Trip to BI with children (Hilo, Waipio: to rent, live in, beach)

[mdgilmore]

Hello My family will be making a trip to the BI with 4, 5, and 13 year old girls. I am looking at reserving a vehicle but am wondering if it is worth the extra money to rent a Jeep. We enjoy hiking (we live in Oahu and hike frequently, but it's obviously nothing too strenuous with the kids - Manoa, Manawili, Diamond Head, Makapu'u, Kahana Valley, some of the Likelike...4 miles about as long as we can go with the little ones and nothing more difficult than moderate). We've been told that some of the best hikes are down in the valley but we would need to have 4 wheel drive to go there. Is the hiking in that area worth having a 4x4 and along the lines of what we've found to be doable with our little ones, or is it too advanced to even consider doing with them anyway? I also read that it's better to have a comfortable vehicle because of the long driving distances between sites (we'll be in the Volcanos Nat'l. Park area but intend to explore as much as we can in a week). Thanks for any input you can provide

[newUHprof]

Originally Posted by mdgilmore

Hello My family will be making a trip to the BI with 4, 5, and 13 year old girls. I am looking at reserving a vehicle but am wondering if it is worth the extra money to rent a Jeep. We enjoy hiking (we live in Oahu and hike frequently, but it's obviously nothing too strenuous with the kids - Manoa, Manawili, Diamond Head, Makapu'u, Kahana Valley, some of the Likelike...4 miles about as long as we can go with the little ones and nothing more difficult than moderate). We've been told that some of the best hikes are down in the valley but we would need to have 4 wheel drive to go there. Is the hiking in that area worth having a 4x4 and along the lines of what we've found to be doable with our little ones, or is it too advanced to even consider doing with them anyway? I also read that it's better to have a comfortable vehicle because of the long driving distances between sites (we'll be in the Volcanos Nat'l. Park area but intend to explore as much as we can in a week). Thanks for any input you can provide

I've used 4WD on BI for the following:

Going up to Mauna Kea summit. (Not recommended for the little ones, so not relevant for you.)

Going out to Green Sand Beach. (The hike down to the beach is tricky... maybe wait until the kids are older?)

Champagne Pond. (This was great, and is definitely kid-friendly. But is it worth getting a 4WD just for this? Probably not.)

I haven't gone down to Waipio Valley even when I had the 4WD... it's a really treacherous drive and scares me. I hiked down, but was sorry about that when I had to hike back up!

I would say no to the 4WD. Remember, you'll pay lots extra in gas, too, since you're driving long distances and they don't get good mileage. There are lots of great & easy hikes around Volcano and Hilo, and lots of fun places to go that don't require the 4WD (including if you want to hit the visitors' center of Mauna Kea... you just can't go to the summit). Get a more comfortable ride for the family. If you really need a 4WD for a day, rent from Harper's in Hilo. You'll probably still come out cheaper over all.

[OpenD]

I can't think of a lot to add to what newUHprof said.

There are only three places I think of 4X being really necessary... down to Waipeo Valley, up to the Mauna Kea peak from the Visitor's Center, and down to the green sand beach at South Point.

[mdgilmore]

Awesome, thank you Exactly what I needed, as always