Know before you go
The 1871 Trail.
Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park (8:15 am to sunset, $20 per vehicle) preserves the Place of Refuge and the 1871 Trail, a two-mile round trip south along the coast beneath the Keanaeʻe cliffs to the Alahaka Ramp and the abandoned village of Kiʻilae. It is the most complete short walk on the entire Ala Kahakai.
Access
- The park, Highway 160 off Highway 11: visitor center 8:30–4:30 with a water filling station, restrooms and trail brochures. The 1871 trailhead is near the picnic area.
- Hōnaunau Bay (Two Step), next door: the coast's best easy snorkelling from the lava shelf, and a small county lot that fills by mid-morning.
- Hoʻokena Beach Park, to the south: county park at the traditional canoe landing, camping by permit. South of here the trail is unmanaged.
Distance & terrain
1871 Trail: two miles round trip, one to two hours, on rugged uneven lava, completely exposed. Sturdy shoes are required, not suggested.
Water
Filling station at the visitor center; none on the trail.
Hazards
- Full sun for the entire trail; no shade after the trailhead.
- Cliff edges at the Alahaka Ramp and the shoreline viewpoint.
- Lava tubes and collapse pits beside the trail.
Respect
Hiking is restricted to designated trails. Entering caves, lava tubes and burial sites is prohibited. The puʻuhonua and Hale o Keawe are sacred ground; follow the park's guidance on where to walk and what not to touch. No bicycles; pets leashed.
Official: NPS · hiking the 1871 Trail · NPS · 360° virtual tour · The full planning guide →
Mauka · the slope
The slope behind the refuge.
Above Hōnaunau the land climbs into agricultural terraces — taro, breadfruit, sweet potato — the upland that fed the people who lived behind the sanctuary's walls.
Mid · royal grounds
The chiefs' compound and the great wall.
Just north of the puʻuhonua proper lies the royal compound — house platforms, fishponds, and ceremonial spaces. Separating compound from refuge is the Pā o Keoua, a wall ten feet thick, built of dry-stacked basalt with no mortar.
Open this section in the map →Coast · puʻuhonua
Hale o Keawe and the place of refuge.
In old Hawaiian law, a person who broke kapu — a sacred prohibition — was condemned to death unless they could reach a puʻuhonua, a place of refuge. At Hōnaunau, sanctuary was inside the great wall. Hale o Keawe — a thatched temple holding the bones of ali'i — anchored the spiritual authority that made the refuge work.
Stand here · 360°
Down the 1871 Trail.
Two Step, the puʻuhonua, and Google's own walk past the Alahaka Ramp to Kiʻilae. Tap a viewpoint to load it and look around.
Conditions at the shore · live
Reef · the bay
Two Step and the reef-flat.
Just south of the park sits a small natural step into the water known to snorkelers as Two Step. The reef-flat is shallow, broad, and unusually intact — protected by the cultural status of the surrounding shore.
Ocean · spinner dolphins
Spinner dolphins rest offshore by day.
Naiʻa — spinner dolphins — feed offshore at night and return to the shallow waters off Hōnaunau to rest by day. NOAA asks swimmers and boaters to leave them undisturbed.