Hiking the Crouching Lion Trail on Oʻahu
Distance (Roundtrip): 0.5 miles / 0.8 km
At only 0.25 miles (0.4 km) each way, the Crouching Lion Trail is, without a doubt, one of the best sunrise hikes on Oʻahu!
By this, I mean that the very short but also steep trail is one of the most beautiful sunrise hikes, as first light hits Kahana Bay in the morning.
All said, this article should help break down the difference between the various different routes up Crouching Lion, which is especially good to know if you plant to hike the trail in the dark prior to sunrise.
Crouching Lion Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Crouching Lion Trailhead is located in a small dirt lot on the right side of Kamehameha Highway just before Kahana Bay Beach Park when coming from Kāneʻohe or on the left after the beach park when coming from the North Shore.
That being said, consider the Crouching Lion Trailhead to be a high-crime area for petty theft, meaning you should never leave visible bags or anything valuable in your car.
Google Maps Directions: Crouching Lion Trailhead
Hiking the Crouching Lion Trail
By hiking this trail, you accept all the risks and potential legal consequences for entering a closed area.
To reach the main Crouching Lion viewpoint, it’s important to hike up the second set of signs that you see, not the first.
The first set of signs is the trailhead for Puʻu Manamana, which connects at the top. But if you want to hike to the most popular Crouching Lion viewpoint, go to the second set of signs shown below in the second photo.
Furthermore, when I say that both routes connect at the top, I mean that the 0.5 mile (0.8 km) distance above comes from the small loop trail that you can do by starting at one set of signs and finishing at the other.
However, in this post, I took the route from the second set of signs to reach the most popular Crouching Lion viewpoint.
Know that if the east side of Oʻahu has been receiving a lot of rain, the Crouching Lion Trail can be very muddy and slippery.
Then, after a short and steep 250 ft. (76 m) ascent from the trailhead, the Crouching Lion Trail peaks out on the ridge shown in the photo below.
Warning
Being that the cliffs along the ridges of Puʻu Manamana are extremely steep and dramatic, numerous hikers have taken fatal falls from this point and on.
I say this to encourage you to be safe, but also to turn back if you or anyone in your party is not comfortable proceeding.
From this flat area on the ridge, go left get to the main Crouching Lion viewpoint, which is the most popular place to watch sunrise.
However, to hike toward the lion’s head, take the connector trail shown in the section.
Crouching Lion-Puʻu Manamana Connector Trail
From the ridge crest in the photos above, go right at the split to connect to the other trail down Crouching Lion (the first set of signs), as well as the Puʻu Manamana Trail that leads up the mountain.
This connector trail is a path to the lion’s head, but know that you don’t really get a good view of it from the trail, as it’s much easier to see from the road below in Kaʻaʻawa.
The connector trail is only about 0.1 miles (0.2 km) to reach the Puʻu Manamana side of the hike.
Hopefully, this memorial shows how real the consequences of a fall can be.
Seriously, be careful!
The photo below is the trail down to the first set of signs, which is also considered to be the best trailhead for Puʻu Manamana, being that it’s more direct.
What is the Puʻu Manamana Trail?
Distance: 5.3 miles / 8.5 km
In short, the Crouching Lion Trail is really only the footstep for the much longer Puʻu Manamana-Kahekili Ridge Loop Trail.
What this means is that the longer 5.3-mile (8.5 km) loop can either begin here on the Crouching Lion Trail or on the Kahekili Ridge side, located in the more residential part of Kaʻaʻawa.
That being said, don’t let the moderately short 5.3-mile distance influence your perception about how hard the trail is, as Puʻu Manamana is not a beginner hike.
By this, I mean that if you were only prepared to hike Crouching Lion, don’t proceed up the ridge. You are not prepared for the longer Puʻu Manamana Loop. Additionally, Puʻu Manamana features numerous high-exposure class 3/ class 4 climbs, where a mistake is simply not an option.
If you would like to learn more about the full Puʻu Manamana-Kahekili Ridge Loop, I encourage you to read about the full trail using the link below.
All said, if you had any difficulty on the Crouching Lion Trail up to this point, then you should not hike Puʻu Manamana. It’s steeper, more exposed, the consequences of falling are much greater, and there are sections that require climbing, which typically means climbing wet/ slippery rock. I say all this to inform you the best I can.
Read My Separate Post: Puʻu Manamana-Kahekili Ridge Loop Trail
Native Plants on the Crouching Lion Trail
For being such a low-elevation trail, which typically means few native plants in Hawaiʻi, there are yet a bit of native plants to find on the short Crouching Lion Trail.
To name a few, you can find Hala, ʻUhaloa, ʻŌhiʻa lehua, Hau, ʻIlima, and ʻĀkia.
If you would like to learn more about identifying these and other native Hawaiian plants from across the islands, I encourage you to check out my separate post below.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
