Hiking the Makapuʻu Tide Pools Trail on Oʻahu
Distance: 1.9 miles / 3.1 km
The Makapuʻu Tide Pools Trail is one of the best local hikes on Oʻahu.
However, even though it starts out on the relatively easy Makapuʻu Lighthouse Trail, the hike down to the tide pools is a bit more difficult.
There's no nice way to say it, but some hikes, like the loose, rocky Tide Pools Trail, are beyond some people’s ability.
Makapuʻu Tide Pools Trailhead Parking
There is a parking lot right before the trailhead, but finding parking can be tough on any day of the week, unless you start early in the day.
This is especially true midday on weekends, and you may need to park up to a half-mile away on the highway if you arrive at its busiest.
Out of caution, consider the Makapuʻu Lighthouse parking lot to be a high-crime area for petty theft. Never leave bags or anything valuable in your car.
Google Maps Directions: Makapuʻu Tide Pools Trailhead
Hiking the Makapuʻu Tide Pools Trail
The trail begins on the paved path at the far end of the parking lot and continues on this path for a little over about 0.7 miles (1.1 km) before branching off on the tide pools trail.
In total, the trail gains about 300 ft. (91 m) of elevation from the trailhead to the split and then descends down to sea level where the pools are.
Alan Davis Beach
This dirt path away from the paved trail on the right is the way to get down to Alan Davis Beach.
I think it’s a nice little walk down to a fairly quiet Oʻahu beach, but I don’t think that the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) walk to the beach would be a great spot for young kids. There are better kid-friendly beaches around the island.
Overall, the trail up to the tide pools split shouldn’t need any explaining. There’s really nowhere that you could make a wrong turn.
On a clear day, you can see Molokai, Maui, and Lānaʻi from the lookout in the photo below.
Makapuʻu Tide Pools Trail
The photo below is where the tide pools trail splits off of the lighthouse trail.
Know that the lighthouse trail and the tide pools trail are not at all of the same difficulty. The tide pools trail is a lot of steep drops and loose rock, which meanders down about 370 ft. of elevation from the paved trail to the tide pools.
The trail is not a kid-friendly hike, and lastly, you accept all potential legal consequences for hiking a closed trail.
In general, keep meandering to the left as you make your way down to stay on the easiest path.
Makapuʻu Tide Pools
In the pools, watch where you step to protect yourself from the sea urchins. It could be very easy cut yourself on something in the pools.
Unfortunately, I saw a woman take a hard fall on the rocks and smash her camera in the process. She was walking with sandals on, and I’d say it’s probably easier to go barefoot. It feels easier to keep your footing.
Hiking Back
Look for these little trail markers on your way back up from the tide pools. They indicate the easiest and best way to hike back up the cliffs to the paved lighthouse trail.
Native Plants on the Makapuʻu Trail
Unfortunately, a low-elevation trail like this one is almost always covered in non-native and invasive plants. However, if you know what to look for, you can find native Maʻo, ʻUhaloa, Milo, and Pāʻū o Hiʻiaka.
If you would like to learn more about identifying these native Hawaiian plants and tons more on trails and beaches around the islands, check out my separate post. I wrote it to help others learn about native plants from around Hawaiʻi.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
