Wailoa River State Recreation Area

This is a pleasant mid-​sized Japanese-​inspired park, with footbridges, stone lanterns, stone pagodas, a few torii, and a man made lake lined with stones. Several banyan trees on the edges too. Quite a nice place to relax!

Like most of Hilo this park has potential but still succumbs to seediness.
PROS:
1. The undulating bridges that get you from one side of the lagoon to the other. They are charming to look at and a good place to see fish swimming by on a clear day.
2. The park is spacious so if you’re not completely happy with where you are, you can easily move elsewhere.
3. There is a cute little museum that is free but not open on the weekends
4. There are lots of ducks and geese to see and, if you’re paying attention, you might spot a heron. Also, lots of canaries, some cardinals, etc.
5. On the weekends, there is almost always a party happening at the pavilion. If the band doesn’t suck, enjoy a free concert … from a respectable distance. :-)
CONS:
1. There are some questionable characters around — the bipolar and unwashed. They seem harmless but I wouldn’t recommend leaving the little kiddies unattended here or letting them use the public restrooms unaccompanied.
2. There is a bit of litter. We actually found a used diaper stuffed into a hollow of a tree. Yuck! The park benches under the shade trees seem to have the most rubbish around them.
3. After a good rain it’s hard to get across the grass without stepping ankles deep into puddles. Even the paved trail won’t protect you. Wear those rubber slippers.
4. The pavilion always looks dingy and cobwebby. A re-​painting wouldn’t hurt it any. And in any color but dark brown! :-0
BOTTOM LINE: Try and go after a few rainless days, check your immediate surroundings for anything /​anyone nasty, lay out your towel /​blanket and enjoy the day.

This is a large grassy park located between downtown Hilo and Hilo Bay. It gets a little confusing with all the various long stretches of parks and grassy areas to know where one park ends and another begins, but the parking is generally located at the end of Piilani Street. This landscaped well-​manicured park offers a lot of grassy picnic areas and tables, a boat ramp, restrooms and a Visitor Center, which is accessed from Pauahi Street.
Our family came here and laid out a few large blankets and enjoyed a nice picnic lunch. The kids had fun walking along the river looking for fish, birds and ducks. Definitely a nice, relaxing way to spend a lazy sunny Hilo afternoon. We shall be back…

I saw this park while we drove through town, and I was immediately obsessed with the footbridges. We took our box lunch from the Hilo Farmers’ Market and ate on a small island in the middle of a pond, then walked around a bit and took pictures of geese and trees. It’s a nice city park in downtown Hilo and a good place to have a little picnic.