Hike the Ala Kahakai Trail From Kua Bay to the Kona Village Resort

Four Seasons Lagoon

Last weekend we were looking for something new to do for our adventure video and decided to see what the trail was like behind Kua Bay across the lava field to Kukio. This is part of the Ala Kahakai Trail (Kings Trail) that I have not yet discovered, so I was up for it. Best part is we got to walk from one beautiful beach to another for 2.2 miles.

Are you wondering how the construction of the Kona Village is coming along?

Our trek took us from Kua Bay/Manini’owali Beach across the Ala Kahakai Trail through Kukio, past the “closed for the pandemic” Four Seasons Resort to get to the Kona Village to be able to show the progress of construction on our 365Hawaii video.  Along the way we had a chance to be almost totally alone!

As many of you who used to vacation or work at one of the most iconic tropical resorts on Earth, you can see in the video that a few of the old hale’s are still perched on the northernmost point and the building near the swimming pool looks as if it will make the final round of cuts on what stays and what will be expertly re-imagined in the new iteration of the resort.

After we assessed the scene at the Kona Village, we swam in the crystal blue lagoon in front of the Four Seasons Resort and walked along the white sand shores with only the wind and sun as company. As you can hear in the video, the wind is making us buy some better microphones and the sun left us a bit burnt and crispy after being outside filming from 10 am-4 pm!

I made mention of the fact that I was going to get a drink after that hike. Well, we headed to Splashers for sunset cocktails and shared our hike and what we found with our friends.

If you go-clearly, put on copious amounts of sunscreen, wear a shirt and go early in the morning!

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Meet the Author

Julie Ziemelis

Julie Ziemelis is an entrepreneur, business owner, author, blogger and vlogger in Kailua Kona. She created and moderates the “365 Things to Do in Kona” page and the Kona Newbies group on Facebook. She blogs at 365Kona.com and MoveToHawaii365.com and vlogs with her husband, Eric, at “365Hawaii” on YouTube. Julie also authored the books, “How to Move to Kona” and the “Insiders Guide to Buying Real Estate on the Big Island of Hawaii”. You will most likely find Julie in Kona hiking, running, biking, taking photos and sharing Aloha.

Leave a Question or Comment About this Topic

  • Scott Hamilrton says:

    I just discovered your informative videos, which have been a joy to watch (and learn from) after 30+ years of staying at rental houses in Puako – and exploring the island. Do you have any comments about “some other hikes” in the Kohala area such as the Waipo waterfall, White road (to the Waipo canyon overlook), Mud Road, and so forth? I realize that some of these hikes (such as the Waipo waterfall and the White road) are no longer viable.

    • Julie Ziemelis says:

      Aloha Scott:
      There are hikes that are just strictly illegal now due to too many people getting hurt, like Anna’s Falls in Waimea. Of course you can hike from Kawaihae along the Ala Kahakai Trail to Spencer Beach and then that leads you to some “beaches that can not be named” in public for fear of disclosing the cool spots..sometimes, you just have to go out and explore. There IS a short hike off of the upper 250 highway that we still need to do…