The water at Spencer Beach Park stays calm enough to swim past lunch. White sand runs under the Puukohola Heiau bluff, with ironwoods between the sites and the beach. The sites sit in the trees a few steps from the water, a county overnight on the Kohala sand with showers and shade on the walk back from the swim.
Lock that overnight before you book the van. Spencer is permit camping, and the pad is what sells out. Hawaii County's camping page is where the permit lives, as of September 2026, with the gate locked from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. and no entry or exit once it closes, so if you arrive after that, you need a different first night. If you need more sleeping space than a campervan, look at RV rentals in Kailua-Kona.
Most of the year this side of the island stays dry and hot. Some days a Kona wind pushes vog up the coast, volcanic haze off Kilauea. The air thickens and the views shorten. The beach stays open.
Hapuna Beach is the long white-sand shore on this same stretch. You swim it in the afternoon, then come back to Spencer for the night.
Kekaha Kai State Park is the lava-to-sand stop, black rock opening onto the coves at Mahaiula and Kua Bay. DLNR's Kekaha Kai page flags the Mahaiula road as rough lava and recommends high clearance, and the park is day-use only, with gates shut by evening as of September 2026.
From December through April, humpbacks show up in the nearshore water off Kona and Kohala. NOAA Fisheries requires 100 yards of distance, boats and swimmers both. North of the beach parks, Kohala Mountain Road runs into Hawi. The Pololu Valley lookout is at the end of that road, with cliff walls and a black-sand beach at the bottom of the valley.
The Waipio Valley lookout is its own stop, green walls, a black-sand mouth, waterfalls from the rim. Hawaii County closed the valley road to visitor vehicles. The lookout is as far as the van goes.
Hookena Beach Park
South of Kailua-Kona the sand turns gray and the cliffs come in close. Hookena Beach Park is a small cove with a community pavilion, turtles on the sand, and dolphins in the bay some mornings.
Friends of Hookena runs the campground on the county beach. It is tent camping, a small south-coast overnight.
Hookena's camping page takes bookings at least 72 hours ahead, as of September 2026, with no late check-in after 8:45 p.m. A campervan that needs a vehicle site sleeps at Spencer.
Kealakekua Bay and the Captain Cook Monument
South of town the pali at Kealakekua Bay drop into turquoise water. From the kayak put-in, the white obelisk of the Captain Cook Monument sits across the bay.
DLNR's Kealakekua Bay page requires a state vessel permit for every kayak, SUP, and canoe that transits the bay. Landing at the monument is guided-tour-only through authorized commercial operators.
A few miles on, Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park is the place of refuge. The Great Wall and carved kii images stand against a palm-lined royal fishpond. There is no camping and no overnight parking, and the park closes the gates 15 minutes after sunset.
Ironman week in Kona
Mid-October each year, the Ironman World Championship fills Kona. The swim, the bike, and the run use the same coast as the beach week. Hotels book out island-wide, and they compete with Spencer and Hookena for the same dates. If those dates are the trip, lock the overnight and the van together.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is on the other side of the island, covered on the Big Island campervan page, and Mauna Kea is a summit day from this coast. For the other Hawaiian islands, start with campervan rentals in Hawaii.