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RAINBOW FALLS FULL

Drive another quarter mile and turn right onto Rainbow Drive. (Kaumana Drive proceeds toward the Kaumana Caves). Drive 1 mile and stay right through a split with Kaumana Drive to continue up Waianuenue Avenue, following signs for Rainbow Falls. To get to Rainbow Falls Lookout: Take Hawaii 19 (Hawaii Belt Road) to the center of Hilo and head inland on Waiamuenue Avenue.

Want to see another waterfall? Check out nearby ‘Akaka Falls, which is 5.5 times taller than Rainbow Falls.

Wailuku River is prone to dangerous flash floods (the translation for Wailuku is “waters of destruction”). Some people like to use these pools as swimming holes during the right conditions. Parking at Rainbow Falls Lookout in Wailuku River State Park is free, so get out and enjoy! Boiling Pots LookoutĪ short distance up the river from Rainbow Falls Lookout, find Boiling Pots Lookout positioned over an area of the river made up of pools resembling boiling pots.

Dogs and bikes are not allowed on this outing. Once you’ve seen the top of Rainbow Falls and gazed up and down the river, follow the step-packed trail down to the parking area to complete this 0.2-mile round trip hike with 40 feet of elevation change. Flash flooding and rapid rises in the river have proven deadly, so exploring beyond the trail has risks. Footpaths continue upriver through a grove of banyan trees, but this area appears to be off limits. The trail end at the top of Rainbow Falls.

RAINBOW FALLS FULL

The basalt surface is full of strange pockets and other shapes. Instead, it is the wild depressions and pools in the riverbed surrounding the top of the waterfall that draw your attention.

The most interesting thing about the top of Rainbow Falls might not be the waterfall itself (you get a better view from the lower viewpoint). The exposed banks of the river signal just how much higher the water level can get. Wailuku River makes its way past the pool to the left on its course to the coast. Look down on a pool that extends to the right, below the viewing area where you just stood. Watch the waterfall pour over the edge of the jagged basalt ledge.

Walk up to the railing at an overlook by the brink of Rainbow Falls. After around thirty steps, the trail levels out atop the basalt ledge beside Rainbow Falls. Metal railings along the staircase assist with the climb. Leave the parking area again and begin up rock steps that ascend the slope south of Rainbow Falls. The width of the waterfall increases during periods of heavy rainfall. Plunging in front of a natural lava cave created by the powerful splash back, the water falls into the large pool below. The waters of the Wailuku River drop 80 feet (24 meters) to create Waiānuenue or Rainbow Falls. A park info panel offers this description of the waterfall: Sunny mornings are the recommend moments to observe the waterfall’s renown rainbows. A curtain of white pours over a shelf of black basalt. Walk out and enjoy head-on views of the waterfall. The easiest and best way to see Rainbow Falls is from the viewpoint that is level with the parking area. On your left as you face the waterfall, spot another trail packed with rock slab steps that rise to the brink of Rainbow Falls. A paved ramp and walkway makes this area of the park wheelchair accessible. Straight ahead of the parking area is a 70-yard long viewing area facing Rainbow Falls. Pull up to the parking area for Rainbow Falls Lookout, nestled within the city of Hilo, just 1.5 miles west of it’s coastal downtown.