Campground · Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
A remote camp in grass and lava, reached only by long hikes.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes 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.
See the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes audio tourMore stories near here in the app
“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!!!!”
Guide
Pepeiao is a backcountry tent-camping destination in the park’s southwestern reaches, an open, expansive site surrounded by grass and lava fields. It suits experienced, physically fit backpackers planning a wilderness overnight, not a drive-up stop. The former cabin is unsafe for use, so plan on tent camping.
The shortest listed approach is 4.8 miles from Hilina Pali Overlook; the others start at coastal Kaʻaha (6.0 miles) and Kaʻū Desert Trailhead (9.1 miles). Expect steep, rocky, uneven trails that may be overgrown, with hot, windy stretches. Stone cairns mark the routes and can be hard to see in mist or rain and impossible to find in darkness, so plan your route and timing carefully.
A backcountry permit is required. Pepeiao allows up to 16 hikers per night, with stays capped at three consecutive nights. Carry at least four quarts of water per person per day, plus sun protection and layers; this coastal backcountry can be hot, dry and windy, with passing showers. Pets are not allowed in park wilderness, except service animals.
Wildlife
600 sightingsHawaiian Goose (Nēnē)Most seen around 5 PMSighting map
35 sightingsGreen Sea TurtleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
36 sightingsHawaiian Hawk ('Io)Most seen around 11 AMSighting map
41 sightingsBlack NoddyMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
96 sightingsWhite-tailed TropicbirdMost seen around noonSighting map
24 sightingsHawai'i 'ElepaioMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Hawaiʻi Volcanoes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingHilina Pali Trail to Halapē16 mi · 10 hr · 4 mi awayA long, hot lava descent to a remote coconut-lined shore.
ChallengingHilina Pali Overlook Loop8.1 mi · 7.5 hr · 4 mi awayA steep pali descent opens onto a hot, rocky coastal loop.
ChallengingKaʻaha Trail7.2 mi · 6 hr · 4 mi awayA rocky cove rewards a steep, sun-baked climb back up the pali.Parkwolf’s Hawaiʻi Volcanoes ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
