Petroglyph boardwalk reopens at national historical park in North Kona

The petroglyph boardwalk at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park is now open.

The boardwalk was closed for several months for repairs. The updated boardwalk helps protect these cultural resources while making the area more accessible, according to a Facebook post from the park. Benches and a shaded structure will also be installed soon.

Work began to repair the walkway, replacing old wood with new planks, on Oct. 27, 2025.

Located in North Kona, less than five miles south of the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport, Kaloko-Honokōhau was once a fishing village for the ancient Hawaiians, where they caught and farmed fish. The petroglyphs are carved in old lava flows that extend toward the coastline.

Established as a national historical park in 1978, the 1,200-acre park protects the coastal portions of five different ahupua‘a (traditional Hawaiian land divisions extending from the mountains into the sea), and a great concentration and variety of tangible and intangible resources that attest to the Hawaiians’ presence on the land, according to the National Park Service website.

Among the park’s diverse resources are loko i‘a (two fishponds and a fishtrap that were used for food production), kahua (house site platforms), ki‘i pōhaku (petroglyphs), heiau (temples), graves, and a network of historic trails.