Parking roadside. Hike is downhill all the way there. Upper half is 6ft tall grass and scattered trees. Lower half is more barren through old lava flow. Bring lots of water!!!!! Water is ridiculously clear for snorkeling. Memorial is cool. We did this hike with our 3yr old on our backs. It was rough coming back. Lol. Glad it was overcast.
The fish and coral are so beautiful! Some people took a boat to get there, but there is a 2 mile hiking trail off 160 to get here. The trail is pretty challenging especially the way back up hill.
If you do the hike make sure you are wearing good shoes and have lots of water. We saw a few people who weren't prepared and were struggling. The trail is narrow and you will walk through brush for part of the first leg. Once you get close to the edge you will be rewarded with some good views. There are 8 markers along the way, each marker is about 0.25 mile. Once you hit #8 follow the trail to the left to get to the monument. There is plenty of shaded spots to put your stuff down. If you plan to snorkel, go to the edge of the cement pad in front of the monument, put on your gear and push off. Use the front, as there is coral along the sides that may have urchins. There is a small rope ladder that will help to get back up. The snorkeling was well worth it, water was clear and there was a lot of spots to explore. It can be busy depending on how many tour boats are around. Be prepared, the walk back up is a lot tougher than the way down.
Have fun!!!
Pretty good snorkeling; awesome drop-off! 2 negatives though were a lot of other snorkelers during peak times, and not the best variety of fish (though still pretty). The monument (and the history behind it) are pretty cool! Can't comment on the hiking, as I arrived by boat.
Beautiful and worth the hike!
Heed the other reviewers warnings. Bring more water than you think you need, good hiking shoes, a hat, etc. Can you do it without these things? Yes, but it will be more difficult for you. My husband and I went through 4 liters of water. Of course, we went during the heat of the day (10a-2p) so if you can go earlier I would recommend that.
One final piece of advice: beware the mongoose! They are everywhere near the monument and do steal things so make sure all your valuables and food stuffs are out of their reach. They can open zippers! Luckily for us, they only stole some of our nuts but several others around the monument reported missing keys and wallets. Tricksy little buggers.
Captain James Cook Monument is a US Point Of Interest based in Captain Cook, Hawaii. Captain James Cook Monument is located at Captain Cook, HI 96704, USA.
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