For sheer magic a short hop from downtown Hilo, head to the Waianuenue Falls, or Rainbow Falls. Named after the brilliant rainbows formed in its mist, this powerful cascade drops 24 meters (79 feet) to the valley floor in Wailuku River State Park. Then head upriver to Peepee Falls (pronounced Peh-EH Peh-EH), whose flow feeds the Boiling Pots—a cascade slipping down from one frothy pool to the next created by a stepped series of basalt lava holes. Do not attempt to swim in any of these pools: They’re dangerous.
