Hiking in Oahu: Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail
A couple of months ago I took a hike along the Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail. A fairly well known hike and tourist attraction on the south shore of Oahu. Since I was by myself and had no one to go with, I opted for a more public hike. I couldn’t get myself lost on this hike. There is usually plenty of parking when you arrive and the trail is paved all the way. The photo above is at the midpoint of the hike where you can detour down to the Makapu’u Tidepools. In the photo above, slight left of middle are the turquoise tidepools. Be cautious if you hike down to these tidepools… plenty of rogue waves have come in and have swooped out swimmers and swept them out to sea. Enter at your own risk.
The hike starts off with a steady easy incline and gets a bit more steep… I felt myself having to stop to catch my breath a little, especially when I’ve been sedentary for a while now. The right photo is a bit of the beautiful ocean view coming up.
This hike affords such beautiful views… so bring your camera. There is absolutely no shade and the sun beating on the pavement can get the best of you, so bring plenty of water and sunblock! Maybe even an umbrella.
It is pretty dry on this side. The vegetation is interesting with succulents growing about.
The first look out point is Koko Head. It’s quite impressive.
There are a couple of camera op stops as you go along the paved trail ascending upwards. One of those stops direct you to the detour trail to the tidepools. Can you see the hikers taking that trail? The trail to the tidepools is all dirt… as in no paved trail… you just keep working your way down traversing the hill down. It can get slippery at times as the dirt and gravel can get loose at times.
Here’s some of the view coming down and going up. It’s really not that bad going up… the walk down is easy breezy.
When you reach the top of the lookout point, just look down and you’ll see the Makapu’u Lighthouse.
In the faint distance you can see the island of Molaka’i.
Sandy Beach and Rabbit Island. It is such a pretty view and a well worth easy hike. Definitely put it on your “Things to do while on Oahu” list.
Professional Oahu Photographer, Jennifer Brotchie, specializes in family photo shoots and portraits at the beach as well as engagement/couples shoots and senior portraits. Serving fun families lodging in Waikiki, Disney Aulani, Four Seasons and Marriott in KoOlina, Turtle Bay Resort in North Shore, Lanikai, Kahala and all points in between. Beach photography sessions available in the morning and for sunset. Family Vacation Photos, Engagement Couples Photo Sessions, Waikiki Portrait Sessions. Available for Editorial photography assignments. Jennifer loves to hike and hang out at the beach giving you locations for “things to do” and “places to visit” while you are vacationing on Oahu.
