Hawaii is often thought of as the ultimate vacation destination that everyone instantly falls in love with. And how couldn’t you with all of the breathtaking scenery, warm weather, clear water, etc.

But is Hawaii actually an overrated tourist destination?

In this article, I’ll take a look at some of the different aspects of visiting Hawaii and I’ll answer the question of whether or not Hawaii is overrated based largely on my own personal experiences but also on what others have said.

The insane prices and high fees

Let’s kick off this discussion talking about the prices in Hawaii, which is one of the biggest complaints of visiting Hawaii.

Hawaii is one of the most expensive places to visit.

Nice resorts on islands like Maui and the Big Island are very expensive. For example, at the time of publishing the cheapest room (a Resort View 2 Queen Bed) at the Hilton Waikoloa Village was running for $640 per night.

You can find cheaper lodging if you really look especially around Honolulu but some of the more affordable hotels can be quite dated, have tiny rooms, etc.

The prices can also affect a lot more than lodging.

One area is the food.

I give islands like Hawaii a pass to a certain extent because they have to import so many things, which naturally drives higher prices.

But sometimes the price is just sooo out of line with the quality of your food that it’s mildly infuriating.

For example, take a look at this piece of pizza below. We paid $14 for two small slices of this pizza (which we thought were much bigger because of the packaging).

For lunch, one of our hotels on the Big Island was charging $37 for a bacon cheeseburger and fries and this was not some fancy restaurant by any means.

Getting hit with exorbitant prices gets old very quickly especially whenever you feel like the value you receive is not anywhere close to what you’re paying for.

It’s one thing to pay $40 for a cheeseburger when it’s amazing and quite another to pay that much when it’s barely mediocre.

If you have visited other beautiful tropical locations that are much cheaper it’s hard not to feel like you’re just constantly getting hosed.

The fees in Hawaii can also quickly add up.

Resort fees are very common and they can be pretty high (~$45 per night), parking can cost you $50 a day, and some hotels will even slap on a $15+ delivery fee for each room service request.

If you try to go about a visit to Hawaii like you would in a “normal” location, it can feel like you’re just blowing money left and right as you navigate a minefield of fees and high prices.

And another thing that makes the additional expenses that much more of an issue is that Hawaii is so far from the mainland.

This usually prevents you from taking shorter trips which means more days spent trying to avoid spending a lot of dough! After a long 10-day vacation you may feel fatigued — not just from your beach days and adventures — but from feeling the constant sting in your wallet.

Related: How Many Days Are Needed to Visit Hawaii?

The crowds, tourists, and over commercialization

One thing that can get old with Hawaii is dealing with crowds and the over commercialization.

We’ve tried to visit beaches before where all of the parking was filled up by mid morning and gates were closed off to other visitors. I’ve seen crazy long lines for pretty unremarkable attractions (e.g., the train ride at the Dole Plantation) and mandatory reservations are becoming much more common.

I often feel like if I’m visiting a place with even mild popularity (like a nice waterfall), I have to get going as early as possible or I’ll be stuck dealing with heavy crowds (or possibly no parking).

You also have a fair amount of inconsiderate tourists like the ones we had to deal with on top of Mauna Kea who were flying a loud drone (illegally) during a beautiful sunrise.

To be fair, crowds are not always an issue in some places especially whenever you get outside of spots like Waikiki.

We’ve gone on hikes in Kauai where we were able to escape the crowds but not always the commercialization.

For example, we did an amazing hike in the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific” with beautiful canyon views.

But unlike the real Grand Canyon which offers hikers solace when off the rim, we had to contend with the recurring buzzing of helicopters flying overhead.

So at times, it can feel like a real challenge to escape the far-reaching impact of tourism even when you’re venturing miles out from the main areas.

Bad experiences with locals

Another major negative aspect of visiting Hawaii could be bad experiences with the locals.

Personally, I haven’t had any negative experiences with locals on my visits to Oahu, the Big Island, and Kauai. In fact, I would say my engagements have been overwhelmingly positive.

But I have heard many reports of locals being rude, overly defensive, racist, etc.

Now, I get it that some locals probably have their reasons for feeling a certain type of way towards tourists or mainlanders. For example, they could’ve had prior experiences with inconsiderate or entitled tourists who don’t respect the land or history of the islands. It probably happens way too often.

But there are broader, deep-seated racial tensions in the state that impact the way some locals interact with mainlanders, which is not always so nice.

As an American from the mainland, when I visit locations outside of the main tourist spots, I sometimes feel like there is this unsettled status of Hawaii as the 50th state.

You’ll see special discounts called “Kamaʻāina rates” for native Hawaiians (those with local IDs) at places like restaurants, hotels, and other tourist attractions.

That type of thing doesn’t bother me (Hawaii is not the only state to offer discounts or perks to residents).

But those type of things, along with a complicated and grievous history, language differences, and a vocal minority pushing for sovereignty, often give me this feeling that I’m visiting a foreign place rather than one of the 50 states in the US.

It’s odd to have that “other” experience when in your own country and I think that is one reason why some people feel less comfortable in Hawaii.

It’s like visiting a political hybrid zone where you don’t quite know how exactly you fit in.

Customer service woes

In my experience, the customer service in Hawaii can be very hit or miss.

I’ve had some tremendous service at the resorts we’ve stayed at but when it comes to the tour operators it’s been a different story.

To me, it feels like some of the tour operators are so accustomed to herding hundreds of tourists through their experiences each day that they don’t give attention to where it’s needed when things go wrong.

For example, I’ve called ahead to schedule tours and get verification about certain aspects of the tour before arriving. The reps were quick and happy to make a guarantees when it was time for payment but when we went through with the tours, it failed to deliver what was promised.

(This is a much bigger deal for a travel blogger like myself who carefully plans out content because it means a missed content opportunity.)

My complaints in these cases were largely dismissed even though some of them were borderline deceptive trade practices. Sometimes it feels like they view complaints as just another “unhappy mainlander” complaining and they blow it off.

Because you are flying so far and paying so much money, when the customer service is subpar and you have a real complaint it makes the infraction that much worse.

The beauty overrated?

Okay so this is one thing that I’m not quite on board with but some people do feel that Hawaii is not quite as beautiful as it’s made out to be.

It’s true, there are a lot of beautiful places out there that could compete with Hawaii and everyone has their own personal tastes and preferences.

Personally, I am more swept away by the wild and rugged landscapes of Alaska but Hawaii is a close contender for most beautiful US state.

In terms of international comparisons, other countries like New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Bora Bora, Fiji, the Seychelles, and some countries in the Caribbean could certainly hold their own when compared to Hawaii.

But I really struggle to get on board with the idea that Hawaii’s beauty is overrated. There are just so many idyllic beaches, mountains, hiking trails, views, etc. in Hawaii that it’s hard for me not to consider Hawaii as a top tier destination when it comes to overall beauty.

So I guess it’s possible you could be let down by the beauty of Hawaii but I really don’t see how you could be.

Final word

No destination is ever going to be perfect — you can always find areas where some place can be improved.

I don’t think that I would ever call Hawaii “overrated” because I really love visiting, but I would agree that the drawbacks to Hawaii don’t get as much attention as they probably should.

With that said, I think it’s always worth visiting at least one time to see what it’s like for yourself.

Daniel Gillaspia

Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here. 

Are you trying to figure out how many days you need for a great visit to Hawaii?

There’s a lot that goes into planning a trip to Hawaii but there are a few key considerations you want to think about when planning the minimum amount of days needed for your trip.

Below, I’ve broken down some of the big things you want to think about and provided some tips to help you better estimate how much time you may need.

Travel days versus vacation days

When thinking about how much time you need for Hawaii, it’s helpful to think about the days in terms of travel days versus vacation days.

We will talk more about island hopping below but at a minimum you are going to have two travel days when you visit Hawaii (assuming you come back home of course).

Depending on your flight schedule and level of exhaustion, you may not be able to really do any kind of vacation activities (or relaxing) on these travel days so it’s often helpful to just remove them from your trip day count.

As a general rule of thumb, I would try to give myself at least five vacation days when visiting a single island on Hawaii. But let’s explore how some other factors affect this.

Where are you coming from?

Where you are coming from can make a big impact on how long you should stay.

Consider that in Hawaii, it’s a six hour time difference from the East Coast and three hour time difference from the West Coast.

When traveling from east to west, it’s expected that you will need one day for each one and a half time zones crossed. When heading back east, you may need one day for each time zone.

That would mean when traveling from the East Coast to Hawaii you would need about three to four days to completely get over jet lag.

Of course, you can still get out and enjoy yourself when dealing with some jet lag (and everybody’s different) but it’s good to think about this when planning the length of your stay.

In particular, you want to be careful about those first 24 to 48 hours. It’s often recommended to avoid certain activities like scuba diving during the first 24 hours of jet lag.

Also, it’s not always about jet lag.

If you’re not someone who can sleep on a flight, a long flight can tire you out and make you borderline useless for a good 24 hours or so.

The nonstop flight from New York to Honolulu is around 11 hours so think about the effect that a flight like that might have on you. And then just imagine what a connecting flight or two would do to you.

Lots of times, because you are so pumped about visiting Hawaii, it may be difficult to get good sleep before your trip. So your sleepless time can add up really quickly and before you know it, you’ve gone 36 hours with virtually no sleep.

If traveling from the East Coast to Hawaii, I would recommend planning for at least eight vacation days. That way, at least half of your vacation days should be free of jet lag.

Because the jump over from the West Coast is only a three hour time zone difference and flights can get you there in under six hours, taking short trips of a few days makes a lot more sense. I know quite a few people who take three day weekend trips from the West Coast to Hawaii like it’s nothing.

Of course, one of the ways that you can enhance the comfort of your flight and hopefully get more rest is by flying first class. Check out our guide on flying first class on Hawaiian Airlines for more details on how we did it for very cheap.

Odds of going back?

Another question to ask yourself is what are the odds of you going back anytime soon? For some people, Hawaii is literally a once in a lifetime trip.

If you think it’s highly unlikely that you will be going back anytime soon, I’d strive for a 10 days of vacation. I’d also probably try to split time between two islands: Oahu and Kauai/Maui/or the Big Island.

Just don’t try to do too much island hopping which I’ll talk about below.

Are you going to be island hopping?

One of the biggest factors that will impact how much time you need is whether or not you plan on island hopping.

A common temptation is to want to island hop to two or even three different islands on your first trip to Hawaii.

And I get it. Each island has its own unique beauty with plenty of bucket list things to see and inter-island flights are very cheap.

This temptation is made worse by folks throwing out how “it’s only a 35 minute plane ride” to get to “X” island.

But you have to consider all of the true travel time involved with island hopping.

Even though the flights between the islands can be very short and easily under one hour, you still have to think about the time spent packing up, getting to the airport, waiting for your flight, arriving, checking in a rental car, getting to your hotel, etc.

And don’t forget about unexpected issues.

We just experienced this on our last trip to Hawaii where one of our flights had apparently been refunded without us even realizing it! That ended up eating a few more hours out of our day.

So island hopping can easily burn up the bulk of one day unless you’re flying out pretty early.

But aside from time, it can also tire you out which is the opposite of what a lot of people visiting Hawaii want.

If you plan on visiting a second island, I would recommend staying at least 10 total days and even that’s on the lower side.

That’s because if you stayed for 10 days, three of those days will be travel days so that really only leaves you seven vacation days to explore two islands.

Most likely that would mean something like three days on one island and four days on the other. That’s pretty doable but again that’s still on the short side if you ask me. Giving yourself at least three to four vacation days on every island you visit is probably ideal when island hopping.

In a lot of cases, it could just make more sense to split your time up on one island which brings me to the next point.

Related: Flying Southwest Inter-island in Hawaii? Here’s What to Expect

Staying in multiple cities on one island

Another thing to think about is whether or not you plan on moving around to other places on the same island. Lots of the islands have two or three main hotspots where people like to stay and these different spots can offer a vastly different experience.

For example, Kona on the Big Island is extremely different from Hilo, which is on the wetter side of the island. Going from one to the other is almost like going to a different island.

By staying in vastly different places on the same island (which is often “dry” side vs “wet” side), you can get the feel of experiencing two different islands. But it has the added bonus of giving you more time to explore rather than waiting around in airports.

It’s also nice because Hawaii is one of those places where there is seemingly something interesting to check out at every corner. So there will be more than enough to see on one island.

While switching hotels does not take up as much time as island hopping, it still can eat up a good amount of time, so you don’t want to go too crazy with it.

On an island like the Big Island it can take you one to three hours to get to where you need to be depending on the route and traffic.

Even on a small island like Kauai, it can still take you two hours to get from one side of the island to the other.

Also, if you’re staying at some of the huge resorts in Hawaii, just getting in and out of those can eat up more time. The check-in lines can be a lot longer, getting to and from your room can be a small hike, etc.

They also don’t tend to offer early check-in so if you arrive early, you’ll find yourself waiting around for your room to get ready (and hoping that it’s ready on time).

So if you plan on staying on one island and bouncing around two different spots, I think at least six vacation days would be a good length of stay.

What do you plan on doing?

Another big consideration is what do you plan on doing?

If you plan on doing weather dependent things like a helicopter ride in Kauai or visiting the top of Mauna Kea, you want to have extra time in case the weather disrupts your plans.

Hawaii gets a lot of rain and sometimes it’s a bit unpredictable so having some alternate dates available can be key.

Each time we have visited Hawaii, we have ended up flipping around different itinerary items because the weather has impacted our plans.

A lot of interesting activities can also eat up a large portion of your day.

Some of the coolest places like the Green Sand Beach on the Big Island or the Jurassic Park gates filming location, take a lot of time to access. Plenty of other amazing waterfalls or beaches also require a good hike to get there and back.

Some places like Pearl Harbor can be a full day event if you really want to see everything and soak it all in.

Another really great thing about giving yourself extra days is that you can get an early start for different locations which will help you to avoid the crowds not to mention hotter temperatures.

If you have limited days that means you’ll be hitting more of the hotspots right in the middle of the afternoon when crowds can be really bad. This can quickly take a toll on your enjoyment.

Can your budget handle the expense?

While there are many reasons to go with a longer trip, the fact is not every budget allows for that.

While you can find some affordable hotels in Hawaii, it’s one of the most expensive places you can visit, especially islands like Maui.

If you find yourself on the lower end of some of the recommendations above, don’t worry. You can still have an amazing time in Hawaii.

In those cases, I’d recommend to strive for a minimum of four vacation days on a single island. Unless you’re coming from the western US, anything shorter than that may not be worth it.

Final word

Because of how remote Hawaii is, you want to give yourself enough time to enjoy these tropical islands before heading back home.

Exactly how much time that will require will depend on where you’re coming from, how much bouncing around you plan on doing, and the type of activities you’re interested in.

My general advice would be to give yourself at least five vacation days on a single island or at least four vacation days on each island when island hopping.

For people coming from the western US, they can probably shave a day or two off of those recommendations.

Daniel Gillaspia

Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here. 

Lots of people seriously doubt that it snows in Hawaii. The image just does not conform with our traditional picture of Hawaii as a warm and breezy tropical paradise with lush palm trees and warm beaches.

But does it actually snow in Hawaii? And if so, where can you experience this rare snow?

In this article, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the snow in Hawaii including the best places to see it.

Does it snow in Hawaii?

Yes, Hawaii can get quite a bit of snow but only in the mountains where the elevation is significantly higher than sea level. This would include places like: Mauna Kea (elevation 13,803′), Mauna Loa (elevation 13,680′), and Mount Haleakala (elevation 10,023′).

Therefore the only places where you would expect to encounter snow in Hawaii would be on the islands of Maui and Hawaii (the Big Island).

So if you were thinking that you would be chilled out on Waikiki Beach with snow falling on you from the sky, that’s not going to be the case. The temperatures are simply way too warm and stable for you to experience snow at the beach.

For example, on Kailua-Kona which is on the Big Island, the average low at the coldest time of year in January is 68°F and the lowest ever recorded temperature in Honolulu is 52 °F. Those coastal temps are obviously much too warm for snow.

Typically the snow in Hawaii is not going to fall below 9,000 to 10,000 feet in elevation but that’s not always the case. In February of 2019, more than a foot of snow blanketed Polipoli Spring State Recreation Park on Maui, which sits at an elevation of 6,200 feet!

It’s also been reported that there have been extremely rare snowstorms that have brought snow to elevations as low as 3,000 feet, although the recorded evidence seems to be sparse.

In those cases, the snow likely melts very quickly similar to how snow melts pretty fast in the desert.

On average, the mountain tops receive about 3 to 5 snow events per year, although some years won’t bring any and other years will bring even more.

These winter storms also can bring in heavy winds so it’s not always the most peaceful snowfall experience. In fact, it can be quite dangerous to be visiting any of the mountain tops when snow like that moves in.

Surfers will love when these “Kona low” storms blow in because they also bring along huge swells!

The best place to see snow in Hawaii

Probably the best place to see snow in Hawaii is on Mauna Kea, which can be accessed via a mountain road so long as you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle and follow all the mandatory procedures (read more about those here).

Mauna Kea is the highest point on Hawaii and it rises to 13,803 feet. If you were to measure the mountain all the way down to its base which is located at the bottom of the ocean, the entire mountain actually is taller than Mount Everest! Crazy stuff.

Sometimes the snow/ice will not melt completely until sometime in the summer so it’s possible for you to head up to the top and at least see remnants of snow in the months of April/May and possibly even June.

The mountaintop can receive a lot of snow such that it actually builds up a decent little snowpack. When we visited the summit in March, I was very surprised at how thick that snowpack was. You definitely didn’t feel like you were in Hawaii!

Just how much snow can hit Mauna Kea? Well, in December 2016 the mountain received more than two feet of snow! For a tropical paradise, that’s pretty impressive.

The Mauna Kea visitor center at is located at about 9,300 feet so it would be possible for you to visit there on a snowy day although it would probably be a pretty rare occasion.

Just how cold can it get in Hawaii?

The lowest recorded temperature is apparently 8°F which was recorded on Mauna Kea back in February 2019 — the same time that the record snowfall happened on Maui.

When we visited the summit for sunrise in March, it was in the mid 20s °F, although it can warm up to the 40s during the day around that time.

This means that if you want to see snow on Mauna Kea it’s a good idea to bundle up. Flip-flops and an aloha shirt aren’t exactly proper attire on top of the mountain….

But the temperature is only one factor when heading up to check out the snow in Hawaii. You also need to be mindful of the wind.

If there is no wind up on the mountain the temperatures can be very bearable.

But if you run into strong winds with crazy gusts, it can be really difficult to stay comfortable up there. In fact, sometimes they shut down the road because it gets too windy!

Consider that the strongest wind gust recording on top of Mauna Kea was a whopping 191 mph during a winter storm! So you don’t want to mess around with some of these storms.

Visiting during a snowstorm

If you want to actually get caught in a snowstorm in Hawaii that’s going to be a lot tougher.

The snow storms would only be occurring at the higher elevations on the mountains and the roads often get closed during inclement weather. So unless you were already up there or hiked your way up there, it would be a challenge to experience a snowstorm.

And remember those storms can be brutal so there’s definitely a major risk involved.

Skiing and snowboarding in Hawaii?

It’s true, people do ski and snowboard on Mauna Kea when there is enough snow up there, which usually tends to be between December and March. After major storm blows through, conditions might be right for skiing and snowboarding for about a week or so.

However, it’s a lot more challenging than your typical skiing outing at a resort.

That’s because there is no ski resort up there and you have to bring your own equipment. You’ll also have to do a good amount of hiking up and down unless you have someone to act as your personal ski lift.

The snow conditions also are not always ideal as you have to contend with smaller runs, not to mention lava rocks under the snow that could cause injury or damage your equipment.

So this is probably a spot best for people with a good amount of experience. I would not attempt this if you have little to no experience.

And remember, the top of Mauna Kea is considered sacred by some natives so always be as respectful as you can when you’re up there.

Final word

Hawaii definitely gets a fair amount of snow but it’s typically at elevations above 9,000 feet which would only include a few mountains located within the state. This will usually happen 3 to 4 times a year during the winter/early spring but it’s always going to vary based on weather patterns.

On rare occasions, the snowfall may happen at lower elevations around 6,000 feet or reportedly even as low as 3,000 feet but that’s definitely the exception and not the norm.

Daniel Gillaspia

Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here. 

On some Hawaiian islands like the Big Island, you can find lava rocks scattered all about the island, sometimes blanketing huge swaths of landscape and mountainsides for miles upon miles.

Surely taking a small rock or two with you as a souvenir would be harmless, right?

Well, maybe not.

In this article, we’ll take a look at whether or not you are allowed to take rocks from Hawaii and the type of considerations you’ll want to think about like whether or not it’s against the law.

Taking things from any place when traveling

Let’s start off with some universal travel advice.

In general, it’s best to not take anything from destinations when traveling. “Leave no trace” is the way to go.

Whether it’s something natural or man-made, removing objects from a destination is not a good practice for a variety of reasons.

The biggest one is usually because: if everyone else did what you were doing, what would the end result be?

It’s possible that it could result in the complete disappearance of something unique and valuable. Consider the Trinity Site in New Mexico where the first atomic bomb exploded.

You can still find shimmering green radioactive rocks called “trinitite” at ground zero that were formed from that mega-explosion.

But imagine if every tourist who visited the Trinity Site took a small piece with them. Eventually, all of the trinitite would be gone and nobody else would be able to admire that fascinating piece of history.

In the case of lava rocks on a place like the Big Island, I don’t think anybody is worried about those rocks disappearing.

Consider that in 2018 the eruption resulted in 875 acres of new land to the island.

That’s an insane amount of “rocks” added to the island and so I don’t think there would be any type of rock shortage anytime soon even if tourists aggressively removed small rocks from the Big Island.

However, there’s more to consider.

It’s possible that the removal of lava rocks in certain tourist hot spots could lead to unsightly or unnatural changes in the landscape or terrain. I doubt this is a serious threat at most places but it’s not something to ignore.

Much worse, removing rocks from certain areas could affect the ecosystem. This is particularly true around pristine stream areas where local species rely on the rocks for shelter or in restoration areas where minimal soil disturbance is needed.

Often times, you can find signs that tell you to tread lightly and in those cases you absolutely want to avoid taking or even disturbing the rocks.

While there could be concerns about affecting the physical nature of the landscape, another reason for not taking lava rocks with you from Hawaii has to do with a curse.

Bad luck: the curse of Pele

According to Hawaiian legend, it’s bad luck to remove lava rocks from Hawaii. It’s known as the “curse of Pele,” with Pele being the fire and volcano goddess said to reside in the crater of Kilauea.

Pele considers the rocks and sand to be her children and it’s said that she will do anything to protect them, including cursing those who take them with bad luck.

And we’re not talking getting stuck behind a train bad luck. People report experiencing major life altering events like losing a pet or getting divorced when feeling Pele’s wrath.

In fact, sometimes their lives get so bad that they even send the rocks back to the island with the hopes of undoing the curse. It’s reported that each year more than 3,500 rocks, packages of sand, and coral are returned to Hawaii national parks.

One apparent workaround for the curse is to have a local “gift” you a rock. No word yet on if that really works but it could give you some peace of mind if you’re on the superstitious side.

Pele’s curse may not be ancient in origin, though.

It’s very likely that this curse is a relatively modern invention created by park rangers or tour guides and designed to keep tourists in line. But lots of people take it seriously such that taking lava rocks from Hawaii has become taboo.

I’m not really one to get hung up on curses and Hawaii produces a lot of sand, crushed stone, and potentially basalt fiber that’s presumably sometimes exported out of its home island, which sort of calls the whole curse thing into question.

And then there is the whole confirmation bias thing where you don’t hear anything from all of the people who avoided misfortune.

But beyond the curse, there’s also the separate issue of taking rocks from national park sites, which can get you in real legal trouble.

National park sites

It’s usually illegal to remove any natural resources from a national park site.

The NPS states that:

Collecting, rockhounding, and gold panning of rocks, minerals, and paleontological specimens, for either recreational or educational purposes is generally prohibited in all units of the National Park System (36 C.F.R. § 2.1(a) and § 2.5(a)).

Violating this statute could result in criminal penalties.

This means that when you head to a place like Hawaii Volcanoes National Park or Haleakalā National Park, you are NOT allowed to remove lava rocks (or any type of rocks).

Lots of state parks also have similar policies that prohibit taking anything with you from the park, including rocks.

Another issue with taking or messing with rocks in national parks and state parks is that they are often used as cairns to help people navigate trails and routes.

If you go around taking these rocks, or making stacks yourself, you could be putting hikers in danger especially in areas where there are dangerous drop offs or tricky terrain. Again, leaving no trace is the key.

Respect

In lots of cases, it feels unnecessary and some might even say disrespectful to go to another destination and take natural resources for your own pleasure.

This is especially true in the world we live in where high quality photos and videos are so easy to take and store (don’t take the digital age for granted!).

And trust me, I get it. It’s cool to look at your shelf or whatever and see some physical reminder of your visit to an exotic location.

But ask yourself: do you really need another “thing” to clutter up your house or apartment? Do you even have a good place to put that item?

In parts of Polynesia like Hawaii, natives have a strong reciprocal and familial relationship to the land, known as “Āina.”

Removing rocks from the land for the sake of showing off your keepsake collection probably does not jibe well with that symbiotic ideology very well. That’s because it’s all about taking and not giving. There’s no balance.

To Native Hawaiians, land is not a commodity; it is the foundation of their cultural and spiritual identity as Hawaiians. The ‘āina is part of their ‘ohana, and they care for it as they do for other members of their families. For them, the land and the natural environment are alive, respected, treasured, praised, and even worshiped.”

 Professor Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele, Kumu Hula

In some cases, removing a rock could be taken as a very disrespectful act because you could be removing something that you don’t even realize is culturally significant such as rocks from a sacred site.

For example, if you were to remove a rock from Mauna Kea, you could be taking rocks from an ancient ancestral site without even realizing it. Some tourists have even upset locals by throwing rocks into sacred sites.

It’s kind of hard for some people to truly comprehend these infractions because they did not grow up learning about and revering these rock temples, which is understandable.

But if the natives tell you that something holds sacred significance, that should be more than enough to motivate you to properly respect it. Even if you have your doubts, it’s just a matter of being considerate.

Bringing other items back from Hawaii

In addition to rocks, you need to be mindful about the restrictions for bringing other items back from Hawaii.

One of the biggest restrictions is that you cannot take sand from beaches in Hawaii.

But there are also a lot of restrictions for bringing agricultural products back. Items that are prohibited include most fresh fruits and vegetables and certain types of plants and flowers. Read more about what is allowed back to the mainland.

Keep in mind, you will have to send your checked bags through a USDA agricultural screening on your way back to the mainland and there can be fines for not declaring.

There are some exceptions to the prohibited fruits though. For example you can bring a limited amount of pineapples back with you to the mainland.

Returning rocks to Hawaii

If you find yourself needing to return rocks to Hawaii, these are reportedly addresses you can send your rocks back to:

• Rocks taken from Maui, Lanai, or Molokai: Haleakala National Park, PO Box 369, Makawao, HI 96768
• Rocks taken from the Big Island: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, PO Box 52, Hawaii National Park, HI 96718
• Rocks taken from Kauai: Kokee Natural History Museum, PO Box 100, Kekaha, HI 96752
• Rocks taken from Oahu: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, PO Box 52, Hawaii National Park, HI 96718

Keep in mind that there are reports of rangers just tossing the rocks they receive into a pile behind the visitor center. (It’s understandable because there are so many of these packages coming in.)

So if you’re hoping your rocks to be returned to where they were taken from, you would probably have to return to the island and do it yourself unless you know someone who would do it for you.

Final word

Overall, I would recommend not bringing rocks back from Hawaii.

Even if you don’t believe in Pele’s curse, there’s a chance you could be taking rocks from a sacred site or a location known for having a sensitive ecosystem. If you’re in a national park there’s always the chance you could get into legal trouble.

Finally, while it might be legal to take rocks from some locations, taking rocks with you does not seem to align very well with the locals’ reciprocal relationship with the land, so it’s probably best avoided in the vast majority of cases.

Daniel Gillaspia

Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.