When you think "Hawaii," you think "beach." Rightly so. As isolated as it is in the Pacific, Hawaii's waters are crystalline, teeming with marine life, her sands warm and inviting, her palm trees and naupaka plants alluring, the sun showcasing an electrifying array of blues. They're truly the stuff of postcards.
But Hawaii is also a place of green wonder, site of some of the wettest places on earth, home to unique tropical jungle with plants and creatures that can only be found here. You may feel you're in a scene from "Lost" or "Jurassic Park" as you explore them — after all, they were filmed here.
Here's our list of the do-not-miss green spots on each island — there are hundreds to choose from around the islands, but this list is narrowed to one spot on each that is distinctive. Make them part of your next visit.
Bird lovers in particular will be enchanted with this more than 5,000-acre, Nature Conservancy-protected area on the slopes of Haleakala, as it is home to 13 types of native Hawaiian birds, including the colorful i'iwi.
The National Park Service leads hikes along Waikamoi Preserve's Bird Loop Trail every Monday and Thursday morning at 8:45 (3.5 hours, 3 miles, 500 ft elevation change), and on the Boardwalk Trail (pictured, photo courtesy of The Nature Conservancy) on the third Sunday of every month (5 hours, 5 miles, 600 ft elevation change). The tours are free, but you must pay a $10 access fee to enter Haleakala National Park en route to Waikamoi, and reservations are required. Call (808) 572-4459.
There are bountiful green spots to explore on the Big Island, but if you're looking for a slice of adventure in the wilderness, camp out at the 100-acre Kalopa State Recreation Area on the Hamakua coast. At 2,000 feet elevation three miles inland from the coast, you'll be deep in an old-growth ohia forest favored by several species of ferns, happily growing thanks to 90 inches of rainfall annually on average.
The campgrounds offer rentable facilities and cold-water showers and restrooms, and a short loop trail that will take you through 25 different native species of trees, shrubs and vines. Outside the campgrounds are longer trails ideal for mountain biking and horseback riding. (Video: TBdown70/YouTube)
It's fair to say the "Garden Isle" is more renowned for its greens than its blues. In other words, it's not hard to find the greens on this island, it's more an issue of fitting them all in during your stay.
Princeville Ranch, a 2,500-acre family-owned and operated cattle ranch, offers a number of tours on Kauai's lush north shore that help preserve the land while giving visitors access to some of these green jewels. Hike up to a waterfall, kayak through a river, zipline over the rainforest... or do them all! (Photo: Princeville Ranch.)
Also known as the Judd Trail, this common name for the stream-fed pool at the end of this loop trail was given by local kids a hundred years ago: for the ginger that lined the pond and the donkeys nearby.
The donkeys are gone, but the wondrous variety of the rainforest remains. Sprouting up around the area now are elegant homes, part of the upper Nuuanu neighborhood just outside Honolulu. There are a handful of rainforest hikes near population centers on Oahu, including the Manoa Trail and the Maunawili Trail, each with waterfalls to boot. Jackass Ginger is the shortest — a little less than a mile — giving you your dose of green and letting you move on to the next adventure. (Photo: 3D Travel, Inc.)
The Nature Conservancy protects more than 2,700 acres surrounding Molokai's tallest peak: Kamakou. The ecology here is like no where else on Earth: In fact, of the 250 plant species the preserve protects, 219 cannot be found anywhere else.
You can drive up to the Waikolu Valley Lookout to see the preserve from on high, or you can call The Nature Conservancy for a tour of the Pepeopae Trail, a three-mile-long boardwalk through the bog-like forest. (Photo: Pepeopae Trail, by Grady Timmons/The Nature Conservancy.)
The upland areas of Lanai around Koele and Lanai City are populated with pine trees designed to capture moisture from the air; you'll notice a 10- to 20-degree difference in temperature here than at sea level. But go further up, to the island's peak: Lanaihale, at 3,370 feet. Here you'll be greeted with cool mists and trees including ohia lehua, ironwood, eucalyptus and more pine. If the mists clear, you'll have spectacular views of Kahoolawe, Molokai, Lanai and possibly the Big Island and Oahu.
You can get there by hiking, biking or 4-wheeling the Munro Trail. (Video: LanaitheDJ)
