Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site
How many places in America can you walk in the footsteps of a king? Where else has a stranded sailor risen up to become a great chief over an entire island? Where else can you experience the culminating event of a people, foretold from centuries past? Where else can you stand on a beach and watch as sharks pass over a submerged temple? Experience all this and much more – only at Pu'ukoholā Heiau!
Alerts
- InformationNew Park Hours
As of November 13, 2025, the new hours of operation at Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site are 8:30am –4:30pm. The parking lot gate will close at 4:00pm.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Entrance & Exit | Daily · 8:30AM - 4:30PM |
| Today's Hours | Daily · 8:30AM - 4:30PM |
When to go
March draws the most visits here and September the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Pu'ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site ↗Passport stamp
Our Visitor Center is ADA accessible and offers wall exhibits with both English and Hawaiian Language interpretive information in our open lanai area. We also offer a FREE Audio tour available for Smart Phones (Data/Service Provider fees may apply).
Explore
Things to do
- Become a B.A.R.K. Ranger at Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site30-60 Minutes
The park is open year round, we welcome all fur friends who would like to be apart of our National Park Service family. No matter what the weather may be here in Hawai'i, our fur friends love a walk in the park. Time for a "Pawsitive" experience.
Opens on the Park Service site - Sharks, Whales and Dolphin Viewing30 Minutes
Sharks, Whales and Dolphins are often visitors to the shores of the park and can be seen with the naked eye and, even better, with binoculars.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Cultural Demonstration - Hulu Ali'i (Chiefly Featherwork)10/1410:00 AM · runs through Dec 30 · freeVisitor center
Historic landmarks nearby
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Hawaii guidebooks
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthChestnut-bellied Sandgrouse 15× · Short-eared Owl 2× · Red Junglefowl 1× · Hawaiian Monk Seal 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 39 birds, 8 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsBarn Owl
Waterfowl & wadersWestern Cattle Egret
Shorebirds & seabirdsBonaparte's Gull · Caspian Tern · Franklin's Gull · Least Tern · Little Tern · Pacific Golden Plover · Ring-billed Gull · Sanderling · Semipalmated Plover · Short-billed Dowitcher
Gamebirds & dovesMourning Dove · Rock Dove · Spotted Dove · Zebra Dove
Also on the checklistAfrican Silverbill · Black Francolin · Brant · Common Myna · Eurasian Skylark · Grey Francolin · House Finch · House Sparrow · Koloa Moha · Northern Cardinal · Northern Mockingbird · Nutmeg Mannikin · Nēnē · Pueo · Saffron Finch · Warbling White-eye · Yellow-billed Cardinal · Yellow-fronted Canary · ʻAkekeke · ʻAukuʻu · ʻIo · ʻIwa · ʻŪlili
Small mammalsHouse mouse · Norway rat · Polynesian rat · black rat
BatsHawaiian Hoary Bat
Also on the checklistDomestic Cat · feral goat · small Indian mongoose
Activities
Activity guides for this park Camping in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Weather & climate
The weather in the park is typically hot and sunny with daytime temperatures in the upper 80's. An excellent time to experience the park is in the morning and in the late afternoon when the temperatures are a bit cooler. The park is open daily from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. However, the park and or trail does occasionally close because of high winds or dangerous storm conditions. Please check with the visitor center or your hotel for any weather advisories or hazardous conditions on the day of your visit.
Questions people ask
Does Puʻukoholā Heiau charge an entrance fee?
No. Puʻukoholā Heiau is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Puʻukoholā Heiau?
Standard hours are 8:30AM - 4:30PM, every day.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Puʻukoholā Heiau right now?
1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: New Park Hours.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Puʻukoholā Heiau?
21,978 recreation visits in 2025, number 322 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Puʻukoholā Heiau?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
What is the weather like at Puʻukoholā Heiau?
The weather in the park is typically hot and sunny with daytime temperatures in the upper 80's. An excellent time to experience the park is in the morning and in the late afternoon when the temperatures are a bit cooler.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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