The Art of Making Coffee |June 2, 2026

3 Must-do Big Island Hikes & Cold Brew Coffee Recipes For Your Adventure

Although I admit in these last few years my hiking has been less and less, I love a good hike and find the smells and sounds and the wind on my face to be an excellent and healthy way to spend time.
I want to share three hikes with you today that will really allow you to experience our diverse eco-systems and see some incredible vistas. I will also share a cold brew recipe and some variations so you have plenty of energy to get back home.

Makalawena (King’s Trail)

Hike Rating: Easy to moderate

Accessed by driving slowly through the Kekaha Kai State Park Road and parking near the chained gate. Walk the lava path for about 8 minutes until you see Mahai’ula beach. This is a nice little beach but your destination is not here. Follow the ocean (as you face it) toward the right and you will pass an old abandoned red house and find the trail that takes you over rugged sun baked lava flats for about 20 minutes until you come upon the majestic Makalawena Beach. Three white sand crescents make up this gorgeous beach. Bring everything you need as there are no services here. This is a piece of private property so no camping, only day use.

In terms of the hike’s difficulty, there is no real elevation change. The only tough part is walking on lava. Protect your feet. It is about 2.6 miles round-trip. Allow about 1 to 1.5 hours round trip for the walk and plenty of time to relax, swim and enjoy the beach.

You will want to have food and snacks and just before you are ready to head back, have a cup of Coconut Lime Cold Brew. This is the perfect refreshing tropical coffee delight for a day at the beach.

Coconut Lime Cold Brew

a) In a Large Mason jar add 1 cup of ground Greenwell Farms Coconut Coffee
b) Add 4 Cups of cold water.
c) Stir and set in fridge overnight.
d) In the morning, run through a paper filter and add ¼ cup of lime juice.
e) Add 1 Cup of sweet cream*
*Some substitute coconut milk.

Keep this ice cold in your cooler and whenever you need a miraculous pick me up that lifts the mind and cools the core, try this tropical delight.

Pololu Valley Hike

Hike Rating: Moderate to difficult

Accessed via the Akone Pule Highway passing Hawi and Kapa’au, and all the way to the end of the road. Make sure you have a backpack because you are about to walk down a steep hill, and you’ll want water, snacks, and a towel.

The trail is steep but well-worn, and provided it is dry, (slippery when wet) take your time meandering down and enjoy some of the most amazing vistas anywhere in Hawaii. The green cliffs and ocean blue are everything you have dreamed of when imagining Hawaii.
At the bottom of the cliff, you can walk across the beach or sit and enjoy. Swimming here can be dangerous if you’re not sure of the conditions, but you can put your feet in or take a shallow dip. Spend some time exploring this beautiful place.

Advanced hikers can continue across the beach, climb the other side of the valley and end up at the Honokane Nui lookout bench.

The Pololu trail does not take long (Maybe 40 minutes round trip), but it is steep, and you will feel it. Protect your feet. It is about 1 mile round-trip. If you add Honokane Nui, allow about 2-3 hours round trip for the walk and plenty of time to relax.

When you have returned to the car head toward the town of Hawi and find the Kohala Coffee Mill. On the menu, you will find a make-your-own cold brew where you choose size, flavors, and milk type, and I guarantee it will hit the spot. Sit outside and let your body rest a bit as you enjoy people watching and top-notch cold brew. Their ice cream is also delicious.

The Kilauea Iki Hike

Hike Rating: Moderate to challenging

We tell everyone that if you want to see a lava episode (I just saw #48 yesterday while writing this) you should check the YouTube live camera (V3) every few hours and when it seems that it is ready to blow, cancel everything and get on the road. While the longest episode has been about 3 days, the shortest has been for only a few hours. It is unlike anything you have ever seen.

That said, if you are headed to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HVNP) there is a lot to do and see, but my family loves the Kilauea Iki Trail Hike with the Thurston Lava Tube addition. You will feel 100% like you have hiked into the crater of a volcano, and as steam rises through cracks all around you, and a myriad of unique angles and scene changes confront you, after your two-hour sojourn, you will feel for the rest of your life that you have hiked an active volcano in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Once inside the crater, it is flat, but you have to go up and down the crater walls, which requires a little muscle power. Go slow, rest often, bring lots of water, and most people are fine. It is about 3.3 miles round-trip.

Park at the Kilauea Iki Overlook lot and find the trail (It is well-marked). Follow it to the Thurston Lave tube and do the 20-minute side loop through the tube. (Will require you to cross the street) After that, it is back to the main trail where you will descend into the crater. This is the clockwise route, which we recommend.

Bring sturdy footwear, way more water than you think, snacks and sun protection. (Light poncho optional)

Unless you are staying nearby, most people after this epic hike have to get back to the resorts, and that drive is a couple of hours away. This is where cold brew is your savior. Made the night before, and kept ice cold in a cooler in the car, after your trail experience this is going to hit smooth and refreshing while giving you the road awareness to get back safely. Here is the recipe.

Sparkling Orange Cold Brew

a) In a mason jar, put in one cup of coarse-ground Greenwell Farms Dark Roast Coffee and 4 cups of ice-cold water.

b) Drop in 5 slices of orange (rind and all) and squeeze a bit. Let it sit in the fridge overnight.

c) Strain through a filter and put in your cold water container. Keep chilled. You will also want a bottle of chilled Perrier or Pellegrino.

d) When you are ready, mix the sparkling water to taste with the coffee, and now you have that added dimension of carbonated throat burn that feels so good after a long hike.

(When traveling, a lot of these things may not seem readily available. Never fear. If you can, bring a small collapsible soft cooler and freeze a couple of bottles of water in the hotel freezer or ice from the ice machine. [in a gallon Ziploc works as well]. This will protect chocolate purchases as well as keep your drinks fresh. It’s a great thing to pack. Instead of a mason jar, you can use a water tumbler or pretty much anything that can hold liquid. Be creative!)

That’s it! Wishing you an amazing summer, gorgeous trails, weather, and elegant cold brews!

Bonus: If you’d like to explore a few other hikes on the Big Island, check these out:
Captain Cook Monument
Kaloko Cloud Forest
Pu’u Wa’aWa’a
Koloko Fish Pond Beach Hike
Kiholo Bay Hike
Green Sand Beach Hike