This Wild And Beautiful Park In Hawaii Is As Off-The-Beaten-Path As It Gets
By Megan Shute|Published August 04, 2019
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
The Hawaiian Islands are home to jaw-dropping natural beauty from the mountains to the coast, but nowhere will you find more breathtaking scenery than within Hawaii’s countless incredible parks. With more than 50 state parks, waysides, recreation areas, monuments, and historic sites, there are countless Hawaiian parks to choose from, some easier to reach than others. This state park, in particular, is about as off-the-beaten-path as you can get and is wildly beautiful. Ready to explore this little-known park? Let’s go!
Nestled on the island of Molokai approximately three miles north of Kualapu’u at the end of Kalae Highway is Pala’au State Park, a 234-acre natural oasis that is home to breathtaking pasture lands and koa, eucalyptus, and ironwood forests.
Perhaps most famous for its scenic overlook of Kalaupapa, a former leper colony with the ocean on one side and giant 1,600-foot cliffs on the other described by Robert Louis Stevenson as a "prison fortified by nature," Pala’au State Park is a perfect spot for a picnic or camping getaway.
To visit the Kalaupapa Lookout, head right from the parking lot on a paved path. Here, you will discover a sweeping, panoramic view as well as interpretive signs that identify the sights some 1,700 feet below and briefly describe the tragic history of this remote place.
You can also choose to go left from the parking lot on the short but steep dirt path that meanders through an ironwood grove to the Phallic Rock. This unmistakably shaped boulder measures in at six feet tall, and legend says that the rock is the fertility demigod Nanahoa, who turned to stone after he threw his wife over a cliff during an argument.
Picnicing is a popular activity here and tent camping is allowed with a state permit. Drinking water is not available at the park, but you will find restrooms. Entrance to the park is free, and because Pala’au lies at an elevation of approximately 1,600 feet, the temperature here is often much cooler than the islands’ beaches.
Have you visited the island of Molokai lately? What’s your favorite attraction to visit on this small but stunning island? Sound off in the comments below!
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