Lanikai Pillbox Trail

Take it from a beginner hiker, do not start with the Koko Head Railway Trail, but instead try Lanikai Pillbox Trail in Kailua first.  I also learned from my experience at Koko Head that it's still very hot at 4pm.  For this hike, we wanted to start early so armed with my pre-workout energy drink, we left Mililani before sunrise.

The drive to Lanikai over the H3 is beautiful and scenic itself.  When we arrived, the four parking stalls near the trail were already full so we found street parking in the neighborhood.  The trail to the two pillboxes begins with a steep incline so be careful not to slip on the loose dirt and rocks.  The trail (roundtrip) can be completed well under an hour, but do stop to enjoy the view! 

We noticed that some of the hikers continued on past the second pillbox, but we turned back since we weren't familiar with the area.  I'm glad we did because just as we finished the trail, firefighters were on their way up to rescue a lost hiker.  I also wouldn't bring my children (ages 4 and 7) on the hike because there are some steep drop off points that were pretty scary. 

This was a very enjoyable hike and I would definitely return.  Hopefully, next time we will be able to schedule in some yummy breakfast at one of Kailua's great restaurants!