If you’re looking for an amazing hiking experience while in Oahu, look no further than the Crouching Lion Hike. This popular trail takes you through some of the most breathtaking scenery on the island and leads you to an incredible view of Kahana Bay where you can admire the island’s picturesque sunrise.
The Crouching Lion hike is a moderate hike that is suitable for most people. However, there are some sections of the hike that are steep and rocky, so you need to be sure to wear proper footwear and bring plenty of water.
Best time to visit Crouching Lion Hike
The best time to visit Crouching Lion Hike in Oahu is early in the morning as it’s a perfect spot to watch the sunrise on a clear day. Alternatively, if you don’t mind trekking in the scorching sun, you can see the amazing blue hues of the ocean at midday.
How to get to Crouching Lion Hike
Approaching the road, you’ll want to drive and park on the side of Kamehameha Highway in front of Huilua Fishpond. Follow this pin for the exact location: https://goo.gl/maps/5ZfjUiGTXbDBBG5YA.
From the parking lot, you’ll want to cross the street heading away from Kahana Bay. Once you see two signs about 100 meters or so from the parking lot, you’ll want to enter past the signs.
Once you’ve parked at the pin we provided, cross the road and look for two signs that read “Area Closed” and “Hazardous Cliff.” You’ll want to walk past the two signs and then you can choose from two different paths.
What to bring to Crouching Lion Hike Oahu
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Crouching Lion Hike Entrance Fee
Crouching Lion Hike is technically closed so there is no entrance fee. That being said, hike at your own discretion and please be respectful.
What to expect at Crouching Lion Oahu
The trail is short but steep and is often frequented by hikers attempting to catch the island’s beautiful sunrise. If you are in a rush and just want to get to the viewpoint before the sun rises, then choose the trail that goes left. This path is more challenging, a lot steeper, and quite slippery especially when returning downhill, but it is definitely the quickest route and should only take 20 minutes or so.
If you want to take the scenic route that takes you in a small loop above the Crouching Lion Hike viewpoint, then take the path that goes right. The view from up there was breathtaking and totally worth it, although we could barely find our way around on the way back down. Our recommendation: return by way of the shorter route.
At the top of the hill, you’ll continue a little further past a memorial that was created for either a person or their pet and continue until you arrive at the summit of the cliff.
Once you reach the summit of Lion Crouching Hike, you’ll want to take a seat and watch the sunrise, which is also the location from which you can see the breathtaking Kahana Bay.
The hike down is very steep and slippery, so make sure you have good footwear. We wore flip-flops on this hike, as we usually do. As a result, we went down barefoot to have a little better grip than our flip-flops provided. Unfortunately, most people we saw going down had to slide on their butts to prevent serious accidents.
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