Hiking the Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve Access Road on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Distance (Roundtrip): 7.2 miles / 11.6 km
Elevation Gain: 1,550 ft. / 472 m
The Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve Access Road, commonly called the Access Road, on the North Shore of Oʻahu is a long, paved 3.6-mile (5.8 km) road that begins off Farrington Highway and climbs high into the Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve, where it then splits at Peacock Flats into an endless number of trails that hikers can explore!
It is for this reason that I personally think the Mokulēʻia Access Road is one of the best local trails on Oʻahu, which has almost nothing to do with the road discussed in this article.
Rather, the Mokulēʻia Access Road is one of my favorites because when you start to understand how vast the Kuaokalā—Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve is at the top, there’s truly no shortage of exploring that one can do after the gate at Peacock Flats.
All this to say, there are simply too many different directions to write about in just this one article, but some notable routes include the Mokulēʻia Trail, the Pahole Trail, the Waiʻanae Summit to Three Corners and Mt. Kaʻala, and, for trail runners, the WST/ forest roads can be hiked all the way to Kuaokalā, the Keālia Trail, and the North Shore of Kaʻena Point, which is why the opportunities and viewpoints, once at the top, are truly endless!
Mokulēʻia Access Road Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve Access Road is located directly alongside Farrington Highway just outside of the gate.
The inconspicuous gate may look like private property when driving by. However, once on the other side, there are a number of signs indicating that it is indeed a public right-of-way.
Google Maps Directions: Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve Access Road
Hiking the Mokulēʻia Access Road
The Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve Access Road begins on the other side of this gate, adjacent to the parking area off Farrington Highway.
That said, there really isn’t a lot to know.
What you see is what you get, meaning the Access Road simply follows a paved road for roughly 3.6 miles (5.8 km) up to Peacock Flats, gaining about 1,550 ft. (472 m) along the way.
The first 0.9 miles (1.4 km) of the Mokulēʻia Access Road is flat, which is one of the biggest reasons why running the full road from the gate to Peacock Flats without stopping is so challenging!
By this, I mean that this long, flat stretch means the majority of the 1,550 ft. (472 m) of elevation gain is condensed into the final 2.7 miles (4.3 km), not 3.6 miles (5.8 km), as the information at the beginning would lead one to believe.
If there’s one thing I hope these photos show, it’s that there’s very little shade on the Access Road, which is why I highly recommend wearing a hooded sun shirt—especially considering that every adventure up to Peacock Flats and beyond inevitably means spending a long day outside.
The sick-looking palms on the right-hand side of the Access Road are an unfortunate result of the spread of the invasive Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle.
From my experience, I can say that it didn’t always use to be this way, as Coconut Palms once lined this long stretch until about mid-2023 when things started to change.
At about the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) mark, the Mokulēʻia Access Road passes through a second gate, where the road then begins passing through one of the few shaded sections before reaching the towering Cook Pine trees at Peacock Flats at the end.
This is roughly the 0.9-mile (1.4 km) mark, and it’s where the Mokulēʻia Access Road begins its long, drawn-out ascent to Peacock Flats up in the forest reserve.
That said, the elevation gain only becomes significant when the road reaches the first of four switchbacks, just after the 2.0-mile (3.2 km) mark.
Shortly after the 1.0-mile (1.6 km) mark, the Mokulēʻia Access Road curves to the west, where it then dips slightly.
I mention this because this dip is one of a few easier sections on the near-constant ascent, which is likely most noticeable for those who plan to run the road to the top!
When the Access Road starts to curve back to the south, it is not far from the third gate and the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) mark.
The third gate is the final gate before Peacock Flats at the very top.
After the third gate, the Mokulēʻia Access Road continues to climb steadily, but it is only once the road reaches the first switchback, just after the 2.0-mile (3.2 km) mark, that the elevation gain starts to become more challenging.
For those who are running and have made it this far without stopping, this is likely where the near-constant ascent will really start to set in!
Shortly after the 2.0-mile (3.2 km) mark, the Mokulēʻia Access Road will reach the first of four steep switchbacks up the ridge.
That said, this is where it’s important to start keeping an eye out for cars and bikers coming down the blind turns on the road—especially considering how fast some bikers race down these steep sections!
This is the second switchback, and it’s the steepest of the four.
When I run the Mokulēʻia Access Road, this is about as far as I’ve been able to make it without stopping!
This is definitely because of how steep the road is, and because I almost always start around midday to try and get to one of the many different viewpoints up in the Kuaokalā–Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve by sunset.
For those that are curious, the Fastest Known Time is 29:16, which makes my best time of 37:58 look pretty bad, though I’ll have to come back at a cooler time of day to see what I can do!
This is the third switchback, which is a nice sign that the top of the ridge is just 0.25 miles (0.4 km) away.
On the third switchback, be aware that there may be bees in the small caves along the cliff, which are usually not a problem as long as you keep moving.
This old building marks the fourth and final switchback before Peacock Flats, and it’s where the Mokulēʻia Access Road finally gets up on top of the ridge!
On the left-hand side of the fourth switchback, there are two beautiful Wiliwili trees growing along the hillside!
I mention this because the vast majority of the landscape is dominated by non-native, invasive species, and I’m only aware of four Wiliwili trees along the Mokulēʻia Access Road that still exist from when this area would have predominantly been a native Wiliwili–Lonomea forest.
However, the landscape has sadly changed, and what we have today are truly just relics of the past, as old-growth Wiliwili trees can live to be hundreds of years old!
After the Wiliwili trees, the Cook Pines at the top of the Access Road at Peacock Flats really start to come into view, becoming more and more frequent over this final 0.5-mile (0.8 km) stretch to the campground.
This final mile marker is a nice sign that Peacock Flats is just 0.1 miles (0.2 km) ahead!
Peacock Flats Campground
The end of the Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve Access Road is this gate just outside Peacock Flats Campground.
If you are interested in camping at Peacock Flats or reserving a day-use permit to access the Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve by car, reservations can be made using the link below, with weekdays at the campground being much easier to reserve than weekends.
Book Here: Peacock Flats Campground / Mokulēʻia—Kuaokalā Day-Use Permit
Mokulēʻia Trail Access Road Junction
The Mokulēʻia Access Road is seldom the only trail I hike or run when beginning from the gate off Farrington Highway because, as previously mentioned, the Access Road is truly a jumping-off point for countless different adventures in all directions up in the vast Kuaokalā–Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve.
The most popular of these is the Mokulēʻia Trail, which you can read about in more detail using the link below.
Aside from that, there are truly too many different trails that branch out from this gate in all directions, which is why I could not possibly begin to talk about all there is to do up here. It just takes putting in the legwork!
Read My Separate Post: Mokulēʻia Trail
Native Plants on the Mokulēʻia Access Road
The Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve Access Road begins at roughly 30 ft. (9 m) in elevation, which I mention because most dry, low-elevation environments in Hawaiʻi are often dominated by invasive grasses and Koa Haole, meaning native plants are few and far between.
However, there are a number scattered along different parts of the Access Road, including ʻUhaloa, Niu, ʻAʻaliʻi, Wiliwili, Uluhe, Palaʻā, and Lonomea, to 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
