Hiking the Pride Rock Trail: The Southeast Ridge of Puʻu ʻŌhulehule on Oʻahu
Distance: 1.2 miles / 1.9 km
The Pride Rock Trail on Oʻahu’s east side is a local favorite among those looking for a quieter adventure compared to other, more popular east Oʻahu favorites, like the Crouching Lion Trail or the Lanikai Pillboxes.
Being the case, Pride Rock makes for one of the best sunrise hikes on Oʻahu, where you’re almost always guaranteed to have the top to yourself!
However, this is all without saying that Pride Rock is not a designated or maintained trail, and I say this to say that local hikes, such as this, do not need to draw negative attention to the hiking community. Therefore, please be quiet in the neighborhood, do not leave trash anywhere throughout your visit, park legally, and most of all, don’t do anything that would draw negative attention to this local adventure!
Pride Rock Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Pride Rock Trail is located near the end of Haupoa Street in Waikāne.
Again, please be quiet, respectful, park legally, and do not do anything that would draw negative attention to this local trailhead.
Google Maps Directions: Pride Rock Trailhead
Hiking the Pride Rock Trail
The Pride Rock Trail begins at the unmarked trailhead at very end of Haupoa Street.
Then, the trail will turn to the right, which will begin the uphill that continues for most of the hike to Pride Rock.
Furthermore, the Pride Rock Trail spends a bit of time in the lower forest, where the mosquitoes can be quite annoying if you happen to be moving slow on the way up.
That being said, I recommend the convertible pants below if you are looking for hiking pants to use here and on other Oʻahu trails.
The pants below are my recommendations that hold up the best with the overgrowth here in Hawaiʻi, but with any hiking pants that need to be durable, make sure that they are at or near 100% nylon. This is really the most important factor!
If it has rained recently some of these uphill sections can be quite slippery.
Southeast Ridge of Puʻu ʻŌhulehule
When the Pride Rock Trail reaches the ridge crest, the hike will remain on the ridge for the rest of the way up to Pride Rock.
I think that these photos make these short class 2/ 3 scrambles look worse than they are.
However, the Pride Rock Trail has many spots along the ridge, where falling is simply not an option because the cliffs are just that steep and dramatic over the side. I say to encourage all to be careful.
Pride Rock (Puʻu Pueo)
This rock that sticks out toward Mokoliʻi, located just offshore, is Pride Rock, and it’s the main viewpoint on the trail.
That said, the Southeast Ridge of Puʻu ʻŌhulehule doesn’t stop here. Rather, it continues all the way up to the summit, but it quickly becomes far more technical and challenging than everything on the Pride Rock Trail up to this point.
Southeast Ridge of Puʻu ʻŌhulehule
As previously mentioned, the Southeast Ridge of Puʻu ʻŌhulehule quickly becomes one of the more advanced hikes on the island and should only be attempted by those who are prepared and aware of exactly what they are getting into.
In comparison, Pride Rock is 100% a beginner trail, meaning if you had any difficulty with the ridge up to this point, then I recommend turning back here. I can promise that the Southeast Ridge is not meant for 99.9% of hikers.
That being said, if you are hiking up the Pride Rock Trail to continue further up the ridge, I would say you should have already completed the Puʻu ʻŌhulehule Trail from the main route through Kahana Valley, as this will more than likely be your exit trail off the mountain.
Read My Separate Post: Puʻu ʻŌhulehule Trail
To learn more about the Southeast Ridge, you can read about the entire hike that I completed with my friend Jackson on his website linked below.
Read My Friend’s Post: Southeast Ridge of Puʻu ʻŌhulehule
Native Plants on the Pride Rock Trail
The Pride Rock Trail passes through a relatively low-elevation forest for Hawaiʻi, which typically means that very few native plants can be found along the trail.
However, on the ridge line, I noticed a number of native species, including ʻĀkia, ʻŌhiʻa lehua, ʻIlima, and ʻUhaloa, to name a few.
If you would like to know more about these and tons of 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
