Photograph by Ewen Roberts · CC BY 2.0. All photo credits
A paved former lighthouse road in Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline. State Parks lists it as 2.0 miles round trip, moderate, with 500 feet of gain. The lighthouse building is off-limits. The tide pools below are a closed area.
- Access
- Published route or place
- Cost
- No entrance fee posted
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Effort
- Steady
- Audience tags
- Visitors, Adults
Effort follows the agency difficulty when one was published: easy is gentle, moderate and easy-to-moderate are steady, and moderate-to-difficult or an agency description of a strenuous climb is strenuous. It is a sorting aid, not a safety rating.
Access and permission
This is a Division of State Parks trail, not a Nā Ala Hele trail. No reservation was listed on the park page reviewed. The Makapuʻu tide pools are posted as a closed area. Stay on the lighthouse trail.
The Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline page lists the entrance fee as none.
Conditions, separate from permission
State Parks says the trail is hot, dry, and often windy, and recommends a hat, sunscreen, and plenty of water. It also says the tide-pool area has had fatal wave wash and that the side path is hazardous. Do not treat the posted lookout walk as a reason to enter the closed tide pools. Conditions change. This page does not call the trail safe.
Figures copied from the source
- Distance: 2.0 miles round trip
- Elevation gain: 500 feet
- Agency difficulty: Moderate
- Surface: Paved former road
What to bring
- Hat, sunscreen, and plenty of water, which is what State Parks recommends.
- Binoculars are suggested on the trail page for whales and seabirds in season.
Logistics
- Kaiwi hours on the park page: summer (from April 1) 7:00 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.; winter (from the day after Labor Day) 7:00 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.
- No drinking water or restrooms, per the Kaiwi page.
- Trailhead is off Kalanianaʻole Highway (72) at the southeast point of the island. The pin is Makapuʻu Point, the headland, not a parking-stall survey.
- Whale season on the trail page is November through May.
- Map pin: OpenStreetMap geocode of Makapuʻu Point, the headland. The parking area is along the highway below this point.
Related gear
These are exact Amazon listings checked on 2026-11-07. They are optional. As an Amazon Associate, purchases through these links can earn a commission. The tag is toa03-20. Stock and formulas change. Affiliate disclosure.
- Thinksport Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+, 3 fl oz
For exposed walks and shoreline time. The Amazon listing checked on Nov 7, 2026 is titled Thinksport Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+ Zinc Oxide, 3 fl oz. That listing text says the formula uses zinc oxide (it states 24.25%) and lists oxybenzone among ingredients it does not contain. It did not explicitly say octinoxate in the text reviewed. Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes §342D-21 makes it unlawful to sell or distribute sunscreen containing oxybenzone or octinoxate in the state without a prescription. Read the current tube before you buy. Listing text changes.
- Nalgene Tritan Wide Mouth BPA-Free Water Bottle, Cadet, 32 oz
For trails whose managing agency says there is no drinking water, or that stream water should not be drunk. The Amazon listing checked on Nov 7, 2026 is titled Nalgene Tritan Wide Mouth BPA-Free Water Bottle, Cadet with Cadet cap, 32 oz. The listing describes a BPA-free Tritan bottle. This is one colorway, not a claim that every Nalgene bottle is the same product.
Sources and verification
Checked 2026-11-07. If a source disagrees with this page, use the source.