Hiking the Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse Trail on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Distance (Roundtrip): 2.5 miles / 4.0 km
The Makapuʻu Lighthouse Trail is, without a doubt, one of the best and easiest sunrise hikes on Oʻahu.
I say this not only because of the expansive east-facing views from the top, but in addition, hiking on Oʻahu doesn’t get much easier than a paved asphalt path, which extends for the entire trail.
On a different note, I also recommend the Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse Trail if you’re looking for a good hike to do with young kinds, and to read more on this subject, I encourage you check out my separate article linked below to find a whole host of kid-friendly Oʻahu adventures.
Read My Separate Post: Best Kid-Friendly Hikes on Oʻahu
Makapuʻu Lighthouse Shuttle
If you don’t have transportation or would like to learn about the hike from a guide, I highly recommend booking the tour below. This is easily the cheapest shuttle to the Makapuʻu Lighthouse Trail, and the tour provides roundtrip transportation from your hotel in Waikīkī.
Additionally, one of my favorite things about booking through Viator is the reserve-now-and-pay-later option. As long as you’re booking more than three days in advance, you have the option to book ahead and cancel in the future if you change your mind.
Makapuʻu Lighthouse Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Makapuʻu Lighthouse Trailhead is located in a paved parking lot off of Kalanianaʻole Hwy in east Honolulu.
However, finding parking can be tough on any given day of the week unless you hike early in the day. This is especially true midday on weekends, and you may need to park up to a half-mile away on the highway if you arrive at its busiest.
Out of caution, consider the Makapuʻu Lighthouse parking lot to be a high-crime area for petty theft. Never leave bags or anything valuable in your car.
Google Maps Directions: Makapuʻu Lighthouse Trailhead
My Hawaiʻi Hiking Checklist
Hiking the Makapuʻu Lighthouse Trail
The Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse Trail begins on the paved path at the far end of the parking lot and continues on this path for a little over a mile.
In total, the hike gains about 500 ft. (152 m) of elevation from the trailhead to the viewpoint at the top.
Makapuʻu-Kaiwi Shoreline Junction
This dirt path that leads off the paved trail to the right is the Kaiwi Shoreline Trail, and the way to get down to Alan Davis Beach.
In short, the Kaiwi Shoreline Trail to Alan Davis Beach makes for a nice, quiet walk down to the secluded beach. However, I don’t think that the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) walk to the beach would be a great spot for young kids, as there are better kid-friendly beaches around the island, such as the nearby Waimānalo Beach.
Read My Separate Post: Kaiwi Shoreline Trail
Overall, the Makapuʻu Trail up to the lighthouse at the top is fairly self-explanatory, and if you look off to the sides of the trail, you see native plants, such as ʻIlima, the Hoary Abutilon, Maʻo, and ʻUhaloa in fairly high numbers.
In addition, Molokai, Maui, and Lānaʻi can be seen from the first lookout on the trail, which is the lookout in the photo below.
Makapuʻu Point
From the top, you can see things as close as Makapuʻu Beach all the way to Mokoliʻi and beyond on the clearest of days.
Makapuʻu Tide Pools Trail
For those wondering, the Makapuʻu Tide Pools Trail is a short trail off of the main Makapuʻu Lighthouse Trail to a number of beautiful tide pools down by the water.
That being said, the trail down to the Makapuʻu Tide Pools is short but challenging and steep, and it is not meant for all people, of all abilities. There is a lot of loose rock, and on top of the trail’s inherent difficulty, the coastline can be hazardous when a big swell crashes into the pools.
Read My Separate Post: Makapuʻu Tide Pools Trail
Native Plants on the Makapuʻu Trail
Unfortunately, a low-elevation trail, such as this one, is almost always covered in non-native/ invasive plants. However, as previously mentioned, there are a number of native plants that can be seen, such as Maʻo, ʻUhaloa, Milo, the Hoary Abutilon, and Pāʻū o Hiʻiaka.
If you would like to learn more about these tons of other native Hawaiian plants from across the islands, I encourage you to check out my separate post linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
