{"id":114651,"date":"2021-03-11T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2021-03-11T19:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiicompro.wpengine.com\/?post_type=big-island&p=114651"},"modified":"2025-04-07T21:33:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T07:33:42","slug":"hawaiis-green-sand-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/hawaiis-green-sand-beach\/","title":{"rendered":"Visit Hawaii\u2019s Green Sand Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Big Island of Hawaii features fascinatingly diverse geography. Depending on the time of year, it\u2019s possible to go from lounging on a pristine, sun-soaked tropical beach to tossing snowballs on a frosty mountain … in the same day.<\/p>\n

There are otherworldly lava fields, lush rainforests, and enough climate zones to produce a wide variety of landscapes.<\/p>\n

The Big Island is ever-changing, as well — ongoing volcanic activity literally adds landmass to the island on a regular basis, with hundreds of acres having been added since the early 1980s.<\/p>\n

That same volcanic activity is responsible for the Big Island\u2019s colored-sand beaches<\/a>, the more rare being Hawaii’s green sand beach, the sparkling Papak\u014dlea, one of only four green beaches in the world.<\/p>\n

The many names of Hawaii’s Green Sand Beach<\/h2>\n

Officially known as Papak\u014dlea Beach because of the k\u014dlea bird that frequents the area, Hawaii\u2019s green sand beach goes by many names \u2026 including, of course, \u201cGreen Sand Beach,\u201d a name which needs no explanation.<\/p>\n

Papak\u014dlea Beach is also referred to as Mahana Beach because the geological feature that surrounds it is called Pu\u02bbu Mahana. (We\u2019re going with \u201cgeological feature\u201d for now because there are differing schools of thought about how, exactly, Pu\u02bbu Mahana was formed<\/a>; more on this later.)<\/p>\n

Lastly, some call Papak\u014dlea Beach \u201cPeridot Beach,\u201d a reference to the August birthstone that receives its green color from the same source as Papak\u014dlea Beach\u2019s sand.<\/p>\n

What makes Papak\u014dlea Beach\u2019s sand green?<\/h2>\n

Papak\u014dlea Beach sits inside a cone that scientists generally agree formed more than 49,000 years ago. Up for debate is exactly how the cone formed. Some say Pu\u2018u Mahana is a littoral cone, formed when magma met ocean, the resulting explosions creating a large cone. Others say that Pu\u2018u Mahana is a primary vent, through which magma erupted.<\/p>\n

In either case, the magma that settled on the inside of the cone contained large amounts of a mineral known as olivine. Olivine is what supplies the green hue to the gemstone peridot, and the mineral is what makes Papak\u014dlea Beach\u2019s sand green.<\/p>\n

Following the volcanic event some 49,000 years ago, olivine slowly crystallized inside Pu\u2018u Mahana and largely remained in place, somewhat trapped by the bay itself and anchored by its own weight while lighter particles were swept into the ocean.<\/p>\n

It is illegal to take sand from Hawaii<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s get this out of the way, because what makes the sand at Papak\u014dlea Beach so stunning to view and visit also makes it very enticing to pocket and take home.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t do it, and not just because Pele\u2019s Curse<\/a> could bring you bad luck.<\/p>\n

It is illegal to remove sand from Hawaii’s beaches. So even if Pele doesn’t reprimand you, the state of Hawaii very likely will. Fines can reach as high as $100,000<\/a>. Maybe we should have led with that.<\/p>\n

How to get to Papak\u014dlea Beach<\/h2>\n

Reaching Papak\u014dlea Beach is not particularly easy, requiring both a drive and a hike.<\/p>\n

Take South Point Road to the end, driving with caution on this stretch to avoid accidents. This is nearly as far south as you can drive on the island — and in the entire United States! Park at the lot at the end and you\u2019ll see the sign for the Green Sand Beach trailhead.<\/p>\n

The hike is 2.5 to 3 miles, rated between moderate and strenuous depending on conditions and your physical abilities. Wear good hiking shoes and bring plenty of water and reef-safe sunscreen<\/a>; the sun can be particularly harsh here.<\/p>\n

The trail takes you south a bit to Kaulana Boat Ramp; from there you\u2019ll trek to the northeast until you reach the beach.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t attempt to drive all the way to the beach, as it is not legal, and avoid fake-shuttle scams from the parking lot.<\/p>\n

Safety at Papak\u014dlea Beach<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve already mentioned bringing plenty of water and reef-safe sunscreen — the non-reef-safe stuff is banned in Hawaii — as well as the need for good hiking shoes and careful driving, but some of this deserves more explanation.<\/p>\n

The sun can be intense here, so cover up or wear plenty of sunscreen, and bring enough to reapply. With intense sun can come significant heat, so make sure you have lots of water to account for 5-6 total miles of hiking sandwiched around your green-sand and surf time at Papak\u014dlea.<\/p>\n

Speaking of surf, the waves here can be powerful and unforgiving, and there are no lifeguards on duty. This is far more scenic beach than it is swimming beach, though swimming is certainly possible and many folks do. Exercise caution if you go into the water; good advice anywhere in the islands, but particularly in remote and rough waters like these.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Big Island’s stunning Papak\u014dlea Beach is one of only four green sand beaches in the world. What makes the sand green? How do you get there? We’ll answer some questions and a closer look at this fascinating attraction. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":120232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3928],"tags":[3926],"class_list":["post-114651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-big-island-beaches","tag-beaches"],"yoast_head":"\nHawaii's Green Sand Beach, Papak\u014dlea | Hawaii.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Visit the Big Island's stunning Papak\u014dlea Beach, Hawaii's only green sand beach and one of only four in the world.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/hawaiis-green-sand-beach\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Visit Hawaii\u2019s Green Sand Beach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Visit the Big Island's stunning Papak\u014dlea Beach, Hawaii's only green sand beach and one of only four in the world.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/hawaiis-green-sand-beach\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hawaii.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HawaiiTravel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-11T19:00:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-08T07:33:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Green-Sand-Beach-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1695\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hawaii.com Team\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hawaii.com Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/hawaiis-green-sand-beach\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/hawaiis-green-sand-beach\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hawaii.com Team\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bc3f65a8eb9df2c78b49bd95d1b9ee40\"},\"headline\":\"Visit Hawaii\u2019s Green Sand Beach\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-11T19:00:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-08T07:33:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/hawaiis-green-sand-beach\/\"},\"wordCount\":819,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/hawaiis-green-sand-beach\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Green-Sand-Beach-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Hawaii Beaches\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Big Island Beaches\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/hawaiis-green-sand-beach\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/hawaiis-green-sand-beach\/\",\"name\":\"Hawaii's Green Sand Beach, Papak\u014dlea | Hawaii.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/hawaiis-green-sand-beach\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/hawaiis-green-sand-beach\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Green-Sand-Beach-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-11T19:00:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-08T07:33:42+00:00\",\"description\":\"Visit the Big Island's stunning Papak\u014dlea Beach, Hawaii's only green sand beach and one of only four in the world.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/hawaiis-green-sand-beach\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/hawaiis-green-sand-beach\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/hawaiis-green-sand-beach\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Green-Sand-Beach-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Green-Sand-Beach-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1695,\"caption\":\"Papakolea Beach is known for its unique olive green sand. 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