Hiking the Crouching Lion Trail on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Distance (Roundtrip): 0.6 miles / 1.0 km
At only 0.3 miles (0.5 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 short but steep trail leads to one of the most beautiful panoramic east-facing viewpoints on the island, making the Crouching Lion Trail one of the best effort-to-reward trails when hiked for sunrise!
In any case, the turquoise-blue waters of Kahana Bay can truly be enjoyed at first light and throughout much of the day. Therefore, I truly don’t think it makes much of a difference when you decide to hike up Crouching Lion, as the viewpoints are always stunning, so long as the weather is clear!
On a different note, the Crouching Lion Trail is not as straightforward as one might think, given all the different routes that begin at the trailhead and continue throughout the hike.
For this reason, I highly recommend reading about all the different routes on Crouching Lion below, which can be especially good to know if you plan to hike the Crouching Lion 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-hand 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
To begin hiking on the main Crouching Lion Trail, walk in the Kāneʻohe direction toward the second sign on the right-hand side of the road.
Puʻu Manamana Trailhead
This is the first trailhead, and it’s best known for being the fastest route up the Puʻu Manamana-Kahekili Ridge Loop, which you can learn more about later in my separate article.
That being said, both routes connect at the top, creating a 0.6-mile (1.0 km) loop between the trailheads/ ridges that ascend up the mountain.
However, if you want to hike to the most popular Crouching Lion viewpoint, which is also the best viewpoint to catch sunrise, walk to the second trailhead shown below.
Read My Separate Post: Puʻu Manamana-Kahekili Ridge Loop Trail
Crouching Lion Trailhead
This second trailhead is the Crouching Lion Trailhead, and it’s likely the route that most hikers are interested in for the shorter Crouching Lion Trail, as opposed to the much longer and more involved hike up Puʻu Manamana.
Know that if the east side of Oʻahu has been receiving a lot of rain, these lower elevations on the Crouching Lion Trail can be very muddy and slippery.
Not long after beginning the hike, the Crouching Lion Trail begins climbing, which will continue for nearly the entire length of the trail to the main viewpoint above Kahana Bay.
These middle sections of the ridge are always fairly eroded, which can make it particularly challenging when it’s muddy.
After the short but steep 250-ft. (76 m) ascent, the Crouching Lion Trail levels out at this flat clearing above Kaʻaʻawa to the east and Kahana Bay to the north.
Crouching Lion-Puʻu Manamana Connector Junction
It is here at the junction just past the clearing that hikers either have the option to go left toward the main Crouching Lion viewpoint or right to hike toward the Lion’s Head/ Puʻu Manamana Trail.
Warning
It’s important to stress the dangers of the trail from this point on, as numerous hikers have taken fatal falls because of the steep and dramatic cliffs that parallel the Crouching Lion-Puʻu Manamana Trail.
That being said, I only say this to encourage safe decision-making, but also to recommend stopping here if someone in your party is not comfortable proceeding.
I chose to go left toward the main Crouching Lion viewpoint.
This final scramble up to the top is one of the steepest parts on the entire Crouching Lion Trail.
Crouching Lion Viewpoint
Finally, after just 0.3 miles (0.5 km), the Crouching Lion Trail reaches the most popular viewpoint of anywhere on the short Crouching Lion Loop.
It is here that you can see beautiful panoramic views of Kahana Bay, Kaʻaʻawa, Puʻu Piei across the bay, Poamoho toward the heart of the Koʻolau Mountains, and up Punaluʻu toward Oʻahu’s North Shore!
Crouching Lion-Puʻu Manamana Connector Junction
Once back at the Crouching Lion-Puʻu Manamana Connector junction, you can either go right to hike back down the fastest and easiest route to the trailhead or continue straight to hike up to the Lion’s Head.
From there, the Connector Trail continues past the Lion’s Head until it meets Puʻu Manamana Ridge, at which point you either have the option to hike back down to the first trailhead, effectively completing the full Crouching Lion Loop, or turn back at this junction.
Crouching Lion-Puʻu Manamana Connector Trail
This is the Connector Trail, which is only about 0.1 miles (0.2 km) to reach the Puʻu Manamana side of the hike.
Crouching Lion’s Head-Bypass Junction
At this split, you can either go left to hike up to the top of Lion’s Head or right to bypass it altogether.
That being said, Lion’s Head is a very exposed portion of the Crouching Lion Loop, meaning the Bypass is much easier and safer in comparison.
Crouching Lion Head
This is the top of the Lion’s Head, and while it may seem deceiving as to why it’s called Crouching Lion, the shape of a 'Crouching Lion' can’t be seen from anywhere on the hike.
In fact, the Crouching Lion can only be seen from Kaʻaʻawa down below, which is why I encourage you to look up at the mountain if you’re driving to the trailhead from Kāneʻohe.
Second Crouching Lion’s Head-Bypass Junction
Past the Crouching Lion, the Bypass and Lion’s Head trails meet and continue on toward the Puʻu Manamana-Crouching Lion junction shortly ahead.
Hopefully, this memorial shows how real the consequences of a fall can be.
Seriously, be careful!
Puʻu Manamana-Crouching Lion Conncector Junction
After 0.1 miles (0.2 km), the Puʻu Manamana-Crouching Lion Connector Trail meets the ridge that continues higher up Puʻu Manamana and the trail back down to the highway.
This is the route that completes the short 0.5-mile (0.8 km) Crouching Lion Loop, but know that the alternative Puʻu Manamana Ridge back down is slightly more difficult than the Crouching Lion Trail because of one steep section that must be climbed down.
What is the Puʻu Manamana Trail?
Distance: 5.3 miles / 8.5 km
In short, the Crouching Lion Loop 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 side 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/ 4 climbs, where a mistake is simply not an option.
I say all this to say, Puʻu Manamana is steeper, it’s more exposed, and the consequences of falling are much greater than Crouching Lion or the pillbox hike up Kahekili Ridge.
If you would like to learn more about the full Puʻu Manamana-Kahekili Ridge Loop, I encourage you to read about the full trail in my separate article linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Puʻu Manamana-Kahekili Ridge Loop Trail
Puʻu Manamana Ridge (Crouching Lion Loop)
This is the return loop back down Puʻu Manamana Ridge, which begins at the first trailhead shown previously in this article.
This is the beginning of the steep section that inevitably makes the Puʻu Manamana Ridge side more challenging than the Crouching Lion Trail.
On a different note, consider these hiking/ trail-running shoes for shorter Hawaiʻi adventures, like the Crouching Lion Trail, as they work great and are a personal favorite of mine on trails that aren’t overgrown!
This short connection at the beginning of the trail is what truly makes the difference regarding whether you’ll hike up the Crouching Lion or Puʻu Manamana side of the loop.
That being said, go left here to return to the Puʻu Manamana Trailhead.
Native Plants on the Crouching Lion Trail
The Crouching Lion Trail is a fairly low-elevation hike by Hawaiʻi standards, which typically means few, if any, native Hawaiian plants.
However, there are a surprising number that hikers can expect to see on the short Crouching Lion Loop, including Hala, ʻUhaloa, ʻŌhiʻa lehua, Hau, ʻŪlei, ʻIlima, ʻAlaʻala wai nui, Kaunaʻoa, and ʻĀkia, to truly only name a few.
If you would like to learn more about these and many other native Hawaiian plants from across the islands, I encourage you to check out my separate post linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
