We've hiked/walked up to the Makapu'u lighthouse a bunch of times but this was our first trip to the tide pools. I wasn't sure it was a kid-friendly hike, but friends who had done it before with their children were going so we figured it must be doable and we joined them. There's a low-lying trail that goes along the water to the tide pools but it was high tide and the ocean was pretty rough so we started out up the paved trail to the lighthouse.
Things took a turn for the worse when, still within sight of the parking lot, our boy decided he could not hike another step. He insisted he had to be carried. No way little buddy, sorry. You can do this! (Insert temper tantrum here.) Finally after a little time out on the side of the trail to consider his options (hike or home) he decided he could make it up the road after all.
About halfway to the lighthouse we turned off to go down to the tide pools. The mountainside is steep enough that you can't really see much of the trail from the top but you can see the tide pools and blowholes.
We made our way down the trail and arrived at the blowholes. They were really active and it was fun to watch them and listen to them.
Part of our group decided to take a swim in the biggest of the tide pools.
I was glad my husband and son hadn't gotten in yet when a big wave came and made the idyllic tide pool look like this:
Besides watching the blowholes I also really enjoyed watching the waves crash on the rocky shelf. Their power and beauty can't be fully captured in a picture.
It was overcast but even without the sun the turquoise color in the waves was really beautiful.
After enjoying the tide pool area we turned around and hiked back up the rocky mountain. Thankfully there were little dots and arrows painted into the rocks here and there to help us stay on the switchback trail.
Our little boy who could barely make it out of the parking lot earlier in the afternoon went all the way up this steep, rocky hill on his own without a word of complaint. I was glad he was in long pants for the hike. It made it easier for him to scramble over the rocks without getting his legs all scratched up. No pictures of our girl but she was on the hike too, happily riding in the backpack carrier eating her Cheerios.
Do it yourself:
• Take the usual: sunscreen, water, snacks and a cell phone. I'd also recommend good walking/hiking shoes.
• Check the surf report/tides before you go: 596-7873
• The turn-off to go down to the tide pool area is right by the sign about whales about halfway up to the lighthouse.
• I can't recommend this trail for all children but I can say that it isn't as steep while you're on the trail as it looks from above. Give it a try but turn around if you feel unsafe or uncomfortable with it.
• Respect the power of the ocean and the unpredictability of the waves and please don't get swept out to sea.
• Also on Oahu Mom: Shoreline Hike to Makapu'u Tidepools
• Also on Oahu Mom: Shoreline Hike to Makapu'u Tidepools
4 Comments:
found your site on del.icio.us today and really liked it.. i bookmarked it and will be back to check it out some more later
Thanks. Glad you like the site and I look forward to having you visit again!
Hi there! Looks like you took the kids in this hike, on a scale of 1-10 whats the difficulty? also, what time of day did you arrive at the pools. I would ideally love to see this during low tide...
Giving it a number is hard because what's easy for some people might be challenging for others, but I can tell you more about it. Our boy was four and a half when we did this hike. I don't think all kids that age could do it but he's pretty good on his feet and we encouraged him to take it slow and let us help him in some of the trickier spots. Going down is a little more sketchy than up just because a slip or trip could result in quite a tumble in a couple spots. As I said in the post, just give it a try but if you start to feel unsafe at all turn around and head back up. The good news is you can also hike up to the lighthouse or try the route along the water (linked in the post) which has more bouldering but isn't steep so if this one doesn't work out you have other options.
We went in the late afternoon. I would definitely recommend going at low tide. As always when around the ocean use extreme caution and keep your eyes out for rogue waves. People have lost their lives in this area so give the ocean a healthy respect and be careful.
Hope this helps. Have fun adventuring!
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