A Molokaʻi Snapshot

This article was originally published on Jan. 14, 2022, and was updated Nov. 4, 2025.

From the edge of Kalaupapa Lookout in Palaʻau State Park, the view stretches across a deep emerald valley to the small peninsula nearly 2,000 feet below. It’s a place that captures the essence of Molokaʻi — remote, powerful, and connected to a living history that continues to shape the island’s identity.

Kalaupapa is known both for its striking landscape and for the story of the people who once lived in isolation there. Access to the peninsula is restricted to protect its residents and history, and visitors are encouraged to learn about the site through authorized tour operators.

Nearby, the Palaʻau area holds another important site: the stone known as Kauleonanahoa, a traditional fertility rock that continues to hold spiritual significance. As with all sacred places, visitors are asked to approach quietly, with respect and without disturbance.

Elsewhere on the island, traces of Molokaʻi’s past remain visible in its rural communities. In Kualapuʻu, the Molokaʻi Museum and Cultural Center preserves the restored R.W. Meyer Sugar Mill, offering a window into plantation-era life. The museum also shares artifacts and stories from families who have called the island home for generations. Nearby, coffee continues to be grown in the red soil that once supplied beans for the Hawaiian kingdom in the 1800s.

Molokaʻi is not a destination for hurried travel. The government doesn't promote travel to this island as visitor services are limited, and many sites are privately managed or culturally sensitive. Those who come are encouraged to move slowly, seek permission when appropriate, and support local businesses. Above all, respect the island’s pace and its people — Molokaʻi is home first.