Wailuku River State Park

How can one possibly pass up the opportunity to visit both Rainbow Falls and Peepee Falls in one spot? I absolutely love waterfalls and visit as many as I can, and there was no way I was not going to see Peepee Falls. I also loved using the words “Peepee Falls” in as many sentences as I possibly could. Mostly to hear my kids say, “Mom, I’m pretty sure that is not how you say it.” To which I always responded, “Oh, I’m sure that’s how you say it.” (Of course it is not, but pronouncing it correctly, Peh-EH, is really no fun.)

We first parked up by Peepee Falls, which leads into a series of pools known as the Boiling Pots. They are much smaller than Rainbow Falls, but very pretty and less visited, so less crowded.

I think these were Peepee Falls, and even if they are not, I am saying they are because I like saying it.

There were signs posted saying “No Swimming” but we saw a few people in the water. There were also signs warning about not climbing on the rocks or getting too close to the falls, which were being ignored. There were only a few other people there and we assumed they were locals because they brought their dog with them. We wandered around for about 10 minutes then drove down to the main area of the park.

This is one section of the falls we flew over in the helicopter. It is Waianuene Falls, better known as Rainbow Falls. To see more pictures from our helicopter flight click here.

They are called Rainbow Falls because rainbows often form in the mist surrounding the falls. For our trip, the rainbows at Akaka Falls State Park were much more pronounced. There is a large cement bridge for pedestrians to cross over to get perfect views of the falls. After you get your fill of the falls, you will want to look for this cement stairway.

Cement stairs at Wailuku State Park leading to a grove of banyan trees

Do not pass this up! It will lead you to an amazing grove of banyan trees. The cement ends pretty much at the top of the stairs, the terrain is uneven from there. A lot of rocks and roots to trip over, so gym shoes or hiking sandals are your best best. In fact, flip flops are one of your worst options everywhere on the island except on the sandy beaches.

A gorgeous, huge, sprawling banyan tree in Wailuku River State Park

This tree was the largest one in the grove. I could not get it entirely into the picture. It is at the bottom of the park, so to get a closer view, you will be walking downhill on dirt pathways. We stayed here for at least 45 minutes, wandering around, taking tons of photos, watching our teenagers climb and crawl on the trees.

My nature girl, wishing she would have had a tree house like this when she was growing up.

As we were exploring the area we could hear flowing water and decided to follow the sound of it. At first, it seemed like a well used trail as we set off through the tree tunnel.

Doesn’t that look like a path? I was sure it was a path, so we set off….and that is how we get lost. Luckily, my husband knows I do this and always pays attention so he can lead us back to civilization once I realize I have no idea where we are.

The trail turned into a very narrow ‘path’ through very tall grasses. We kept moving towards the sound of the water, we had to climb down some slippery rocks at one point. (This is where I stopped and said, “I’m not sure if this is actually a path. Should we keep going?”)  This was the only time that we ended up with some mosquito bites. On our way back, we went through the tall grasses very fast. In another minute or so we arrived at the top of the falls.

Rainbow falls is a series of waterfalls with rocky areas of pooling water in between. You could say this is the top of one of the falls or the bottom of another.

We climbed around on the rocks, taking pictures, avoiding areas where the water was moving quickly and investigating the areas where the water was pooled. We stayed in this area for another 10 minutes. The main reason we left was because we were all getting hungry. We were all very happy with this mini adventure, there is really nothing that I would have changed about this visit. Depending on the time of year, you may want to bring along bug spray if you decide to go looking for the upper falls and bringing water along is always a good idea. Also, the intensity of the falls varies greatly depending on rainfall. It had not rained in this area the day we were here. If it had, I am not sure of the safety at the pools. All guidebooks will warn you about flash floods and to be mindful of the weather no matter what you are doing on the island. If you would like to learn more about Wailuku River State Park click on the link.

My husband and son wanted to get some snorkeling in, so we switched up our itinerary, moving visiting Akaka Falls State Park until the next day, so we could get back to the black sand beaches in search of turtles and a good snorkeling spot.

As always, wishing you happy travels and fantastic adventures in this thing called life.

(All pictures are available as digital downloads for purchase at full resolution through Alamy. If you see something you like, click on the link. If you are unable to find it, use the Contact Me page and I will make sure the image is available.)

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Why you should visit Wailuku River State Park in Hilo, Hawaii