Kilauea Lighthouse
Kilauea Lighthouse
4.5
10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Spectacular views surround this historic lighthouse.
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45 within 6 miles
See what travelers are saying
- JillianColumbus, Georgia19 contributionsMust see…even if just for the viewUnfortunately, I was only visiting Kauai for a couple of days which happened to fall during the portion of the week when the lighthouse and refuge are closed; however, the drive is certainly worth it for the amazing view at the lookout. Just before the gate, there is a viewpoint to see the lighthouse, cliff side, and ocean below…beautiful!!Visited December 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten December 5, 2023
- floridaherbieMarco Island, Florida221 contributionsGreat place!The Kilauea Lighthouse is open to the public from Wednesday to Saturday only and you have to book online in advance for a time slot! But the view from the lighthouse area to the coastline is amazing and the surf pounding the rocks at the foot of that cliff is impressive! The lighthouse itself is closed but that's not important. When you are there make sure you are talking with the park ranger, he will give you a better understanding of the nature there - and he is also a very nice guy. Had a great time there!Visited December 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten December 17, 2023
- Jessica M4 contributionsGreat views, excellent bird watchingThere is not a lot to "do" up at the lighthouse, but it's definitely worth a visit! $10/person entrance (15&under free) to the area. Easy walk to the lighthouse from the parking lot, and fantastic views once you're up on the cliff where the lighthouse is located. I wish we would have brought binoculars... There are a few public ones mounted around, but I didn't want to "hog" them. There's potential to see so many different birds, they provide you a little checklist.Visited January 2024Traveled with familyWritten January 21, 2024
- Kathleen S187 contributionsA Place of Relaxing EnjoymentA visit to the Kilauea Lighthouse National Wildlife Refuge is definitely worth making a reservation and the $11 USD/ person. Each reservation is given a 45 minute time slot to visit. We could have spent more time there watching the wildlife and soaking in the ocean views, but 45 minutes was long enough to watch the waves crashing and to watch lots of birds soaring. The visit is really about the nature and not the lighthouse, as the lighthouse is not open for climbing to the top. We saw red footed boobies, Nene geese, red tailed tropicbirds and a Laysan Albatross.Visited February 2024Traveled with friendsWritten March 1, 2024
- Craig P9 contributionsBeautiful Opportunity / Great viewsThe lighthouse / nature preserve was a nice time. You can't go into the lighthouse itself, but you can walk around it and the visitor center has a lot of great information. They had a number of volunteers onsite to share information and there were plenty of placards with information. Very beautiful and worth an hour or two of your time. Be aware that there is almost no cell phone reception there and you need to get tickets reserved ahead of time online.Visited February 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten March 2, 2024
- KevinL41872Nashua, New Hampshire585 contributionsBeautiful LighthouseA beautiful scene, tucked off the main road. Be aware, to visit or tour the lighthouse, you need to reserve and pay for the in and out as it is a start run tour. The pictures are great but we passed on the cost and duration to visit.Visited June 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten March 3, 2024
- Lee GPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania278 contributionsA must see for birdloversThe lighthouse is cute, and historic, but come for the birds! The cliffs were brimming with red- footed Booby nests. A frigate bird circled. Red and white tailed tropicbirds soared overhead. We spotted one Laysan albatross further aloft - then a volunteer set up a telescope trained on an albatross nest area with five fluffy chicks. The pathways in and out are lined with shearwater burrows - we heard the moaning before we saw them! We reserved two back to back slots to have enough time to read the placards and view the birds . Note: the restrooms were closed when we visited with porta potties in the parking lot.Visited May 2024Traveled with familyWritten May 22, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
780 reviews
Excellent
421
Very good
281
Average
62
Poor
14
Terrible
2
Diane W
119 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
We went on a beautiful Sunday, however when we got there we found the lighthouse was closed . But the view was beautiful at the top of the hill. We were excited to see some whales flapping tails, waving with fins and blowing. There were Nene birds in the area and one family of baby birds. It was a nice stop.
Written January 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christina K
Saint Louis, MO29 contributions
Dec 2022
There is an awesome lookout at the end of Kilauea Rd. that has a great view of the lighthouse and the water. We waited in a long line of cars down the hill only to find out you had to reserve spots ahead of time and pay a fee (unless you had a national park pass), so we had to turn around. I think you can see it perfectly fine from the viewpoint unless you have a park pass and booked in advance!
Written December 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Theresa C
Allendale, NJ813 contributions
Apr 2019
The Kīlauea Lighthouse, in the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge in Kauai was built in 1913 as an aid to navigation for ships bound for Hawaii.
The beacon was automated in the seventies and in 1976, the Coast Guard shut it down, replacing it with more advanced navigational systems. Today the lamp is lit only for ceremonial purposes.
The beacon was automated in the seventies and in 1976, the Coast Guard shut it down, replacing it with more advanced navigational systems. Today the lamp is lit only for ceremonial purposes.
Written January 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
benni82018
Point Roberts, WA579 contributions
Feb 2020
The lighthouse is on a high promontory with a great view of the North Shore and migrating whales. The neighboring hillside is full of boobies and albatrosses nesting. Remember to bring your national park pass or it will cost your $10 per person.
Written February 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nctraveler315
Winston Salem, NC171 contributions
Jul 2021
We enjoyed the amazing views and information about the different species of birds in the bird sanctuary. The light house is quaint and makes a nice picture. We walked around for a bit and took lots of pictures of the beautiful views. It's not a long stay unless you really want to do some bird watching. Still it was worth stopping by. We were able to use our National Parks pass so we did not have to pay for entry. Don't know that this is something young children would enjoy. I heard the gift shop was nice but because it was so small and with Covid restrictions only one person could go in at a time and I did not want to wait just to walk around the gift shop.
Written July 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KevinL41872
Nashua, NH585 contributions
Jun 2023 • Couples
A beautiful scene, tucked off the main road. Be aware, to visit or tour the lighthouse, you need to reserve and pay for the in and out as it is a start run tour. The pictures are great but we passed on the cost and duration to visit.
Written March 3, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dr_Xaos
Palatine, IL1,296 contributions
Mar 2023
Wife and I visited the Kilauea during our Kilauea Point Wildlife Refuge outing. The lighthouse sits on the point, which is on the far end of the wildlife refuge past. The physical structure was closed to the public at the time of our visit, so we could only observe the building from the outside. It was an interesting structure and an intriguing history to it. A nearby builing had some signs and exhibits that provided some additional details about the lighthouse.
Written April 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bad_Seed4
Canberra, Australia818 contributions
Dec 2022
So I am sure we did what a lot of people did, lovely drive up the road, stopped at the top, looked out, then started heading down the hill, no indication anywhere that reservation might be required -oops, hit a queue! 15 minutes later, still crawling down the hill in the queue with no opportunity to turn around as the queue is too tightly packed and the road is too small.
There really needs to be a sign up the top explaining about the need for reservations or the possibility of a queue as you can't see it from the top. We kept queuing until we could loop around and then left. Half an hour in a hot car. Sad
There really needs to be a sign up the top explaining about the need for reservations or the possibility of a queue as you can't see it from the top. We kept queuing until we could loop around and then left. Half an hour in a hot car. Sad
Written February 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
floridaherbie
Marco Island, FL221 contributions
Dec 2023 • Couples
The Kilauea Lighthouse is open to the public from Wednesday to Saturday only and you have to book online in advance for a time slot! But the view from the lighthouse area to the coastline is amazing and the surf pounding the rocks at the foot of that cliff is impressive! The lighthouse itself is closed but that's not important. When you are there make sure you are talking with the park ranger, he will give you a better understanding of the nature there - and he is also a very nice guy. Had a great time there!
Written December 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Morgan P
7 contributions
Apr 2021 • Couples
It’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong but it’s a very quick trip and a bit boring unless you do the tour, especially For the price of admission. Lucky for me my husband and I both have national park passes so we didn’t have to pay, and we were happy since we ended up staying just about 15 min and then left.
Still, it’s a beautiful spot!
Still, it’s a beautiful spot!
Written April 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Can you get to the cliff and see the view even when the lighthouse is closed or is the road and area entirely blocked when it’s closed?
Written September 29, 2019
You can see the lighthouse very far off and some of the birds. They close at 4 sadly.
Written September 30, 2019
there is a place where fees are charged to enter and there may be a gate across the driveway. You could probably walkdown to the light without anyone stopping you. If you do a google search you are bound to come up with some site addressing your question.
Written January 3, 2019
Although the point is moot as I write this, the park is operated by the Federal Government, so it may well be affected in the event of anothershutdown. The site's phone number is 808-828-1413.
Written January 23, 2018
Can you see much from the free parking lot?
Written April 24, 2017
Can you see much from the free parking lot?
Written April 24, 2017
Yes. Nice view if the ocean and the lighthouse, just not up close.
Written April 28, 2017
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