:45pm | Yes |
| 7Richardson Ocean Park (Details ↓) | Yes | Favorable conditions | Mon-Sun, 9:30am – 4:45pm | Yes |
1: Coconut Island (Moku Ola)
Moku Ola sits just offshore from Liliʻuokalani Park and Gardens, connected to the mainland by a short footbridge. The island has mostly rocky shoreline with pockets of sandy beach, plus restrooms, showers, and covered picnic areas.
As of June 2026, the island is closed: the footbridge collapsed in November 2025 when a county crew drove an 8,000-pound excavator across it. The permanent fix is estimated at $20 million, with a $2 million temporary bridge planned first. Realistic reopening is 2027 at the earliest.
- Lifeguards: None
- Restrooms: Yes
- Outdoor Showers: Yes
- Picnic Area: Yes
- Swimming: Yes
- Snorkeling: No
Read more about Coconut Island on our website.
Mokuola (Coconut island) is a small park in Hilo just offshore from Liliʻuokalani Park and Gardens.
2: Reeds Bay Beach Park
Reeds Bay sits along the east side of Banyan Drive, partly sheltered from ocean swell by the Hilo Harbor Breakwater. The beach is white coral sand mixed with lava rock. A natural freshwater spring at the head of the bay feeds into the water, creating what locals call the “Icy Pond”: fresh water mixes with seawater and keeps the swimming area noticeably cold. That coolness keeps the crowds down, which makes Reeds Bay a quiet option if you are staying in one of the Banyan Drive hotels and want water access without driving east.
No lifeguards, the bay is calm enough for stand-up paddleboarding.
- Lifeguards: None
- Restrooms: Yes
- Outdoor Showers: Yes
- Picnic Area: Yes
- Swimming: Yes
- Snorkeling: No
3: Onekahakaha Beach Park
Onekahakaha has a shallow sandy lagoon enclosed by a lava rock seawall, making it the calmest and most family-suitable swimming spot in the Hilo string. The bottom is sand, the protected area stays calm year-round, and lifeguards are on duty every day of the week (9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.). Outside the seawall, currents and surf can be hazardous.
Tide pools along the perimeter hold sea urchins, sea cucumbers, brittle stars, and cone shells, and sea turtles occasionally move through. Snorkeling is possible in the shallow pool; the marine variety is thinner here than at Carlsmith or Richardson, but for young children this is the right beach. About three miles from downtown Hilo, and less than a mile from Carlsmith.
- Lifeguards: Mon-Sun, 9:30am – 4:45pm
- Restrooms: Yes
- Outdoor Showers: Yes
- Picnic Area: Yes
- Swimming: Yes
- Snorkeling: Yes, in protected lagoon
4: Kealoha Beach Park
James Kealoha Beach Park is named after Hawaiʻi’s first Lieutenant Governor and sits adjacent to Carlsmith in the same stretch of parks. The eastern side of the park is where the swimming and snorkeling is: a deep, protected basin with generally calm, clear water and pockets of white sand. Natural freshwater springs feed into the pools, making the water noticeably cold.
Signs at the parking lot entrance identify local fish species, honu, and invertebrates you might encounter. No lifeguards are posted here, and conditions are less forgiving than at Carlsmith: car traffic passes close to the shoreline, ocean currents reach into the basin when swell is up, and the lava footing is uneven.
- Lifeguards: None
- Restrooms: Yes
- Picnic Area: Yes
- Swimming: Yes
- Snorkeling: Yes, under favorable conditions
5: Carlsmith Beach Park (Four Mile)
Carlsmith is one of the most reliable beach parks in Hilo. A protected white sand lagoon runs along a lava shoreline, and the water in the lagoon stays calm even when ocean conditions outside the reef are rough. Anchialine ponds dot the park, connected to the ocean through underwater lava channels and home to native shrimp species. Groundwater seeps up through the lagoon floor in several spots, creating noticeably cooler patches. Hawaiian green sea turtles visit the ponds regularly.
Lifeguards are on duty every day of the week, 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. The park is about four miles from downtown Hilo, which is why locals call it “Four Mile.”
For more information and pictures see our full description of the Carlsmith Beach Park.
- Lifeguards: Mon-Sun, 9:30am – 4:45pm
- Restrooms: Yes
- Outdoor Showers: Yes
- Picnic Area: Yes
- Swimming: Yes
- Snorkeling: Yes, under favorable conditions
Carlsmith beach park in Hilo
6: Leleiwi Beach Park (Wai’uli)
WaiʻOlena, also listed as Leleiwi Beach Park or Waiʻuli depending on the source, has a string of lava-rock tide pools and coves along its shoreline. The pools are fed partly by freshwater springs, and in calm conditions they hold tropical fish and Hawaiian sea turtles. Snorkeling is possible in the protected inlets. In winter, swell can wash over the pools and conditions can be rough.
The park has covered pavilion picnic areas, showers, restrooms, and lifeguards on duty every day of the week, 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. It sits between Carlsmith and Richardson and is often overlooked, but the tide pool life here is worth a look if you are stopping at both.
- Lifeguards: Mon-Sun, 9:30am – 4:45pm
- Restrooms: Yes
- Outdoor Showers: Yes
- Picnic Area: Yes
- Snorkeling: Yes, in protected inlets
- Swimming: Yes
7: Richardson Ocean Park
Richardson has the best snorkeling of any park in the Hilo string. The middle of the bay sits above a shallow reef, 3 to 6 feet deep in places, with healthy coral and a variety of reef fish. Hawaiian green sea turtles rest and feed along the rocky edges of the bay. Hawaiian monk seals also visit: if you spot one, give it plenty of space. The narrow beach is dark lava sand mixed with olivine crystals, which gives it a faint green color in direct sun.
Lifeguards are on duty seven days a week, 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. A seawall runs along most of the shoreline, so the entry point to the beach is limited to a short stretch near the parking area.
For more information and pictures see our full description of the Richardson Ocean Park.
- Lifeguards: Mon-Sun, 9:30am – 4:45pm
- Restrooms: Yes
- Outdoor Showers: Yes
- Picnic Area: Yes
- Swimming: Yes
- Snorkeling: Yes, under favorable conditions
The black sand at Richardsons is mixed with olivines, making it an “almost green sand beach”. If you do make it out to Richardsons take a close look at the sand to see all the green crystals in the sand.