How to get to Two Step beach parking for snorkeling 🌴 Where is free parking at Honaunau Bay 🌴 Big Island Hawaii travel blog

ALOHA!

So you’re headed to Two Step beach aka Honaunau Bay for one of the best snorkeling spots on the Big Island!

This is located towards the southern side of the Kona coast.

Snorkeling at Two Step can be perfectly paired with a trip to the Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park aka Place of Refuge.

The national historical park is located right next to Two Step.

You can see people snorkeling from the national historical park…

And you can see the national historical park when you’re snorkeling!

So…

What’s the parking like at Two Step?!

I last made a visit to Two Step in August and September 2019 and this is how it was. Parking situations can change!

You basically have 3 choices for parking when you’re headed to Two Step for snorkeling.

First, the quick list.

Then, a bit more about each of these parking spots.

1. Free parking in the small parking area or side of the road a few minutes walk from the bay

2. Parking at the national historical park that’s included in your park pass

3. $5 parking directly in front of the bay

More below about starting your snorkeling adventures at Honaunau Bay!

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So…

More about getting to Two Step aka Honaunau Bay

So you can put into Google Maps “Two Step” and that can get you to where you want to go.

Once you turn off the main highway, it’ll be about a 5 minute drive basically towards the ocean!

I didn’t see any signs for Two Step or Honaunau Bay.

But instead, you can follow the signs for Puuhonau O Honaunau National Historical Park and it will take you there. You don’t need to remember the exact name – just look for the sign for the national historical park!

Once you see the big sign for the national historical park, you’ll turn down this road.

Free parking

And if there’s a lot of people at Two Step already, you might start to see cars already right as you go down the hill.

This is one of the areas that you can park for free.

You can then round the corner, and then that’ll be where the main free parking area is.

If you can’t find a parking spot here, you can head back up the road and find a spot to park along the shoulder.

OR…

Parking at the national historical park

If you’re planning on going to the national historical park, you can head straight to the end of the road.

At the end of the road is the entrance to the park.

And then you can just park in the national park’s parking lot.

There seems to be no problem with parking here and then going snorkeling at Two Step.

Plenty of people seem to do this!

There is an entry fee for this national historical park. It’s $15 in 2019. You can also get the Hawaii tri-park pass for $50 that includes entry to this park, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park also on the Big Island, and then the national park on Maui. There’s no cost savings if you’re just going to the 2 places on the Big Island, but you can consider the extra $10 a support of the US national park system!

Whether you park in the park, the little parking area, or on the shoulder…

After you park, you’ll then take the small little street that leads to the ocean!

It’ll be a 1-2 minute walk from where you park.

OR…

Parking lot right at the beach

If you don’t mind paying a $5 parking fee to basically be right at the beach (and you want to support local!), then once you get to the bottom of the hill and the free parking area, you can keep driving.

Once you see the little street on the right towards the ocean, that’s the street you’ll turn onto.

This will be the same road that people walk to get to the beach.

Then, once you hit the end of the small street and you turn onto the road that runs along the water, you will immediately find the parking lot on the right side of the road.

And I think you’ll find a parking lot attendant around. (I didn’t park here so I don’t know exactly how it works.)

Now, there IS free parking in front of the parking lot right along the water… but these parking spots are extremely limited. (I’m pretty sure it’s free anyway.)

So once you go down the little street, just be prepared to go to the paid parking lot… or to loop back around.

It’s a one-way street so the way back means you’ll need to drive a loop to get back.

It’ll be a 2-3 minute drive to get back to the other parking area.

So if you don’t get one of those free spots along the water, then your options are to drive back around to where you came from, or to just go for the paid parking lot.

And that’s a bit about parking at Two Step!

And then for snorkeling at Two Step…

You have what’s basically a walk-in entry…

And also a lava rock entry!

Be sure to more about the best ways to enter the water at Two Step safely!

And that’s a bit about getting to Honaunau Bay!

If you’re interested in Two Step, you may also be interested in these Big Island activities:

• Kealakekua Bay snorkeling
• More Kona snorkeling spots
• Makalawena Beach
• Kua Bay
• Pololu Valley
• Waipio Valley
• Day trip to the Big Island valleys
• Papakolea green sand beach
• Kilauea iki crater

HAPPY SNORKELING AT TWO STEP!