James Kealoha Beach Park (Four Miles)

You'll have a bird's eye view of James Kealoha Beach Park when you fly into Hilo Airport. This beach, which is steeped in tradition, sits just north of the Big Island Airport.

The beach park got its name in 1963 when Jame Kealoha was elected the first lieutenant governor of Hawaii. But locals call this beach park “Four Miles Beach Park” because it sits exactly four miles from the Hilo post office, and this decades-old post office was the starting point for mile markers on the Hilo side of The Big Island. The beach isn't actually four miles long.

There are three distinct sections to the beach park. The central and western portions of the park are open to the Pacific Ocean. These sections have dangerous currents and are not good for swimming, but you'll probably find plenty of fishermen taking advantage of the deep water in this part of the park. 

If you want to swim, you'll have to head to the eastern end of the beach park. There, you'll find plenty of white sand and some local children. This sheltered part of the beach park is reliably safe for a swim, and is very popular with the local kids.

This beach park is perfect for a quick picnic. You'll find covered picnic tables at Four Miles Beach Park, and the pavilion was once owned by the Carlsmith Family. That's why you might hear some locals refer to this beach park as Carlsmith Beach.

And you can look out into the ocean to see a small island off the coast of this beach park. There is some dispute over the name of the island -- Scout Island, Mahikea Island and Peiwe Island -- but, no matter what you call it, you can still see the damage a 1946 tsunami wrought on its seaward side.
 

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Price: Free
Location
Hilo, Big Island