Puu O Hulu Trail, or better known as "The Pink Pillbox Trail", was our first family hike in Hawaii- 7/2/2020. Puu O Hulu is short 1.6 mile out and back trail with 679 ft elevation, with some of the best views of Nanakuli and Waianae.
Getting There
The trailhead is located along Kaukama Road in Waianae, Oahu, and is on the right after 6 light posts. Street parking is available along Kauakama Rd. Puu O Hulu is a small ridge on the west side of the island situated between Nankuli and Ma'ili.
The Hiking Adventure
We ventured out one afternoon, and naively decided we'd have plenty of time to make it to the top of the ridge, catch some of the sunset views, and make it back down before we lost daylight....turns out hiking up and down the rocky terrain with our two dogs and two kids was a bit ambitious and took much longer then we anticipated. Needless to say, we made it to the top to catch the most beautiful sunset! There are three old WWII pill box lookouts at the top, and 360 degree views.
After catching the sunset and soaking in all of the views, we headed back down. We quickly lost daylight and resorted to our cell phone lights and one head lamp to guide us back down....hooray for an adventure! Slow and steady we made it back down to the bottom, and we were lucky enough to enjoy a very pricey smoothie and strawberry lemonade at the food truck parked at the trail head.
Overall the kids were champs, and so were our geriatric dogs (ages 13 and 14 years old).
The sunset and panoramic views definitely made the hike completely worthwhile and a fun adventure to reflect back on!
This hike is short and sweet, and very doable with children. This is a great spot to catch the sunset on the west side of Oahu and at the trailhead, there is often a food truck offering frozen adult beverages, lemonade and other refreshing drinks for hikers when they complete the hike!
Check out other "Family Friendly Hikes in Hawaii" post. (coming soon!)
Video of our hike:
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