Dog Beach at Honokohau Harbor
Yes, the infamous “Dog Beach” of Big Island!
Location: Honokohau Harbor, 73-4786 Kanalani Street, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740
Driving Directions: From downtown Kailua-Kona, drive north on Queen Kaahumanu Highway to Kaloko-Honokohau Harbor (with a traffic signal) where you will turn left. Drive past the first right and follow the right bend on the main road. You will see cars parked at the end of the road. After you park, the beach will be in plain sight. Be prepared to trek over and down 70 yards of lava rock to reach the beach. It is not sharp, but can be a bit cumbersome to traverse.
Review: This is a popular off-leash beach for dog lovers. If I visit this beach prior to 9 a.m., chances are good that we will be the only ones. If you are looking to socialize your dog(s), Sundays around 11:00 a.m. is a popular time for the regulars…dogs and their humans frolicking in the gentle water. This is also a popular spot for SCUBA divers and some snorkelers, so make sure that your swimming dog doesn’t follow them out into the deep water!
MARCH 2017 UPDATE: I have heard from several readers that this beach is deteriorating: water is foamy and brown (from the currents) and the sand is gross due to homeless people and irresponsible dog owners who either do not clean up after their dogs or just leave the poop bags somewhere along the path (Note: Most “compostable” bags do not break down for many years, and even if they did break down quickly, the poop would still be there littering the beach). There are NO trash cans, so bring several bags to put your waste in and dispose properly. I’ve also heard about problems with intact and/or aggressive dogs whose owners do nothing to control them. This does not help our cause when we ask and plead for more dog-friendly parks and beaches. I’m interested in hearing from our readers on suggestions or their recent experience. Remember, this is NOT a County beach, so they do not have jurisdiction over it. If it was a County beach, no dogs would be allowed. It is located within Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park boundary, but for a reason that is unknown to us, it is not patrolled by National Park Service and therefore, the 6 foot leash policy is seemingly overlooked. In National Parks, dogs are required to be on a leash no longer than 6 feet long. The Dog Beach is basically self-regulated. If you know who owns or manages it, please contact me at rhonda@lavadogshawaii.com
ALERT: The park does not have life guards or bathroom facilities. No trash cans, so please haul your trash out with you and dispose of properly!
General Beach Etiquette for Dog Owners
Take your dog home at the first sign of unfriendly behavior.
Puppies and dogs should be vaccinated and healthy.
Keep close supervision of your dog and do not let them near honu (sea turtles) that frequently sunbathe on the rocks and beach.
Dogs in estrus/heat should be left at home.
Pick up and properly dispose of your dog’s waste. Compostable poop bags doesn’t mean you can leave the bag there at the beach or in the parking lot!
How to keep your dog safe at the beach
When taking your dog to the beach, make sure there is plenty of fresh water and shade. Dogs can get sunburned just like humans, so limit your dog’s exposure to the hot sun and apply a zinc-free sunblock to his ears and nose 30 minutes before going outside.
Be careful not to let your dog spend too much time on hot sand or asphalt. Dogs can burn their feet just as easily as we can.
Cool ocean water is very tempting to a dog. Don’t allow your dog to drink too much seawater. This can cause diarrhea or vomiting and quickly dehydrate them.
Swimming is a great form of exercise for dogs, but don’t let them overdo it. They will be using new muscles and may tire quickly.
Running on a beach is strenuous exercise and a dog that is out of shape can easily pull a tendon or ligament. If your dog is out of shape, don’t encourage him to run on the sand.
The beach can present many hazards for your dog. Things to watch out for include boats, fishhooks, dead fish, honu (sea turtle), Keawe tree thorns, wana (sea urchin), garbage, and broken glass. Lava rock can be very sharp and can easily cut you and your dog’s feet.
We have been visiting this beach for the last seven months. Great spot. Clear water. Rarely crowded. Our dog Lucy has a great time.
Great to hear, Darrin! Thanks for letting us know. I’m sure viewers will be happy to hear that.
I was at the beach on Saturday and it was beautiful! Just a few people and everyone was friendly. First visit and will surely go back, but I live on the East side, so it will not be a frequent stop.
To create change, we need to educate from the ground up. And, it is a two way street. Those without dogs and who possibly do not care for dogs miss a great deal. But, their preferences should not affect responsible dog owners who simply want to share some areas and not take over anything.
In Britain, dogs are everywhere and are welcome on properties of the “royals”, in pubs, stores, all over the place.
This is possible due to education of people and gradual assimilation of our canine buddies into general life.
We vastly prefer our dogs to be off leash but that seldom works where there are people not accustomed to dogs and possibly (probably?) have fears of dogs.
These are usually issues of education so that those with fears get over them.
We’re in the process of moving here. My wife and her Boston Bull are here now permanently and the Lab and I will follow in May.
We are really looking forward to meeting more dog lovers and hopefully gather info on where it is OK for us to explore with our pups.
Mahalo
Aloha!
My husband and I are moving here in late April. I have one service dog and one in training. The service dog I currently have is a medical alert dog. He is so good and super intunned with my needs. So, I allow him to be quite independent. It is crucial to me to find dog friendly places for us to go to reward him for everything he does for me. Is there anything we can do to improve the beach? I am a ghostwriter and have plenty of free time to volunteer.
Thankyou very much for the update on DogBeach.. Not much available anymore on the west side of the Big Island for people traveling with our dogs . Pine Trees use to be an enjoyable camping area where we use to bring our dogs for hiking and swimming /surfing.. Today Kona has become very unfriendly for our 4 legged fur family 🙁
It is very sad that with so much Aloha, not much is directed at our pups…
Stopped by on Sunday, what a crappy beach! Brown mud sand, no shade bad parking. This must be the absolute least this island can do for it’s residents with dogs. Time for some new blood on City Council and County Supervisors!
Thank you I am moving to paniolo estates with 4 dogs
Eugenie, Aloha, did you move here? How are the four dogs doing? I’m wondering how the dog beach is, in YOUR opinion. I have a friend coming over from Maui and she may bring her dog for the week.