Truly an amazing view once you make it to the top

Trail information

It only takes 45 minutes to get to the top, but it’s a pretty steep 45 minutes, so make sure to bring a water bottle. You’ll definitely break a sweat along the way. Most of the hike is covered with vegetation so don’t worry about extreme sun exposure or getting a sunburn. It’s important to make sure that both of your hands are free because when I did this hike I held my water bottle in one hand and it was difficult at some points. I had to ask my friend to hold my bottle when it would have been easier to just bring a backpack.    

This is one of my favorite views in the entire world.

Finding the trailhead

The hike is located in Kaaawa on the East side of Oahu. The hike is named after the restaurant it’s near, the Crouching Lion restaurant, which is in the area. The trailhead is along Kamehameha Hwy and near the cross street Trout Farm Road. Don’t park on Trout Farm Road though, you’ll most likely be towed. The trailhead itself is between the “Do not Pass” sign and the telephone pole just past it on your right hand side with the ocean on your left. You’ll see a clearing in the forest and the trail starts here. This trail is not marked with ribbon so it’s gonna take a bit of intuitional trail-blazing on your part here. The general direction you’re going to take is going to be up and to the left. When you see a fallen tree, go under that tree. The basic idea is keep going up and the further you go, the more apparent the trail will be. It’s a pretty steep incline heading up, like I said earlier, but the payoff is quick because you’ll hit some really nice views early on. This hike is an in-n-out style so when you’re done, head down the same way you came up.

The top of the hike

Recommendations

This hike is definitely dog and kid-friendly. I would recommend bringing a picnic lunch for the summit to sit and enjoy the views because it really is something to be in awe of. If you’re a real hipster, you’ll bring your portable hammock with you.

Summary

I think my favorite aspect of this hike are the unbelievable views. These views are pretty spectacular of Kahana Bay and the vast Pacific Ocean. You’ll definitely want to bring your hipster friends with you that know how to get a good picture because this is a photo-op you are not going to want to miss out on. If you’re a fan of Instagram personalities Jay Alvarrez and Alexis Ren, they’ve taken a few pictures up here, except Alexis is only wearing a bikini and hikers know that it’s a much better idea to wear real clothes, but feel free to try and do this in a bikini, I’m sure others will be very impressed!