The path leads into Kealakekua Bay Park. Begin of the trail is at Napo'opo'o Road.
The warning on the sign at the begin of the trail is quite grave: "Think Twice" (in red), followed by a reminder that many visitors suffered injuries and required a rescue. 1400'/427m in elevation difference should not be taken lightly. I took with me 3 liters of water and only a light camera. Sturdy hiking boots are recommended on the sign, but I wore good walking sandals that worked just fine. Don't forget the sunscreen and insect repellent.

Considering the language of these warnings my wife was worried about the venture, but in the aftermath I perceived this hike as "moderate" only. I drank 2 liters of water. Photography stops included: time to descent to the beach 1 hour 5 minutes, and same to return.

As you can see from these images, the trail itself is very unremarkable, at least in the beginning. But the destination is so attractive to numerous history buffs from around the globe, that I heard German, French, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and a Slavic language. 8 distance markers help you get oriented in the progress, albeit my impression was that they are not equally spread. Marker 2 seem to be missing. Trail is relatively flat all the way to marker 4. Descent starts between markers 4 and 5, and leads all the time away from the monument. At marker 6 the trail finally turns by 180 degree, and descent leads toward the bay where the monument is.

Marker 8 is where the trail reaches the shore line. It is still a good 100m from there to the monument. At the monument I was informed that Captain Cook actually died at the shoreline where the marker 8 stands.