USFWS · Hawaii

Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge

Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. It is one of two units, along with the Kona Forest National Wildlife Refuge that is managed as part of the Big Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Access to the Kona Forest is restricted since it contains several endangered species.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge48,786 acresUSFWSHI
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Pacific Region's, licensed CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons.

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateHawaii
Size48,786 acres
FWS regionRegion 1
Center point19.36° N, 155.81° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11)

Boundary map

4 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge60°70°80°January: 2.44 inches of precipitationFebruary: 2.14 inches of precipitationMarch: 2.98 inches of precipitationApril: 2.52 inches of precipitationMay: 3.24 inches of precipitationJune: 2.75 inches of precipitationJuly: 3.31 inches of precipitationAugust: 3.40 inches of precipitationSeptember: 4.72 inches of precipitationOctober: 3.70 inches of precipitationNovember: 2.42 inches of precipitationDecember: 2.53 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 65.6°F averageFebruary: 65.4°F averageMarch: 66.1°F averageApril: 66.9°F averageMay: 68.0°F averageJune: 69.0°F averageJuly: 70.0°F averageAugust: 71.0°F averageSeptember: 70.2°F averageOctober: 69.9°F averageNovember: 68.3°F averageDecember: 66.5°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 in5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Opihihale #2 24.1, 7 miles from the center point at 1,360 feet, station USC00517166 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 36 inches a year. The station sits about 3,800 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Explore

Guidebooks for Hawaii

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Hikers Guide to the Hawaiian Islands
    Stuart M. Ball, 2022
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Easy Day Hikes Hawaii
    Suzanne Swedo, 2021
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Exploring Hanauma Bay
    Susan Scott and David R. Schrichte, 2022
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge?

48,786 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge in?

Hawaii.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 19.356° N, 155.807° W. Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park is 3 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Which national parks are near Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge?

Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park (3 mi), Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail (14 mi) and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (18 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 24 listings within 15 miles, including St. Benedict's Catholic Church and Kahikolu Church.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Photograph: the image Wikidata records for this refuge (Q3423276), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.