Halape Hike. Our hike started at the Halina Pali overlook.
The hike starts off in the Ka'u desert and the sun was out bright and hot. We descended down the 2 mile switch back and took our time with a couple water breaks in between.Then we hit the flats and walked for about 4 miles on an ahu marked trail.The last 2 miles we could see the beach as we descended down the lava trail. There's a few camping spots and depending on who's there you can choose which one you want.
We took the shelter on the eastern edge of the beach. There also is a cabin and a water tank to fill your fresh water bottles. Remember to bring a filter though because the water is not purified. The beach is a beautiful half crescent sand bay with a protected lagoon filled with hundreds of fish and crystal blue water. We enjoyed our solitude as there was only one other couple camping on the other side of the beach.
The next day we hiked to the back end of the beach to a freshwater pond and a huge cliff named Pali Kapukapu behind it. It was very refreshing and just amazingly beautiful. We enjoyed our next two days swimming,sunbathing and walking on our empty beach all to ourselves. It was one of the most strenuous and difficult hike I have ever been on but also one of the ones that was the most worth it.