Makapuu Lighthouse Trail

Hawaii has many unsurprisingly nice hikes. On this trip, we did Ka'ena (reviewed separately) and Makapu'u. We've done Diamond Head on a prior trip and I wish we could have done Koko Head this time around but the gf preferred more beach time. Makapu'u is on the eastern coast of Oahu - roughly a 25 to 30 mins or so drive from Waikiki. As you drive here, there are numerous lookouts and sites so be sure to take it slower and enjoy. Makapu'u has a free parking lot that had more than enough spaces for that day. The trail itself is about 30 mins each way and not too strenuous. It wasn't too steep and we went on a cloudy day so it wasn't too hot either. The hike was pretty as you see the mountain range to your left and behind you as you go through the trail (which is all paved BTW). To your right is the ocean. As you go up and look back, you'll see the road which you come from and Koko Head. The scenery in Hawaii is always beautiful and Makapu'u is no different. You finally make it to the end/top and you'll look down towards Waimanalo Beach, the eastern coast, some offshore islands and the lighthouse. In retrospect, I feel you get more bang for your buck with this hike than Kaena. Kaena is long whereas this is short. I would still do them both, however.

I and my wife took 13/67 bus from Waikiki which took us all the way to sea life park. From there the light house trial is only half a mile of may be a mile away. Easy walk with amazing views of the ocean. We thoroughly enjoyed the walk from Sea life park to the lighthouse trial parking lot. We went there early in the morning by 7 am, the trial was easy and must do for all kinds of people with diff fitness levels. Incredible views on top. While coming back down I did notice that the parking was over crowded and people started parking on roads. I highly recommend people to take. One day “THE BUS” pass for 5.50$. You can use this on any bus / any route in Oahu. The bus also offers rides to most remote destinations you won’t imagine.

This was one of my favorite hikes on Oahu. Beautiful views and not overly crowded. The path is paved and extra wide so plenty of rooms to pass people easily. Not much shade so remember your water. There is no restroom or drinking water available here, but Waimanalo Beach is a short drive (less than 3 miles) and they have restrooms.

The views were awesome! Once you leave Waikiki, it is amazing that there are places where you aren't on top of each other. It was windy so hold on to your hat at the top.

We arrived on a Saturday morning around 945am and had to park on the highway which was OK as the parking lot was full. We love to hike and this one was a nice, paved 2.5 mile trail up to the lighthouse. Beware the climb is steep with 4 stop points to give you a story on the view. There is always a very nice cool breeze which makes the hike so enjoyable, lots of people but not enough to crowd you. Bring water and if you need to go to the restroom, sorry there are none or any food joints. FYI.About a mile before Makapuu there is Sandy Beach, turn off there and drive a little bit and there is a bathroom there plus very nice volcanic rock formation on the beach to take some great photos. Definitely recommend for everyone to hike once and the views are amazing!

We parked on the side of the road s you turn into the lighthouse parking area. The parking gets quite crowded. Then you start walking up a paved trail. The trail is mostly uphill, but there are many pull-offs and look-outs on the way. It's not a short walk. You are rewarded at the top with spectacular views, possibly some swimming turtles, and a chance to see whales. The whales we saw did not breach, but they blew out of their blow holes and rolled their fins along the top of the water. It was fun to watch for them and learn to spot them. Well worth the walk!

We did this hike while on a stop using the Shaka guid app and the views were spectacular. Can be tricky to find parking so just hover around until someone leaves (took 5 min wait for us) and bring lots of water (there is no shade!). The hike is on a paved path but it is uphill so I'd still recommend hiking shoes as going down in flip flops might not be enjoyable. The views are well worth the hike and some of Oahu's best!

We had a lovely time on this paved trail all the way to the lighthouse. It's a nice walk with interesting views of many bays. We saw whales jumping and splashing. Hot in the full sun so bring some water.

This would have been more enjoyable if we had more accurate information beforehand. We saw a couple of estimates of the distance, as 1 1/2 miles round trip, or 2 miles round trip. According to our phone app that measured steps, it was 3 miles round trip. We are in pretty good shape for 70 years old, but the 1 1/2 miles of a steady uphill climb was more than I expected. Also, we were doing the North Shore drive in one day, and this walk ate up more time than we expected. It is all paved, so it is easy in that sense, and we saw lots of strollers at the beginning, but I don't know how many of them had actually gone the whole way. As someone else noted, there is no bathroom on the trail, or at the trailhead, so be prepared. We continued to drive up toward the north shore, and in that direction you will quickly come to a beach with a bathroom. The scenery on the way up, looking south, was pretty but not remarkable, but if you hang on until the end, you see a beautiful view toward the north.

This "hike" is more like a stroll with a paved path the entire way - great for tourists but if you love to really hike this might not be your cup of tea.

Its about 2.5 miles round trip from the parking lot to the lookout and back. There are amazing sweeping views off the cliffs and into the ocean and this is a great spot for Whale Watching in the Winter. We saw three separate groups of humpbacks breaching in the channel on the way up.

The hike has a fairly steep incline at the start. The parking lot is small for the amount of traffic on the trail so be prepared to possibly park on the road and walk a little extra to the trail head.

Also nearby on a flat trail are some tide pools well worth exploring if you have some extra time!

This trail was a lot longer than most reviews about it say--many said this was only a mile long, but I'd say this is closer to three. It was worth it, though! It wasn't crowded when we went and is fully paved, which is nice. I'd go on a day where it isn't cloudy! This is on the most beautiful side of the island, in my opinion.