Category Archive: HawaiiOutside

Hawaii’s Hottest Ticket is to where the Action Isn’t

Anyone who has been to the Islands recently will tell you traffic and crowds at popular destinations are a hassle. Seriously. For real. But the hassle is avoidable. The trick is to get to the many destinations that are out of the Yelp-o-Sphere, without having to sacrifice scenic values to do so.

Big Island: C’mon over, the Air is Fine!

For the first time in more than 30 years, Kilauea Volcano is not spewing vog—volcanic smog—and the air is pure and clean everywhere. The nastiness of vog has not been widely publicized, even though the air quality has been worse at times, in places,  than L.A. in the early 1960s. People were not only gasping in Kona, but also on Maui and Oahu, and even as far as the north shore of Kauai. 

Trailblazer’s Hawaii Guides: Adventure in your Pocket. Memories in the Bank.

Hawaii means different things for different people, offering a mind-boggling array of choices. With Trailblazer guides, no matter where you are, you can answer the question, “I wonder what’s down that road?” Some… Continue reading

The worst way to screw up on your Hawaiian vacation

For sure, lost luggage and sunburn can be a bummer, but we can all agree that the best (worst) way to ruin a vacation is dying. Sadly, about one person a month is lost to a fatal accident in Hawaii while recreating. Happily, virtually all of these deaths can be avoided.

The Big Island’s Mauna Loa: A Mellow Drive up the Most Massive Mountain in the World

Measured from its base below the ocean’s surface, Mauna Loa is well over 40,000 feet high, making it easily the world’s second tallest (Mauna Kea, not far away is 400 feet taller). But… Continue reading

When Mother Nature is a spoilsport, head for Poipu Beach on Kauai

Rain can put a damper on your Kauai vacation, but you can (almost) always find sunshine and blue skies on the arid south coast—at the resort strip of Poipu Beach. But Poipu is… Continue reading

The best of Hawaii on the cheap

The best things in life are free—or they cost a boatload of money. A trip to Hawaii is a prime example. You can spend a zillion bucks reserving a destination resort, booking tours,… Continue reading

Finding the lost beaches of north of Kona

The view flying into the Kona Airport is of a never-ending landscape of scorched black lava, often hazed by volcanic smog. It’s not anyone’s idea of paradise.  Post-apocalyptic is more like it. Wrong.… Continue reading