Makapu’u Point Lighthouse Trail

Waimanalo, HI 96795

Note: There is very little parking, so come early or expect to walk a good distance to the start of the trail head.

The Makapu’u Point Lighthouse Trail is a 2.0 mile (round-trip) paved trail up to a scenic lookout of the 1909 lighthouse and the deep blue sea! It is located at the South-Eastern point of Oahu close to Koko Head and the windward coast.

Nathan and I stumbled upon this hike after our regular (not so much recently) hike up Koko Head on a Sunday morning back in March. We had plans to meet up with Blade at Makapu’u Beach – which I’ll show y’all a little below – and drove past the entrance to this hike. I had heard someone mention the light house a few weeks back so we decided that we should try it out as well!

It was very hot out (High 80’s) and there is very little shade on the trail, so remember to wear sunscreen and bring plenty of water! The hike to the top is obviously up hill, but it was easy enough to push strollers (which I will not be doing for quite some time) and carry sandbags (Crazy!). Overall, it is estimated to have a 500 foot elevation change from the bottom of the trail to the highest look-out point. There were a few stops along the way to observe the scenery and even climb on the rocks if you’re daring enough.

We took a few breaks on the way up to rest our legs for a minute (still tired from the Koko Head hike) and to look out into the ocean. From this view point on the South-East, we were able to watch a few whales swimming through the beautiful blue waters. When we looked directly below us we were able to see the tide pools and a hidden blow-hole. We plan to swim down there in the near future and will definitely document the awesome trip!

About halfway up, there is a trail that splits off the main route and goes directly to the lighthouse. Unfortunately it is roped off keeping visitors from touring it too closely. For time purposes, we didn’t take that route, but we will definitely check it out in the future.

After roughly an hour of hiking – with the added breaks – we made our way down to Makapu’u Beach which is just as beautiful as the hike. Makapu’u Beach is a popular place for body surfing due to the huge shore-break waves. However, it is also great for laying on the beach, taking in the spectacular view, and looking up to the lighthouse.