This is a really nice place for family and fitness all in one they have a tour bus I didnt take it but the people are really nice!!

We just had to stop on the side of the road to take some pictures.On a clear day, you see Mauna Kea so well!

Beautiful area and free to visit.

If your tired of the heat! Take a trip yo the top! One of the many places to visit while on the Big island! 4 stars because they could easily make the road better than it is, its only bad at the top for about 300ft..to parking area

Breathtaking beauty! Experience peace and tranquillity. Fabulous plants and birds. Must see to experience the beauty of the Big Island of Hawaii! Well worth the time spent enjoying nature.

Mana Road mountain bike ride from Saddle Rd. to Waimea. Easy to moderate ride, but long. 6 hrs. Great vistas and beautiful land near Hilo Forest Reserve. Walk down the trail at Dr.s Pit to see the monument where David Douglas (of doug fir fame) was murdered.

Feeling the wide nature... awesome scenery... wind... rough earth~

A place where you can see the aina for what it is. I love that you can see all the native plants like the ohia. Malama aina. Ended up picking up some rubbish make sure you pack out your trash!

This is a beautiful drive. You need a 4x4. There is no hiking or strolling here except at Drs Pit, which is a 10 minutes walk. Drive slow, lots of quail and pheasants on the road.

Driving though Hilo is amazing experience. Its climbing mountain without the steep turns!!

Full of mystery and allure.. the Spirits of the trees calling on the soft upcountry breezes of Tutu Nature, Our Mother of the Forest, naturally inviting..Geckos and Pueo and high flying long wingspan seabirds hang on thermals in the zenith directly above.. scents of Rainbow Eucalyptus refreshes my lungs and I am aware of my breath, the air surrounding me and the silence of my mind..Every hue of green reveals itself in monochromatic shades of olive, kelly, forest and lime greenery...Ancient trails are disclosed and my imagination soars .. I didn’t bring my phone (camera) as I wanted a pure non-technological nature-centered experience.While meditating in the Forest Reserve I let go and I let Lono guide me to a small waterfall and white long tailed Tropic birds sang their birdsongs and set the mood as two of them danced their way in short figure 8 sprints high in the Winter sky of upcountry Hilo.. a white faced barn owl made it’s appearance at 6: o’clock, just as the sky grew darker fast as the sunset beyond the mauna- on the Kona side sending ribbons of pink clouds streaking through Waimea’s direction and lead me out of the restricted Reserve along a thin trail back to the side of the road where I had parked hours ago..Taking pictures would have distractingly left me tapping buttons and it would have been a disservice to my soul internally and a vexation to my inner calmness..Thank you for reading this far and kindly LIKE this if you did!Mahalo and aloha no!!

Just a few pictures from driving by to Akona falls.All pictures are from my Instagram @dani_elere .

The Most Beautiful Place On In My Eyes! Aloha Da Trail Boss FBI

Nice area for a short hike to a scenic waterfall and valley. Enjoyable walk for young and old as we had kids and mother inlaw with us. Plenty of free parking too.

Amazing views of all of Honolulu from the lookout!!! Must see.

We did a cycle tour here. Just fantastic.

Beautiful mother nature,

For $5 its a nice treat and easy trip

Great Forrest. Awesome volcano.

Absolutely great and beautiful place .

I love this place! The Greenery is amazing.

So beautiful

Awesome side trip. Dress warm if you want to get out at all, temp is usually in the 50s at best.

Beautiful area. Great place to go on a hike and if its sunny out take a cam with you for some amazing photos. Even just driving around that area is really nice.

Its so peaceful and basically youre on top of the island...close enough, anyway!

The landscape of Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii, is diverse. Beaches of black, grey, brown and white sand contrast with mountains and dramatic waterfalls. Hilos Panaewa Rainforest Zoo is the only US zoo in a tropical rainforest. A day trip away are the snow-capped mountains Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, both with observatories near 11,000 feet, and Kilauea Caldera, an active volcano. The view from above is spectacular and if you have the opportunity to choose a helicopter tour that definitely worth the money and the time for the beauty you can see from above.

Awesome, beautiful and wild wish I could have stayed longer, a place to contemplate existence.

Beautiful, Cant wait to return

One of the most remote places on the most remote island in the world. You have to drive over an hour on a 4WD trail to get to the very rustic cabins. The composting toilet is the most unpleasant part. Our stay on the new moon provided star gazing that surpassed any else on planet Earth.

After going over so many places covered with volcanic lave over the island – you can finally reach the place, where you can feel like you’re on a Tropical Island, not a volcano evacuation zone ;-) Plenty of gorgeous trees and plants all over, along the way with beautiful wild life in form of birds and lizards. Will come again here, for sure!

Beautiful. Seen a lot of wild life, Piglets, Hawaiian Hawks, Monggoose, Native Birds, Rivers and Waterfalls everywhere!!

Very beautiful ,clean bathrooms and great playground

Unique! Real volcanic crater

Remote and beautiful. Amazing views. Respect Pele.

Its a fairly good forest reserve. Ive had better, but its OK.

Amazing sunsets and a great drive

Has the best pictures ever

Relaxing beautiful I love Hilo,HI would love to move there

Moana Kea elev. 13,00092% of stars visible from earth

Nice place for a hike

Yes it is a forest I pass this way all the time on my way home...

Because its close to untouched by humans.

Its a great place to visit and great customer service

I wish that we have a legal shooting range for pistol and high power range where we can enjoy shooting our firearms. This area has been cleaned, but nevertheless, there are people that dont have the decency to pick their brass and shot shells.We have alot of fields for soccer and baseball, but no good ranges for archery, pistol and high power shooting. It would be very beneficial if we have rangers in south Hilo that can be controlled by state or county, instead of gun owner must be a hunter to use the forest reserve to sight in or enjoy shooting their firearms.

A relatively short walk on groomed paved trail yields wonderful visuals of local geography.

Beautiful! So much devastation but you can see already coming back to life

Nice beach but so windy.

Lovely, peaceful & quiet. No longer has a pool. It appears to have been a casualty of new steam vents.

Closed! Drove to top before we saw a sign. They said there was one at bottom so we looked when we got back down. Could not find it.

Beautiful park, well reserved

What a beautiful place! Peaceful, awesome flowers, plants, in a well placed setting! Gotta see it!

This was amazing. We did the ATV through the forest and it was SO MUCH FUN. The crew is cool and the ATVs are a blast.

While on vacation on the big island, tried to go up to see the stars. Between the extreme rain and snow could not complete this trip. Beautiful scenery along the way.

Absolutely stunning!

The drive on saddle road is breath taking...the view of Maunakea and Mauna Loa, majestic!

Beautiful as always!

Tropical rainforest, dense, lush vegetation, in Stark contrast to the Kona coast

Not bad I like the old way sushi was served

This place was staggeringly beautiful.

Weather never the same. Bring clothes for rain and cool

Hilo Forest Reserve Garden

Great view of the lava flow right by Old Saddle Road.

Beautiful is an understatement.

AWESOME ! BEAUTIFUL!

Beautiful drive and amazing views.

Had a great time at the Fores Reserve.

Beautiful scenery, easy to get to. Lots to see and walk around. Wish we had more time to explore here.

Friendly Folks, Huge varity.

Incredible views and easy to get to

Couldnt get it to see it.

Very beautiful views

Good ride, cold.

A beautiful spot, privately owned and well looked after. Nature at its best, au natural.

Beautiful forest

Amazinh historical place to stop and acclimatize B4 going 2 the top of Mauna Kea

Beautiful, enjoy the ride.

Nice hiking trails but not much else.

Incredible place, a must experience for anyone visiting the island.

Great place to see but make sure the road is open or you cant get up the rest of the way to the top

Try the helicopter tour (worth every penny) - great view of active volcano and (slowly) moving lava (trees on fire at some spots) - NEVER go by our own (dangerous/illegal) - a must go sightseeing

Very cool place

Very cool to see trees and old lava flows mixed.

No water for Poi Dawg, he say 1 star he then pissed on the one kine...

Beautiful Scenery.

A truly beautiful Hawaiian forest that makes you feel as if one has stepped back a few centuries.

Great place. Just take in the beauty of nature

This is an oasis... a gem of Paradise, a placeto go to be quiet and still. The forest is enchanted.

Amazing beauty. One of my favorite drives on big island

Nice rest stop

Absolutely gorgeous! Take the time And drive the interior!

Beautiful for short hike and a picnic

Beautiful place

Unbelievably tall trees - just beautiful!

Interesting place not bad to chill at.

Quiet, peaceful, best place on earth

Big wide open expance on this end of the big island.

Neat stop

Hawaii Island best vacation 2015 next 2018 sunglasses sunny coconut drink

Beautiful trails, varied views and terrain. Bring a raincoat, because rain is not uncommon!

Kumana Caves formed by lava are unique. Pitch dark, good flashlight (100+ lumen) is a must, dont count on cellphone flash light (~10 lumens), our group of 8 carried 4 - 150lumens flashlights.. Cave on the left lead us to un-explored greens of Hilo Forest Reserve where its pretty easy to get lost. We somehow made to nearby road but we have to walk 1.5miles to get back to the caves where we were parked. Awesome experience! ! Must do and plan for atleast 90min for each cave.