A paved, 2-mile round-trip trail in Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline that climbs 500 feet to lookouts above the red-roofed Makapuʻu Lighthouse, built in 1909, at Oʻahu’s southeastern tip.
Why we love it
It’s a paved trail with a big coastal payoff, and from November through May you have a real shot at seeing humpbacks from the top.
Current conditions: DLNR says the upper viewing area at the roadside Makapuʻu Lookout is closed for repairs Oct. 21–Nov. 4, 2026, all day on weekends and holidays, with limited viewing. No closure is posted for the lighthouse trail itself (checked Oct. 21, 2026).
What to expect
The trail is a steady climb up a paved service road on dry, exposed slopes with almost no shade. At the summit lookouts you look down on the 1909 lighthouse, Mānana (Rabbit) Island and the Waimānalo coast, and on clear days Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi. It is often very windy at the top. Most people take about two hours. Go early or late in the day to avoid the heat. The lighthouse itself is off-limits, and so are the tide pools below the cliffs, which DLNR calls a closed and very dangerous area.
Know before you go
- Lighthouse
- You view the 1909 lighthouse from above. The lighthouse itself is off-limits.
- Tide pools
- The tide pools below are in a closed area that DLNR considers very dangerous. Do not climb down.
- Whales
- Humpback season is November through May, peaking January through March. Federal rules keep boats and people 100 yards from humpbacks.
- No facilities
- No drinking water or restrooms at the trailhead or along the trail.
- Conditions
- Hot, dry and windy, with about 500 feet of gain over 2 miles round trip.
Photo: Pete Markham via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
