Makolea Beach
Kailua-Kona, HI
Makolea Beach is a narrow ribbon of black sand a short, rough walk south of Mahaiula, formed from the same 1801 lava flow that the Kona airport sits on. Almost nobody makes the detour, so it tends to belong to whoever's willing to cross a stretch of broken lava to find it.
The black sand and the solitude make it worth the detour for the right person, but there's genuinely nothing here, no shade, no facilities, and the walk keeps most people away.
How we score beachesFollow the old jeep track south from the Mahaiula parking lot rather than trying to hug the shoreline. It's rough underfoot either way, but the track is a little more forgiving.
Use the Mahaiula lot off Highway 19 and walk south along the coast, roughly fifteen to twenty minutes over lava terrain.
The walk crosses loose lava rock and sand, uneven and slow going, not suited to strollers, wheelchairs, or flip flops.
Calmer summer surf makes the black sand shoreline easiest to enjoy, while winter swells can send waves further up the narrow beach.
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