Parking
Continue beyond Vatia’s last house and the end of pavement on the rough gravel road to the large turnaround; park where space allows. Walking in from the paved-road end adds distance.
Overview
About Pola Island Trail
Why go
- Very short walk to rugged coast with Pola Island views.
Heads up
- The approach road is rough, and the shore is rocky and uneven.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the American Samoa map
Full mapElevation17–25 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active American Samoa alerts
- CautionSmall Craft and High Surf AdvisoriesSmall Craft and High Surf Advisories remain in effect across American Samoa; visitors should use caution on the water and around the surf zone.Official details
- ClosureMount Alava and Fatifati trails closedThe Mount Alava Trail and the Fatifati Trail from Fagasa Pass to the summit remain closed until further notice for trail improvement work.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
American Samoa Tour Guide
Your drive to Pola Island Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for American Samoa National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Pola Island Beach from Vatia0:00 / 0:34
“You're approaching the Vatia access for Pola Island Beach, where a short shore walk faces the island's steep green cliffs. Frigatebirds and boobies nest and roost there; look over the cliff faces and the air above them.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf American Samoa Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Old Vatia Trail to the Ridge
- Lower Sauma Ridge and Vaiʻava Strait
- Bats Before Dark
- A Harbor Inside a Volcano
- 15 audio storiesacross American Samoa’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Noddy, Samoan Starling, Butterflyfish, and 4 more
- Works offlinemaps, 10 trails, 15 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Pola Island Trail
The routePola Island Trail is an easy out-and-back from Vatia’s coast to a rough rocky shore, about 0.
Pola Island Trail is an easy out-and-back from Vatia’s coast to a rough rocky shore, about 0.1 mile round trip and usually 15–30 minutes. It is fairly flat, but the uneven surface means it is not necessarily accessible.
Getting thereContinue past the last house beyond the end of pavement on the rough, single-lane gravel road…
Continue past the last house beyond the end of pavement on the rough, single-lane gravel road to the large turnaround. It has ruts and tree roots, with places for vehicles to pass; park where space allows. Walking in from the paved-road end adds distance beyond the trail’s 0.1 mile.
The shore and Pola IslandThe short walk opens onto rugged coastline with views of Pola Island offshore.
The short walk opens onto rugged coastline with views of Pola Island offshore. The tall, narrow island is a nesting sanctuary for seabirds; the trail ends on Tutuila and does not go onto the island. From the rocky shore, the coast and island make the defining view.
Wildlife
Wildlife in American Samoa
19 sightingsNoddyMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
11 sightingsSamoan StarlingMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
17 sightingsButterflyfishMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
19 sightingsHermit CrabMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
10 sightingsMigratory ShorebirdMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
11 sightingsCane ToadMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across American Samoa. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
