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Yvonne Baur is a former member of Team HPPA at our Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park store locations. She left HPPA to study volcanoes as a full time university student and volcano tour guide. She is also a a committed hiker in the park, and shared this post with us from one of her incredible long hikes in the backcountry. If this sounds intriguing to you, some tips and rules are included here.

Hilina = struck (as by wind)
Pali = cliff
Hilina Pali = "windy cliff"

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The coastal backcountry of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is a special place: hot, windy, and no shade. The few trees in this hostile area are mostly dead, the bleached-out branches standing like skeletal sentinels braving the winds. Shade is sparse to non-existent, and the whipping wind can be so strong that it literally makes you lose your balance. It is dry out there. Very dry, desert dry. Enough water is absolutely essential.

After a prolonged ankle injury, I finally felt comfortable enough to explore the Kaʻu Desert below Hilina Pali again. I have always enjoyed the hike down the pali to Kaʻaha Point and beyond; the vast expanse of scenery unfolding is simply beyond words. I was yearning to go on a trip to the coastal backcountry; it had been a long time.

Going down the pali was not easy; much of the trail consisted of loose lava rubble and steep switchbacks. In addition, the grasses were pretty overgrown, and it was often impossible to see loose rocks on the trail. Still, I truly love the area with its harsh environment. The crashing waves along the shore create a stark contrast to the almost lifeless area with dried grasses, old lava flows, and a sun so hot that it shoots heat arrows into your back and tries to break you. This place is no place for the unprepared; it is a place for adventures. 

I really enjoy going there, even though the 1,600-foot climb back to the top of the pali is cruel and drains me of all my energy. But looking back to the place where I have been along the coastline, I would do it again without any hesitation.

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Mahalo for sharing your hike experience and photos with all of us, Yvonne!

Visiting Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park? Take a drive to the Hilina Pali Overlook.

Shop the park here.

Feeling the hike? Here is some park information about Kaʻaha:

Your purchases from our visitor center national park stores and online site support programs and projects at our national parks partners. When Kiry Galapir stepped into the brand-new role of E-commerce Specialist for HPPA a few years ago, she began with fulfilling incoming online order requests from our new national parks commerce site. While nearly all of the orders for natural history and Hawaiian history books, national parks apparel, fun park gifts and hiking essentials were from individuals, school orders gradually became part of that workflow. What started as standard customer service has now evolved into something much more meaningful: supporting educators across Hawaiʻi with hands-on learning tools.

Recently, we received an inquiry from Kamehameha Preschools from an administrative coordinator who wanted purchase a large set of educational plush items for their classrooms to be used as interpretive teaching tools.
The request was significant.
100 each of the following:
Makana the Nēne Plush, Makamae the Plush Gosling, Naʻauau the Plush Pueo, Kahoʻokele the Plush Petrel, Hawaiian Happyface Spider Plush, Kamehameha Butterfly Plush, Hawaiʻi State Marine Life, Marine Native Species, and Hawaiʻi Native Species finger puppets—all custom created for our park partners. We also carry honu (sea turtle), and heʻe (octopus) plush.
In total, 1,100 plush were destined for 89 classrooms across the Hawaiian Islands.

Curious about how they would be used, Kiry asked her contact for more context. The answer was exactly what we hope for as a nonprofit partner of Hawaiʻi national parks—these items will go directly into preschool classrooms where kumu (teachers) will use them as educational tools for keiki (small children), helping bring Hawaiʻi native species and culture to life in a tactile and engaging way.

Kiry says, “It was an honor to contribute to that mission and I shared our appreciation and excitement. Fulfilling an order of this size meant that, for a moment, my office was packed wall to wall with plush animals and finger puppets. I packed every item carefully to ensure accuracy and care in each shipment. This is our largest school order to date.

Personally, I find something very grounding about this work. When I am packing these orders I find myself double-checking everything, wanting to make sure it is all correct. I feel a strong sense of responsibility, knowing these items are heading into classrooms where they will be part of early learning experiences.

I hope that more schools will seek to use these interpretive tools and find out about us from other teachers, and through our online store and social media. It’s exciting to think that something as simple as a plush animal can become a bridge to deeper learning about the native species and ecosystems of Hawaiʻi.

We’ve also recently fulfilled orders for Pūnanana Leo Preschools and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, all of which are using these items as classroom learning tools. There is a real sense of connection in knowing these thoughtfully-designed Hawaiʻi plush are going out into the community, and I often imagine the moment a young student sees one for the first time.”

Bring These Learning Tools Into Your Classroom

If you are a teacher or you know a teacher who would benefit from hands-on educational tools featuring Hawaiʻi native species, we would love to help!
Contact us at:
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(808) 985-6049

Let’s bring more Hawaiian natural and cultural heritage into classrooms across the islands, across the country, and across the world.

Anyone can shop our Hawaiʻi plush.

Read the press about our park support.

When Leanne first interviewed for a frontline position with HPPA at our Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site store on the Kohala Coast of Hawaiʻi Island, she remembers being in survival mode. “I was surviving, not thriving, in my life then,” she says. Long days at her retail department store job, unpredictable shifts, and constant exhaustion had become her “normal”. Her niece Rebecca, a ranger at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on the southeast side of the island, came to visit during a lunch break. As they talked, Rebecca said plainly, “Auntie, this job is killing you.” Then she mentioned that HPPA at Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site was hiring for the visitor center store.

Read more: Leanne: Coming Full Circle at Puʻukoholā

Looking for a fresh way to move your body and recharge your mind? Step outside. The national parks of Hawaiʻi and American Samoa offer some of the most inspiring “workout spaces” on Earth. Whether you’re easing into a new routine or pushing your limits, there’s a trail, shoreline, or scenic stretch that meets you where you are.

We thought about some ways to get outside and move, in whatever way works for you. Fresh air, new places to discover, birds and wildlife, sweeping views, and varied terrain make every national park outing a win for your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Here are eight options for easy, moderate, and more strenuous adventures. Bring a hat, sun shirt, full water bottle, snacks, a fully charged phone, and your enthusiasm!

Read more: National Parks As Your Personal Gym:  Health-Boosting Outings in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa

Hi! Iʻm Chuck Danilowski, and I am the Custom Project Management Specialist for Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association (HPPA). I ensure that any custom-made products that you purchase in our national park visitor center stores or online shop move efficiently through the Creative Services Department from initial design concept to final finished product on park store shelves. Our national park partners, and the stores we run within them, are located in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa.
 
I recently attended the Public Lands Alliance (PLA) Annual Convention & Trade Show in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Public Lands Alliance is a national organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of America’s public lands through its mission to connect, strengthen, and represent the nonprofit organizations that support these treasured places. HPPA is a member of PLA.
 
It was my first time attending this amazing gathering of like-minded professionals. There were informative and eye-opening educational sessions, a two-day trade show with vendors from across the U.S., a silent auction, and the chance to network with people I had only known through emails or phone calls. It was a time to put faces with names, and to browse product offerings that we may bring into our visitor center park stores to teach, inform, and connect to a lasting memory in someone’s mind of their national park experience. 
 

Read more: Connecting People to Parks: Stories, Stewardship, and Inspiration from the Public Lands Alliance...

It’s easy to think they’ve always been here. You walk into a visitor center in a national park and there’s the store. Shelves of books you won’t find anywhere else. Locally made art. Field guides. A child picking out her first patch, plush, or postcard. It feels like part of the park itself. But these stores didn’t just appear. They grew out of a mission to help people connect more deeply to the places they were visiting.

Back in 1916, the National Park Service was established to care for a small but growing group of parks, including Hawaiʻi National Park which, at that time, included both Maui and Hawaiʻi Island acreage. As more people began visiting these new public lands across the nation, they wanted more than just a quick look. They wanted to understand what they were seeing—the wild landscapes, the history of the people there, the stories of the past and ideas about the future. National park staff were overwhelmed by the tides of visitors exploring "America's Best Idea", and couldn’t manage it all alone. In 1920, the Yosemite Museum Association was founded and stepped in to help. They began offering books and educational materials to visitors, creating a new kind of partnership, one that focused on education, connection, and support.

Read more: Carrying the Story Home: From Books to Belonging, How National Park Stores Came to Be

If you plan to visit the National Park of American Samoa, you may meet HPPA's Melekuini in the fascinating visitor center and park store. This U.S. national park in the South Pacific is remote, but it is visited by cruise ships all year long, as well as dedicated independent travelers. HPPA loves to tell the story of this incredible place, our partner, through the products we sell and the park programs and projects we help fund with those proceeds. You may pick up a fun fruit bat shirt or a coconut crab puzzle kit, and while you're there, you may meet this remarkable person. Here is her story.

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I started working for the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association at the National Park of American Samoa on September 19, 2025. Before that, my journey in the park first began when I became a KUPU conservation intern with the National Park Service. At first I worked in trail maintenance, caring for our native plants and spending long days out in the forest. That experience really deepened my love and respect for the land. Later, I transitioned into park interpretation, where I was able to connect with visitors and share what makes this place so special. I later interned with the American Conservation Experience, where I gained even more skills and helped lead the dendrology program. During my term, I earned certifications in Oxygen Use, Emergency First Response, CMS, and FEMA. Those opportunities strengthened both my skills and my confidence. Altogether, these experiences helped me realize that I wanted to continue working in a national park, protecting the environment while sharing knowledge and Samoan culture with others.

Read more: Meet Melekuini: Rooted in Culture at the National Park of American Samoa

If your 2026 plans include visiting our national park partners in Hawaiʻi, lace up your hiking shoes and get ready to wander. From cool, fern-shaded forests to sandy footpaths tracing lava rock coastlines, national park trails in Hawaiʻi offer something for every pace and interest. With routes ranging from short and gentle to long and rugged, inspiration is never far away. And our park stores carry maps and guides to help you find your way.

Read more: Hiking Hawaiʻi Is a Walk in the (National) Park

National Park Service (NPS) Ranger Jon Jokiel recently retired from Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park on Hawaiʻi Island, one of three national parks on the west coast of the island that interpret, protect, and preserve Hawaiian sites, culture, and values. We asked him to reflect a bit on his career and on his thoughts about how the park's long partnership with HPPA helped to support the important work of this national historical park. HPPA runs the visitor center park store and also supplies direct aid to the park for programs and projects.

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I grew up in the community of Kaneohe on the island of Oʻahu. My father was a marine biologist and he helped start the University of Hawaiʻi Marine Lab on Coconut Island, so during my childhood I was in the ocean a lot of the time. I was surfing, swimming, diving, and playing with my brothers. I did not think I would specifically be a park ranger someday, but I think I knew I would do something related to protecting and working in an outdoor environment. Then I moved to the Pacific Northwest as an adult and really immersed myself in the outdoors—hiking and exploring the North Cascades and Olympic Mountains. Seeing NPS park rangers out there on the trails really appealed to me, and I admired the work they did helping others protect and interpret the environment.

Read more: Guiding Hands and Lasting Memories: Retired NPS Ranger Jon Jokiel on the Power of Park Programs...

Every holiday season, our online shop hub (based inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park) becomes a flurry of activity as people across Hawaiʻi, the U.S., and beyond choose gifts that support the national parks of Hawaiʻi and American Samoa. And behind each order is a real person who cares deeply about where your purchase goes and what it supports. Hi! I’m Kiry Galapir, and I’ve been part of Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association since 2007, joining the HPPA ʻohana just before an eruption of Kīlauea Volcano! Today, I manage the lively world of online orders and our commitment to sustainable packing. When you place an online order, I am the one who makes sure you get your package.

Here’s a peek at how your holiday national parks gifts and other purchases make their way from our warehouse on Hawaiʻi Island to your doorstep:

• Coffee First

Every good packing day begins with a cup of coffee—fuel for the season’s steady stream of thoughtful shoppers.

Read more: Where Gifts Give Back: Behind the Scenes at HPPA’s Online Shop