Hiking the Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve Access Road on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Distance (Roundtrip): 7.2 miles / 11.6 km
The Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve Access Road on Oʻahu’s North Shore is one of the best local trails on Oʻahu, and it’s not because of the road talked about here.
Rather, the Mokulēʻia Access Road is one of my favorites because when you start to understand how vast the Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve is at the top, there’s no shortage of exploring that one can do once you reach the gate at Peacock Flats.
That being said, there are simply too many different directions to write about in just this one article, but if you’re a trail runner, you can find endless opportunities and viewpoints—much like neighboring Keālia Trail down the road—if you choose to do some hiking past the Access Road itself.
Mokulēʻia Access Road Parking
Parking for the Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve Access Road is located right outside of the gate off Farrington Highway.
From the highway, the inconspicuous gate may look like private property. However, there are a number of signs indicating that it is indeed a public right-of-way shortly after this gate.
Google Maps Directions: Mokulēʻia Access Road
Hiking the Mokulēʻia Access Road
From the gate on Farrington Highway, the Mokulēʻia Access Road simply follows the 3.6-mile (5.8 km) road up to Peacock Flats, gaining about 1,600 ft. (488 m) along the way.
However, this 3.6-mile (5.8 km) distance is only the one-way distance to the gate at the Peacock Flats Campground. Meaning that your day will likely be much longer, depending on how much hiking—if at all—you choose to do from the campground.
On the day I took these photos, I ended up running around 13.1 miles (21.1 km), but it’s worth noting that most of those miles moved very quickly on the road, up and down.
In my experience, most nearby residents use the Access Road during the early morning or evening hours to workout, which is what I recommend over a midday, like these photos here.
However, if you choose to visit during the day for a sunset adventure, which can be quite spectacular along the Mākua Valley rim, consider hiking in a good sun shirt because of the lack of shade.
At about 0.8 miles (1.3 km), the Mokulēʻia Access Road begins to climb, and it generally won’t let up until the very top at Peacock Flats.
In my opinion, this makes the roughly 1,600 ft. (488 m) of elevation gain a little more challenging because it feels like it’s all compressed toward the end, instead of being evenly spread throughout.
After the 2-mile (3.2 km) mark, the Mokulēʻia Access Road will climb four steep switchbacks up the ridge.
This is where you want to be sure to keep an eye out for cars and bikers, especially, because they tend to pick up a lot of speed on these sections.
This old structure is a nice sign that you’re almost on the last switchback.
Peacock Flats
As previously mentioned, the Mokulēʻia Access Road is really just the jumping-off point for countless other hikes that you could do once up in the Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve.
For this reason, it likely won’t make sense why the Access Road is one of my favorite trails to hike/ run on Oʻahu if you turn around at Peacock Flats.
In any case, I’ve written an entirely separate article about my favorite trail runs on Oʻahu, to include the Mokulēʻia Access Road, and if you’re in need of a good road-to-trail shoe, you can see my preferred shoes linked below, which are truly perfect for an adventure just like this.
Read My Separate Post: Best Trail Runs on Oʻahu
Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve
In summary, the road to the left of the gate past Peacock Flats lead to the Mokulēʻia Trail, and the road going straight leads to a number of different roads and trails that you could explore, all of which are beyond the scope of just one article.
Regardless, Peacock Flats sits at the base of the Waiʻanae Summit Trail (WST), so if you ever end up along the fence line for Mākua Valley, you can use my separate article to look for notable places to work your way back to the Access Road.
Read My Separate Post: Mokulēʻia Trail
Waiʻanae Summit Trail (WST)
The Mokulēʻia Access Road is one of the best routes, both to and from the Waiʻanae Summit Trail (WST).
For those interested in hiking parts of or the entire summit, I think it’s important to note that the Mokulēʻia Trail is not a part of the WST, but it does lead to the summit trail from the junction at the Mokulēʻia Shelter.
To learn more about this and the entire trail across the Waiʻanae Summit, I encourage you to read more in my separate article.
Read My Separate Post: Waiʻanae Summit Trail (WST)
Native Plants on the Access Road
If you hike up high into the Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve beyond Peacock Flats, there are tons of native plants to find, such as ʻŌhiʻa lehua, ʻIliahi, Kokolau, Māmaki, ʻAkoko, ʻĒkaha, Koa, and ʻAiea, to truly only name a few.
However, if you only stick to the Access Road, there are far fewer to see. Still, Wiliwili, Uluhe, Palaʻā, and Lonomea are among a few that you can see.
That being said, if you are curious about trying the native Hawaiian Māmaki tea, I kindly ask that you don’t harvest Māmaki from our native forests but, instead, buy from one of the local reputable vendors, such as those listed below.
If you would like to learn more about these and 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
