Makapu'u Lighthouse Hike

Skinny trail to the Lighthouse

  One of my new favorite hikes is the Makapu'u Lighthouse hike on the southeast side of Oahu. There is a parking lot for this trail shortly after Sandy's beach but before you get to Makapu'u beach. The trail is nice and paved, although quite steep in some sections and no shade at all along the trail. A few offshoots of the main paved trail lead around to the lighthouse itself and down to some incredible tide pools at the bottom of the cliff. The tidepools are big enough and deep enough to snorkel in.

Beautiful East Coast of Oahu

There is foliage in every shade of green along the trail but the magnificent colors here belong to the ocean. From here the turquoise tropical waters are breathtaking. If you stop and scan the ocean for awhile during the winter it is also a great place to spot migrating humpback whales. Once you are at the top of the trail you are awarded with a majestic view of the coastline heading North as well as a few offshore islets. The hike can be done in under an hour but it would be easy to spend half a day exploring all that Makapu'u Point has to offer.

Built in 1909

Looking down on the tidepools and people