Hanauma Bay Trail Hike

NOTE - this is not a state sanctioned trail maintained by the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).

My friend invited me to tag along on this hike on Sunday morning. It is relatively short with a mild degree of difficulty. The most important things to bring on this hike are: sunscreen, a hat, covered shoes with good traction, camera, and water. Total time: approximately 1:30 minutes (including stops for photographs and water breaks). There are not a lot of shaded areas on this hike, therefore the ideal times to hike this trail is in the early morning or late afternoon.

The best place to park for this hike is on Nawiliwili Street, which is first right after the Kalanianaole Highway/Lunalilo Home Road intersection. After parking your car, head back up Kalanianaole Highway on foot in the direction of the entrance to Hanauma Bay.

When you see the concrete barrier, hang a right and look for the pathway leading up. You'll eventually make your way to the paved portion of the trail.

Right before you reach the radio towers, look for the trail leading downwards on the left. As you can see, this leg of the trail is steep and gets slippery - use caution while descending.

Enjoy the views on the way down, but stop walking before taking pictures. Don't try to walk and take pictures at the same time.

Here's the view looking upwards from the bottom.

Once you reach the bottom, take a short break and enjoy the view and isolation.

On this particular day we saw a few fishermen on the cliff below. Don't attempt to go down there unless you are familiar with the area.

On the way back, you get a unique point of view of Hanauma Bay.

Before the ascent back up to the paved trail, there is an area marked as the "ancestral home of 'Ihi 'Ihilauakea. I think it's the home of an ancient species of ferns. The sign says you can enter on foot, but I'd rather not. Gotta respect the aina (land) at all times!