Weliweli via King's Highway Foot Trail is a 4.8 mile out and back trail located near Waikoloa Village, Hawaii, Hawaii that offers scenic views. The trail is good for all skill levels and is primarily used for hiking and trail running.
While an interesting hike to contemplate how hard it must have been to build this trail, it was somewhat of a disappointment. There are other hikes in the area with better payoff views. Can’t say this one was really worth the effort. That said, conditions in the day I took it were not ideal. While it was sunny, winds were 25-30 mph gusting to 40 so it made hiking over the lava trail even more difficult. Got a nice dirt tan though.
If you ever wanted to feel like you were alone on a distant planet, this hike is for you! Really interesting trail in terms of history and engineering! It is built through some of the gnarliest lava on the island! I really enjoyed visiting all the archeological points of interest along the way. The view at WeliWeli is lovely and I did notice some other trails branching off this one that looked intriguing.
Ive been staying in the Waikaloa Beach Resort area for a few days, so this trail is the perfect morning walk/run to catch the sunrise. The trail itself is fairly easy to follow, and quite straight for a majority of it so pathfinding is not necessary- however, this trail is brutal to walk on for a long period of time given the amount of loose rock. The lava fields create a tough, technical walk that I would avoid running for large sections. The views here are not the best you will find, but if you make it to the Queens Pond there is a decent reward for your work. Great way to escape the crowds of the resorts
I trail run this trail at least 3 times a week after work since I work in the area. I usually take the beach trail starting from the front of Lava Lava beach club and run until I reach the only standing house and then loop back up to connect on Kong’s trail and run back. Otherwise you can take this path all the way to Kiholo Bay. Footing is slightly uneasy so if you’re a brand new trail runner maybe proceed with some caution. Otherwise, the beach side run is breath taking.