Hanauma Bay Ridge Trail Hike - Oahu, Hawaii

We’ve been hiking in Honolulu for decades but only recently learned about the Hanauma Bay Ridge trail from a cousin. This is an unofficial hike that follows the ridge line above the famous Hana’uma Bay with several scenic views to enjoy.

Distance: ~2.5 miles out and back
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation change: ~400ft
Step count: ~6000 steps, 37 floors

Hanauma Rim Hike

The Hanauma Bay rim trail is a nice morning exercise hike. You’ll work the heart climbing two steep inclines and enjoy many different views.

From the trail, you can see:
– Koko Head and some of the coast to the East
– Down into Hanauma Bay itself
– The neighborhood and lagoons of Hawaii Kai on the other side of the ridge
– Diamond Head and the high rises of Waikiki off in the distance from the end of the trail

This hike is similar to the Makapu’u Lighthouse hike, in that is one of the few paved trails on Oahu that doesn’t get muddy after rains. This one is closer to town and has fewer crowds than Makapu’u.

If you’re wondering about taking a stroller on the Hanauma ridge, I think it would be difficult to push a stroller due to the inclines. We haven’t seen anyone try it.

There are several offshoot trails of dirt that depart from the paved path. We’ve read that it can get very steep going down to the viewpoint from the cell towers, which sit at the uppermost point of the ridge.

On weekends, there were lots of people hiking at sunrise already. Several gathered below the end of the paved path to watch the sunrise from a spot labelled Moloka’i Lookout on Google Maps. On weekdays, it’s been just a handful of hikers.

Getting to Hanauma Bay Ridge Trail

Parking: Do not use the Hanauma Bay parking lot – it fills up with visitors paying to go down to the beach and has limited hours. There is parking at Koko Head District Park across the highway.

To avoid crossing the highway, there is also street parking in the neighborhood on Nawiliwili Street. From here, either walk up the shoulder of Kalanianaole Highway and enter via the gate above the Hanauma parking entrance. Or find the dirt trail off to the right, just 500 feet up from Nawiliwili Street (see image below).

Dirt trailhead at the corner of an unnamed road, right hand side of Kalanianaole Highway when going up to Hanauma from Nawiliwili Street.

The shoulder along Kalanianaole Highway.

Gate to the paved path from the top of Hanauma parking area, listed as “Hawaii Rd” on Google Maps.

There’s not much else to know about this hike except that there is no shade and it can get pretty breezy on the ridge.

Hanauma Rim is becoming one of our favorite Oahu hikes when we want to do something short and scenic. It’s definitely one of the top sunrise hikes in Honolulu.

Tips for Happy Hiking Kulio’ou’ou Trail

Wear sturdy shoes. This is one of the few trails on Oahu where you’d probably be fine in sandals, but it’s always safer to have closed-toed footwear.
Bring water and sunscreen

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