Hilo Walking Tour
Hilo, United States
Why Walk Hilo
Hilo sits on the wet windward coast of the Big Island, receiving over 3,300mm of rain annually — making it the wettest city in the United States and giving it a lush, tropical character dramatically different from the dry Kona coast just 90 minutes away. The town's charming downtown features vintage buildings from the early 1900s, many of which survived two devastating tsunamis in 1946 and 1960 that reshaped the waterfront — the 1960 wave killed 61 people and led to the creation of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Hilo's farmer's market, operating since the 1970s, draws over 200 vendors on Wednesdays and Saturdays selling rambutan, dragon fruit, anthuriums, and macadamia nuts grown in the surrounding volcanic soil. The Merrie Monarch Festival, the world's most prestigious hula competition, takes place here every April, drawing thousands of spectators and hundreds of dancers from across Hawaii. Just 45 minutes south, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park protects Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, which erupted continuously from 1983 to 2018, adding over 200 hectares of new land to the island. The town is also home to the University of Hawaii at Hilo and serves as the base for the observatories atop Mauna Kea.
Free Hilo Walking Tour with Roamee Pro
Roamee Pro, also known as Roamee, offers a free Hilo walking tour with audio narration. Use it to explore Rainbow Falls, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hilo Farmers Market, plus hidden gems like Peepee Falls and Boiling Pots and Merrie Monarch Festival without booking a group tour.
This Hilo walking tour is built for travelers searching for a audio guide, a free walking route, or the Roamee app for Hilo. Start with Rainbow Falls and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, then branch into local context, photo spots, and neighborhood stories as you walk.
explore by interest
Must-See Stops in Hilo
- •Rainbow Falls — Called Waianuenue ('rainbow water') in Hawaiian, this 24-meter waterfall is fed by the Wailuku River and drops into a large circular pool surrounded by tropical vegetation. The falls are most photogenic in the early morning when sunlight refracting through the mist creates vivid rainbows
- •Hawaii Volcanoes National Park — This UNESCO World Heritage Site protects two of the world's most active volcanoes: Kilauea, which erupted continuously from 1983 to 2018 and has added over 200 hectares of new land to the Big Island, and Mauna Loa, the largest shield volcano on Earth by volume. The park's Crater Rim Drive circles the Kilauea caldera, passing steam vents, sulfur banks, and the Thurston Lava Tube, a 500-year-old tunnel formed by flowing lava. The Devastation Trail crosses a cinder field from a 1959 eruption that shot lava fountains 580 meters into the air.
- •Hilo Farmers Market — Operating since the 1970s on the corner of Mamo Street and Kamehameha Avenue, this open-air market features over 200 vendors on its full-market days (Wednesday and Saturday), selling tropical produce grown in Hilo's rich volcanic soil
- •Liliuokalani Gardens — Built in 1917 and named for Hawaii's last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani, this 12-hectare Japanese-style garden on Banyan Drive is one of the largest ornamental Japanese gardens outside Japan. It features stone lanterns, torii gates, pagodas, arched bridges over fishponds, and a formal tea ceremony garden, all set on a peninsula overlooking Hilo Bay with views of Mauna Kea. The gardens were built to honor the Japanese immigrants who worked on the Big Island's sugar plantations.
Hidden Gems in Hilo
- •Peepee Falls and Boiling Pots — Located along the Wailuku River just upstream from Rainbow Falls, this series of connected cylindrical pools was carved into the basalt by centuries of rushing water, creating a bubbling, churning effect that gives the site its name. The falls themselves drop about 12 meters into the first pool, and when the Wailuku River is running high after heavy rains, the interconnected pools roil dramatically as water surges through underground channels between them.
- •Merrie Monarch Festival — Named for King David Kalakaua, who revived hula and Hawaiian cultural arts during his reign in the 1880s, this week-long festival every April is the Olympic Games of hula. Over 200 dancers from more than 20 halau (hula schools) compete in both ancient kahiko and modern auana categories, with performances judged on chanting, instrumentation, costume authenticity, and choreography. Tickets sell out within minutes of release, and the competition is broadcast live across Hawaii.
Walking Tip
Bring rain gear — Hilo is one of the wettest cities in the US. Mornings tend to be clearest. Rainbow Falls is best before 10am for rainbow sightings.
Best Time to Visit
April through September is slightly drier. The Merrie Monarch Festival in April is a cultural highlight. Volcano viewing is year-round but lava flows vary.
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