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LakeQuality

Updated July 2026

Hiʻilawe Falls

Hawaii County County, Hawaii — about 1,450 ft, among the tallest.

Hiʻilawe Falls is Hawaii's tallest waterfall, a 1,450-foot total drop (1,201-foot main free-fall) on Lalakea Stream at the back of Waipiʻo Valley; flow is often reduced by upstream diversion and the base sits on private valley land.

Height
1,450 ft
Type
Plunge
Access
Backcountry
Trail
Not documented
Elevation gain
Not documented
Best season
Not documented
Land manager
Not documented
Watercourse
Lalakea Stream

Before you go

Waterfalls are hazardous by nature — wet rock, cold water, and unstable edges — and flow varies enormously with season and recent rain. Trail figures here describe the route as documented, not conditions today. Check the managing agency for closures and current conditions, and confirm land status before setting out.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Hiʻilawe Falls drops about 1,450 feet. That makes it the 6th-tallest documented waterfall in this inventory, taller than roughly 99% of the falls listed here. Height comes from published land-manager and survey records, not from our own measurement.

Access is documented as backcountry. No trail distance is on record for Hiʻilawe Falls. The nearest town is Honokaʻa. Confirm access and land status with the managing agency before setting out — some documented falls have no public route at all.

No best-season window is documented for Hiʻilawe Falls. As a general rule, waterfall flow peaks with spring snowmelt and after sustained rain, and drops sharply in late summer.

More Hawaii waterfalls

Sources

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