Makapu'u Lighthouse Hike

The Makapu'u Lighthouse Hike is a 2 mile hike located on the western most tip on O'ahu.  I would say this is one of the most easiest hikes that I have done here on O'ahu.  The trail is basically completely paved all the way to the viewing stations on top.  There is a slight incline but not excessively steep.  This was the first hike I completed upon moving to Hawai'i.  It is hot and dry on this side of the island, so bring water.  During this hike, we actually got rained on which is unusual.

We brought along our dog Jack and we bring along doggy bags to be environmentally friendly.  He loved going on this hike, mostly because it is a really popular hike with lots of other dog lovers bringing their dogs also. So lots of spots to sniff and pee on all the way up the trail.

 You have great views of Koko Head Crater and the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean

Makapu'u Lighthouse

A point of interest for a unusual thing to do would be to bring up an engraved lock to place on the wall of the top viewing station.  The locks seem to be memorials for lost loved ones or anniversary dates.  As you can see in the picture below, there are quite a few locks..





The next time we do this hike, I would like to add on a slight side hike down off the beaten path to the Dragon's Nostrils. You go up a little over half way and then take a side path down to the rocks below.  This is not a marked or paved path, more of foot path that locals or avid hikers know about. Its suppose to be really awe inspiring when the waves are really going.  Had friend's describe unwary tourist almost get pulled out to sea because they were not being careful of the waves on the rocks.  So be careful if you do complete the Dragon's Nostril hike addition

Manoa Falls Hike

Second most popular hike done on Oahu after the Diamond Head Hike.  I can see why, this hike is only two miles round trip with a small evaluation change (400 feet over 0.8 miles).  The surround rainforest was a beautiful to blaze through as we were power walking to the falls.  EXPECT to get muddy, really muddy.... Though not the muddiest trail I have ever been on. I could tell by its location up in Manoa Valley, it probably stays muddy though.

We wore proper hiking shoes.  Tennis shoes for me, hiking sandals by my boyfriend. I always seeing people hiking wearing flip flops.  Really flip flops? One woman skidded in front of me as she was coming back from the falls going down hill.  It might be better just to go barefoot then to wear flip flips on muddy terrain.

We washed our feet before even starting the hike to get rid of any invasive plant seeds that might be stuck to the bottom of our shoes. There is a nice foot washing station located next to the paid parking area just for that purpose.  Though I suspect most people just use it to wash up after they completed the hike.  We did both, washed up before we got in the vehicle.

Manoa Falls Trail is a dog friendly hike as long as you keep your dog on leash and hike the dog poop out with you.  We bring our dog Jack's poop bags and flattenable water bowl with us on hikes.   We really moved fast on this hike mostly because Jack was setting the pace.  We did get to enjoy some good rainforest views though.  We ran into a lot of people on this hike, at all different hiking levels.  So passing or being passed is just par for the course on this trail.  Some spots you need to wait for people coming from the opposite way to get past before climbing up or down yourself... just stand to the side and smile....

 I enjoyed this hike but it was a little short for me, I could have done another mile or two no problem. We completed the hike in less then an hour.  We thought about adding the 'Aihualama trail to our hike but because the general muddiness decided against it.  Maybe on a less muddy day.

So I think our big highlight of the hike was actually an aggressive marauding chicken that sprang out of the brush near the trails beginning and tried unsuccessfully to attack my dog Jack.  With the use of my foot as protective shield neither dog or fowl was injured... This is the second time a chicken has attacked him, the first time it was through a wire fence and the chicken pecked him on the nose.

Lanikai Pill Box Hike

View from Last Pill box

Lanikai Pill Box Hike- a shorter hike best done either in the early morning or later in the day.  Very hot and very dry - almost reminded me of Kaena Point but a lot shorter. We did this hike at 10:30 in the morning and it was still very busy.  This hike had been on my wish list for a while because I have seen other peoples pictures and saw how gorgeous the Pill boxes and views were.  From the top of the trail you can see Lanikai Beach, which is where we headed afterwards to barbeque.  The Pill boxes are left over from WWI and WWII, they were observation posts to alert defenses of approaching enemy ships.  They are now empty out and graffitified, but the graffitti actually adds points of interest inside the pillbox.

View from the Trail - Looking down on Lanikai Beach

 We found the trail head and marched up a steep dirt path for about 50 yards, by the end of which I was extremely winded.  There are rope handrails on the side which you will probably need on the way back.   Now that was the hard part, the rest of the trail is less steep incline.  You do get to climb up some easy rock faces on the way up and I did the butt scoot on the them the way down.

Now lets get back to the first 50 yards steep incline area, I fell flat on my booty on the way down.  Loose dirt plus steep slope equals perfect falling conditions.  Someone broke their ankle on this trail the day before so be careful. Use those rope handrails.  I really did enjoy this hike and would suggest it to anyone who wants to do a shorter hike, it took us maybe 45 minutes to complete the hike all together. 

On Top of the Last Pill Box