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Makapuu Lighthouse
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- Good for Kids:
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21 reviews for Makapuu Lighthouse
View from the top and paths are amazing, even on a cloudy day!
Easy to moderate 2-mile out and back hike on a mostly exposed, paved yet cracked road - we were able to "hike" this path in our flip flops. We parked in the lot full of local and rental cars (all new 4-door Ford/Chryslers with bar codes on the windshield and back windows), and headed for the trail head at 4:30pm. At this time, the path was pretty deserted - we only encountered two other people on their way to the top and four people coming down. As we were going up, we noticed people playing in the tide pools far below.(If you want to get to the tide pools, look to the right of the informational sign for a narrow dirt path - this is where the unmarked trail begins.) Ascended to the top in about 25 minutes and were disappointed to find that we would not be able to actually get close to the light house, but the views made up for it and we even saw Molokai in the faint distance!
Directions and trail info: http://www.hawaiistate...
This is a nice and easy "hike." When we were done, a friend asked if I thought this was a hike or a walk. I considered it a strenuous walk while 2 of the girls thought it was a hike. I'd do it again.
The entire way is paved, but is rather steep for a paved walkway. Our friends brought their baby stroller and made it up with no difficulty. In fact, she had done this same hike 2 days earlier while using a baby carrier on her front.
There are nice views on the way up and especially at the top. Just don't expect to be able to walk right up to the lighthouse. There are 2 good photo ops of it, 1 on the way up and 1 at the very top looking down on it. Supposedly, this is a decent place to watch the humpback whales, but only during the appropriate season.
So overall, the views are decent and it's not too hard. Good for tourists, but just don't write on the flora!
Perfect for a beautiful evening stroll. It's enough to get the blood flowing, but I wouldn't even really call it a hike. It's perfect for an Eaty McGee like me.
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Easy 2 mile hike on a not-too-steep paved trail. You can't go (legally) to the lighthouse; the fork of the trail that goes there is gated off.
A beautiful place...so why do so many trailery people feel the need to carve their initials in the pads of the prickly pear cacti that grow along the sides of the trail?
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It's a MUST.
We had hiked the Makapuu Lighthouse trail before, but after reading Kevin S's review, we wanted to experience it again. Glad we did!
The trail is amazingly scenic, and while it is a constant incline on the way up and around the hill, it's a gentle climb and is short enough. Definitely suitable for all ages. The path is wide and paved, and although it has many holes, they are marked on the exterior so that they're more clearly visible...(but still, be careful!)
You could walk or run it, whichever you like, but make sure to stop periodically to enjoy the enormous views of the coast, the islands, the whales, etc. BRING A CAMERA and sunblock as there is NO shade!
There's a large parking lot, but the entrance (at least to us) is easy to miss when driving fast along the freeway...so keep your map open!
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Today was perfect for a hike. Lots of parking today and it wasn't to busy. One of the most beautiful peaceful walks on the island. Took some amazing shots of waimanalo and the Hawaii Kai coast line. Perfect walk, a must do ok anyones list.
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The Makapu'u Trail is a very nice hike, and is a nice addition if you've already went up Diamond Head.
If you're driving from Honolulu side, the parking lot entrance is before Sea Life Park, which from the main road curves towards the foot of the mountain. If you went past Sea Life Park, turn around.
There is a good amount of parking, but gets full fast afternoon. I was luckily able to snatch a spot immediately each time I've came here. I'm not aware of any thefts at this parking. There is usually a lot of people around, even in the parking lot, which may deter theft.
The hike itself takes about 40 minutes to get to the top. Or, the "simple" top, that is. You can go higher, which I'll talk about in a moment. The first upwards incline when leaving the parking lot is pretty simple, but gets hot really quick. That's the interesting thing about this hike. A lot of the wind comes from the ocean-side. The initial incline is not on the ocean-side, and the mountain blocks all of the wind, but when you reach a curve you'll be at a cliff in front of the ocean, and wow, the wind is just so refreshing. Beautiful, beautiful ocean view. And we're only a-third way up.
When you reach a good two-thirds way, there will be a spot that talks about whales. According to websites, you can see whales between December and April, but I've personally have not seen any.
A lot of the hike up to the top is pavement, so it's pretty easy and safe, which makes it very kids-friendly. There are also a lot of dogs too. It's strange, the sign at the parking lot says that pets are not allowed, but another sign up on the trail says to pick up after your pet. hehe. Once you reach the top, you'll get a spectacular view of the ocean, Sea Life Park, and Makapu'u Lighthouse looking down. I don't know if there was a way to reach the lighthouse (I didn't see any obvious trail), but I've heard the lighthouse is closed for visitors.
That's the simple trail. There's another trail to a higher and an even more spectacular view. Towards the left facing Sea Life Park, you'll notice an even taller section of the mountain. You can go up there. Finding the path is not difficult, but it's off paved roads and you'll be doing actual hiking on rocks. There will be a lot of grassy plants and maybe muddy trails you have to walk through, and this may not be very kid-friendly. At the top of this mountain, there will be several cement structures, which I think are left over by the military back in the days. Up there you'll get an even better view of everything. Being able to make it up here is so much more satisfying, and should be a definitely-do if you have the chance.
Also, if the sky is good, you can get a slight view of the next closest Hawaiian island, Molokai, towards the East. While back at the whale-watching spot, if you look straight ahead you may see a faint flat line in the distance.
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The Makapuu Lighthouse hike is a relaxed hike with excellent views! It is paved but nice for beginners. I recommend sunscreen (for those who burn) because there is barely any shade. I also recommend bringing a bottle of water along because the sun takes a lot out of you even though it isn't a very intense hike. My Mom came to visit me in Hawaii and she enjoyed it and she's never been hiking.
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On the first day of mostly-sunny skies we'd had in a few weeks, I decided to take advantage of it by taking my boys for a hike. It took considerable effort to drag the boys away from Lego Star Wars. With a promise of Taco Bell for lunch (my 6 year old son has gone taco-crazy lately) and a hike that would involve more WWII bunkers like we saw at Diamond Head, we loaded up our camelbaks and hiking sticks and hit the road. After getting my son his taco-fix, we headed over to the eastern tip of the island just past Hanauma Bay and Koko Head Crater to hike the Makapuu Ridge.
The boys did really well. My GPS batteries died on our way back down, so I don't have the exact mileage. It was 2.6 miles at the overlook when we turned around, so I think it was about 5.2 miles round trip with 600 feet of elevation gain.
The weather was great and the views were spectacular. About one third of the way up. The trail did a switch-back to head up toward the Makapuu Lighthouse. From the switchback, we had a beautiful view of Koko Head crater, and it was clear enough that we could see the faint outline of Molokai in the distance to the east.
The paved trail ends at an overlook just above the Makapuu Lighthouse. From the end of the paved trail by the lighthouse, we continued on the dirt trail up to the WWII observation post bunkers at the top of the hill in the distance. My son slipped and fell about three more times after that, but he got up, brushed himself off, and said, "I'm okay."
Standing on top of the roof of the observation post, we had clear views both to the southwest toward Koko Head (but it was backlit by the time we got up there) and to the northwest along the windward side of the island toward Kaneohe. We had a great view of Rabbit Island to the North.
I was surprised by how many people we saw on the trail. It was by no means crowded, but there was a steady stream of people going up and down the trail. Like when we hiked Diamond Head, I was also surprised how many people were doing this hike in "slippas" (Hawaiian term for "flip flops"), and this was considerably longer than the Diamond Head hike. Unlike the Diamond Head hike, I saw a LOT of people with baby strollers going up and down the paved part of the path just to the lighthouse overlook and back (there were no stairs here like there were at Diamond Head).
After we finished crawling around the bunkers on top of the ridge and started climbing back down the hill, my six year old son said, "Daddy, I want to tell you something." I said, "Okay." He said, "This was a little bit funner than playing Lego Star Wars." ...I just about fell off the side of the cliff in shock. Normally, if you take him away from the house for this long, you'll start getting complaints about how this is cutting into his Lego Star Wars game time, so I was absolutely ecstatic with his evaluation and high esteem of our hike today.
So there we were, up at the top of the Makapuu Ridge, 730 feet above sea level and admiring the view. My younger son threw his arms out to either side and as if he were Leonardo di Caprio yelling "I'm the King of the World," he pronounced to all the people at the overlook, "I WANT CHICKEN NUGGETS FOR DINNER!" This was totally out of the blue. We weren't talking about food or about dinner, so I have NO CLUE why standing there on top of that ridge made him think of chicken nuggets, or why he felt so compelled to pronounce it to the world (if any of them knew him, they would not have been the least bit surprised by his declaration since all he EVER eats is chicken nuggets).
Time-wise: We left the parking lot at 1 p.m. After exploring the bunkers on top, when we decided it was time to head back down, it was 4:15 p.m. We arrived back at the car at 5:15 p.m, so it took us 1 hour walking at a steady pace down the hill with no stops. Note the park closes at 6:45 p.m. (at least in winter, it looked like they could change the closing time on the sign).
Facilities: There were NONE - no bathrooms, no drinking fountains, nor any other sort of facilities anywhere in the parking lot or along the trail. (Luckily, having two boys, we watered a couple of bushes along the way). For the nearest restrooms, drive south about a half mile. There are public restrooms at the beach just south of Makapuu Ridge.
Note this is a good spot for whale watching in the winter, bring binoculars and/or a zoom lens, along with plenty of water, snacks, oh - and extra batteries for your GPS. Given the length of the hike, bring some form of rain-parka just in case.
WARNING: The parking lot here is one of those spots you do NOT want to leave ANY valuables in your car. It's a popular place for burglaries since the burglars know you're going to be gone for at least about 2 hours.
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Went up here for the first time today. Going on Memorial Day probably wasn't the best idea. I've never seen Makapu'u so packed before. Seems like a popular hike for people with strollers and dogs. The path is paved all the way and it can get pretty steep some times. If possible, avoid going at times when it's really hot - between 11-3. It's not that tough of a hike. I'd say it's easier than Diamond Head and you could easily do it in slippers. If you want an uphill running workout, this would be a good choice. You get awesome views of the east side of the island. The ocean is breathtakingly gorgeous.
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After getting a recommendation from the concierge desk at the Waikiki Parc Hotel, we decided to check out the Makapuu hike. We had already hiked Diamond Head several times and wanted to try something different.
Makapuu is an all paved hike, but about as strenuous as the Diamond Head hike because it feels like a slightly more incline than Diamond Head and it's a longer hike to the top.
The views up to the top are breathtaking. Some of the best on the island. About halfway up to the top, you can stop to see if you spot any Humpback Whales. The day we went, we were able to see a few in the distance. People saw their tail slaps and I saw some break the water and get some air (breaching). It was very cool! Unfortunately, I didn't have a better camera so I couldn't take any pictures of the whales.
After our break, we made our way to the top of the hike and the views are sweet. They are some of the best views I've seen in Hawaii.
You'll enjoy this hike for the views at the top and the chance to see a Humpback Whale.
Like people have mentioned, don't leave any valuables visible when you park. Also, wear sunscreen because there isn't much shade and bring water to hydrate. I didn't see any restrooms on the trail.
Cheers!
This is an easy, paved 2-mile hike. Although it's a bit far for townies, it's well worth it even with the price of gas skyrocketing. At the end of the Makapuu Lighthouse trail you'll be met with one of the best views on the island.
In your line of sight will be the Koolau Mountains, Makapuu Beach, Rabbit and Turtle Islands, the lighthouse, tidepools, and on a clear day, Molokai in the distance. Trust me, it's one orgasmic view.
Come early or die of dehydration from the noon sun. The lack of shade throughout the path doesn't help. It's free, fun, and fulfilling, though, from one lazy homebody who doesn't like working out to another.
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This isn't quite a "hike"... because I did it in slippas (sandals), and I wasn't panting by the time I reached the top. I would say this is more of a great easygoing jaunt to see one of the most beautiful views on the island. When you get 3/4 of the way to the top, there is an off-the-paved-path trail that will take you down steep and rocky terrain to the tidepools below. If the tide is low, it's a great time to check out all the little sea creatures hangin out. Make sure to take note of the white arrows that are marked over several of the rocks all the way down the hill - it's like leaving bread crumbs so that you can find your way back.
Oh yea... and I wouldn't recommend slippas for this part of the hike, because things can get a little slippery. A good pair of Tevas are perfect!
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This is the easiest of the hikes I've done while visiting Oahu [from easy to hard: Makapuu Lighthouse, Mariner's Ridge, Diamond Head, Kokohead]. You get some nice views of the lighthouse and Rabbit Island. They also filmed a scene from Lost here for those who are into that. Just park at the parking lot and walk your way up the paved road to the top.
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oh yea. cool hike. We went there a few years ago with a friend who had a key to da thing. So we hike to Makapu'u lighthouse. and IN... makapuu lighthouse. Was cool to touch da fresnel lens that Bumpy shot out in da seventies, I think it was da 70's.
Nice short to medium hike. Oh and why would it be "Ironic" that there are no restroom facilities along the way? How does Irony play in this scenario, please?
(and hey mainlanders; I gotta ax:
"the best part is when you get tired you can always make an excuse that you are looking for whales "
Why you gotta lie li'dat? Whass with the constant haole strategy? Why not just say I tired azz why. what's with the subterfuge and deceit alla time? Skaid someone know da "truth" or think yer human, o wot.)
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If you're coming from the Windward side of Oahu, you'll pass Sea Life Park on your right and Makapu`u Beach on your left. As you drive up the road and start making your descent towards "Alan Davis" (Kaloko), slow down, the trailhead will be on your left. If you're coming from town or Hawaii Kai side, head towards Waimanalo. When you pass Sandy Beach on your right and the Hawaii Kai Golf Course on your left, you're almost there.
(! - Though they've recently built a new parking lot for wouldbe hikers and Makapu`u lookout patrons, people continue to park along Kalanianaole Highway. If you find yourself parking there as well, please be careful as drivers tend to speed in that area. Also, don't leave any valuables in your car. The area is notorious for car break-ins!)
As mentioned, they've recently built a new parking lot and have actually been making a lot of beautification efforts in this area, so if you've done this trail before, you may want to just give it another whirl. Here's what the trailhead looked like just a few months ago... Oh the memories!
The Makapu`u lighthouse trail is actually a fairly easy one. It's almost entirely paved (pay no attention to that dated picture above!) and most spots are easy conquers for the everyday walker. And because of the paved path, it's also pet and bicycle friendly.
(! - There is no shade along the entire trail, so be sure to handsomely lather yourself with sunscreen and pack ample drinking water. You may also wish to consider hiking before or after the 12PM-2PM peak sun hours. Ironically, there are no restroom facilities along the way, so all that water you'd be drinking from the heat will have to wait until you leave the trail. Be sure to "go" before hitting this trail or be forced to hold da buggah.)
Read my complete column (with photos) here:
http://www.world-wide-...
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There are so many unique features of this hike that make it my favorite hike in Hawaii! In addition to the lighthouse overlook, there are cool things to see throughout the entire hike. And by the way, the view along the trail is absolutely beautiful!
The hike takes you up and around the cliff at Makapu`u Point. Partway up the trail, you'll have a great view of the "Queen's Chair" natural rock formation, so named because of its likeness to the former Hawaiian monarchs' thrones. Further along the trail, there are several excellent spots for sighting whales, but mainly only during the winter months when the whales migrate to the warm Hawaiian waters. Near the top of the cliff, there are some WWII remnants--scraps of metal and cement.
But the piece de la resistance of the hike is a view overlooking the Makapu`u Lighthouse. This is an absolutely breathtaking view, and would truly be a highlight to any visitor's trip to Hawaii.
The hike is not too long, but is almost entirely uphill on the way to the lighthouse overlook. The grade is steep only in a few places, so most anyone in fair physical condition can do it with ease. My favorite time to go is around 4:00 or 4:30 p.m., when the air is cooler and the sun is less intense. There's no shade, so be prepared with sunscreen.
Put this on your must-do list when visiting O`ahu!
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This is a great hike if you're a beginner like me. The trail is paved the whole way. You dont even need shoes, you can make it in slippers. The best part is when you get tired you can always make an excuse that you are looking for whales and take a rest.
Dont forget to bring a bottle of water, it gets really hot with no shade.
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i wouldn't say this was quite a "hike" as you are walking up a (steep) paved road. although i was still huffing as i walked up, probably has more to do with the fact that i am just lazy and out of shape.
ANYWAY. there are many points to stop at as you walk up the road that have exquisite views of the coast.
at the top were breathtaking views of the south shore and the light house just below your feet. all in all it was a fun little adventure with a big pay off at the end.
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BEAUTIFUL Hike! The path of this hike is completely paved, but it is uphill and no shade. A good walk with amazing views along the way and at the top. I wish there was some more history about the lighthouse. Easy Parking, easy to get to - I think this is a good activity for anyone. It took us about an hour and a half to do the whole thing.
Here is the wikipedia info (http://en.wikipedia.or...)
Makapu'u Lighthouse - Coast Guard lighthouse, now automated. Reputed to have the largest lighthouse lens in the U.S.. A popular day hike along the access road to the lighthouse begins at a parking lot located south of the Makapu'u lookout on Kalanianaole Highway (see State Wayside below).
I'll give ANY hike 5 stars just as long as it meets 2 criteria: 1. I can finish it round trip 2. I can bring the dog along. This particular trail is scenic throughout & the view from the top is spectacular.
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