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    Ehukai Pillbox Hike

    4.5 (196 reviews)
    Open Open 24 hours

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    Maxine P.

    Hiked this one for the second time and enjoyed it all over again. Most people seem to only do the pillbox part of hike. We have added on the Secret Garden and Jungle loop on both times. Driving to trailhead it was obvious it was going to be a muddy one because of all the puddles on side of road. After crossing the street we walked up to trailhead which is across the parking area of school. The steep hill with ropes at the beginning was muddy and slick from the over night rain. We were prepared with our crampons and poles. We had no problem with slipping, however we did see many areas on trail where there were obvious slip marks. Once you make the top it's much drier and fairly flat to the pillbox. The weather was beautiful and we hung out at the pillbox admiring the view before heading out on the next leg of the trail. If you are hiking the other trails you should use AllTrails to prevent taking the wrong trail. There are a number of trails that cross over one another. We did the Ehukai, Secret and Jungle Trail from AllTrails. These trails wind the way through the hill sides down into creek area that is damp and shaded. There is a section that has some downed trees that you go around, use your Alltrails to lead you back to trail. It's alittle bit of work but you can get through this area and back on trail. Make sure you're on the right trail because some will lead you away from your destination. The loop section is not used a lot during the week. We only saw other hikers on the trail in the section to pillbox. The loop reconnects near top of muddy hill. If muddy this is when the crampons really come in handy going back down it. Have proper shoes with good grip, poles, water, snack and bug spray. We enjoyed the extra challenge of the muddy hill, however I would not do it during a rain storm. Looks like water will flow down the path.

    Molly S.

    Short but steep hike with great views! Definitely recommend this hike. Plenty of free parking options right by and bathrooms at trailhead.

    Beautiful views
    Nicole Y.

    One of my favorite hikes on the north shore! It can be a challenging hike if it has rained the night before, as the hike will be very muddy and slippery. Luckily for us, it didn't rain the night before our hike. I'd say this is a moderate hike as it does have steep inclines until you reach the top. Nonetheless, the view of the north shore at the top of the hike is well worth it! **This hike is dog friendly - please bring a leash and poop bags

    Alex L.

    A steeper hike than expected but the good news is you can park at the school just to find the trailhead right there. The breathtaking views towards the top are stunning just to see a panoramic view of the water. Once you get to the top make sure to walk into the pillbox too. Definitely a strategic point for our military back in the day. Bring water and snacks along the way and take those pictures so it lasts longer. haha.

    Trail
    Shannan D.

    Tough hike after the rain. It was very slippery but getting to the top was worth it. The views were breathtaking. Be sure to see both Pillbox 1 & 2.

    Easier part of the trail
    Diane G.

    So beautiful, this is a wonderful hike that provides lots of shade and a few challenging spots to climb. Whoever tied ropes to the trees in some of the more challenging spots, thank you so much...I couldn't have made it up or down without them! Definitely worth the trek to the top!

    Peter C.

    I found another hike that has breathtaking views once you reach the top. Ehukai Pillbox is located in North Shore. It is also known as the Sunset Pillbox hike. Ehukai is a popular hike on the north side of the island that it can be crowded at times. The hike will take you about 30 minutes to reach the top. Although the distance to the top is short it can be a ruff hike for some. Once you get to the top, it's worth the views of Pipleline Beach and the coastline.

    This sign marks the entrance
    Gerry T.

    I didn't know what to expect, I hadn't seen this much mud since my senior year while playing high school football. It had rained that morning so we went with the flow of our itinerary. The parking lot can fill up quickly but wait patiently and someone will pull out. Here's one tip - find a walking stick, it's not for the climb up but for the walk down, it's really slippery. However, Folks were bringing their little kids and dogs so it's not too bad of a hike. I wore my hiking shoes but you may want to consider bringing a change of clothes. We ran into a guy who had wiped out and his side was covered in mud. That was funny - I was laughing on the inside. I like watching clumsy mistakes on YouTube. Anyway, you'll experience some beautiful views and rainbows galore. All while getting to a Pillbox - which is a WW2 lookout post. We never found the second Pillbox though but getting to the first one was good enough. You can wash off across the street, under the shower at the beach. While there, you can also grab a pizza from someone who uses hemp in their crust. Will that show up on a post offer drug test? Anyways, you gotta love Hawaii! E ku Mau Mau E Ku a.

    Sean J.

    The Ehukai Pillbox Hike is a fun hike for beginners. The start of the trail is in the parking lot of the Sunset Beach Elementary School, just look for the orange sign marking the entrance. After entering the wooded area, you'll encounter a steep hill with roots and wood stairs to assist you. This is the most difficult part of the trail, but once you've made it up, you'll walk about .6 miles to hit the first pillbox. To reach the second one, continue on the furthest left trail, going down a hill to the pillbox with the peace sign on the top. We went early in the morning before it got hot and had no trouble being the first ones out so there was no pressure when taking pictures and enjoying the breathtaking views.

    Awesome view!
    Heide S.

    Such an easy hike with rewarding views! I usually do the Lanikai Pillbox Hike when in Honolulu (I did it again this time too) but wanted to explore different hiking trails. Found out this trail wasn't too far from Shark's Cove and decided to do it. Super simple trail. Parked next to an elementary school and started our hike up. All in all, we finished really fast all the while taking lots of photos! If you're in the area, do this hike because you won't regret it :)

    Mikey C.

    Oh my freakin' god, this hike! Last time we visited North Shore and tried this crazy pillbox hike it had lightly rained the previous day. The trail was so slippery we barely made it ten minutes up the hill before we had to turn around. But that ten minutes was hilarious! See, a normal person would probably put away their stupid phone and pay attention to where they were walking. I say that based on what I've gathered from watching normal people. But I'm not about putting my phone away. Especially on a hike! Because, without photos, how in the world would anyone believe my fat ass made it up the hill? So you see, I needed photos. I'd imagine if you were an observer, it was hilarious. Because it was wet, I was slipping and sliding on that stupid trail in every conceivable direction except up. As I flailed around, I noticed the serious hikers (the ones smart enough to put their phone away) shaking their damn heads and laughing as they passed by. That first hike ended ingloriously, with my socks and shoes caked with mud (you will never ever get those mud stains out). I felt defeated. This time was different. I visited the trail the night before my hike to assess the trail conditions. I walked a few minutes up the trail and determined it was dry enough for another attempt to summit. We returned the following morning at 7:15, ready to hit it. We laughed and laughed remembering how slippery the trail was on our first visit. We laughed right up until the trail started to climb. Then it was all business. For normal people, this trail is rated "moderate." For fat bastards like me, it's way past moderate. I'd like to say I charged right up that hill, no problem. But I give you more credit than that to think you'd believe such an outrageous lie. Lots of people do charge right up the hill, though. It's a super popular trail and if you don't get on it early in the morning, it gets busy. Strangely, some people carry on loud conversations on the trail. It's so much more peaceful without the crowd noise, so go early. Even though I had read about it on Yelp, I was surprised to see people hiking the trail in flip flops. Also saw a Dad with a baby strapped to him in a carrier. You go, Dad! The craziest thing I saw on the trail was appeared to be a huge family or extended family hiking up the trail. Super cool idea, right? But they had some very young kids in their entourage and the kids weren't really into it. I was really into it, though. In my mind, the trail was ahead, 1-0. There was no way I was going to quit. I was determined to conquer that damn hill. I had a score to settle. Most of the trail is just a steep climb, one step after another along a well-traveled path. But there are a few areas where you have to really have to kind of climb a few unstable steps. Those areas have ropes strung along through the trees that you can use to pull yourself up. (And I'm probably not the only person that think the ropes are even more useful coming down.) After you crest the hill there's a nice flat area you traverse before arriving at the first Pillbox. And because we hit the trail early, there was no one there when we got there. Nice! The Pillbox overlooks Ehukai Beach, home of the World Famous Banzai Pipeline. The beach looked calm and peaceful from above. It was such a pleasure to sit for a while and relax after the grueling climb. So worth the effort! So, if you read other reviews, you know they say don't stop at the first Pillbox, continue on because the view is even better from the second Pillbox. They mention that you have to go to the right of the first Pillbox and kind of counter-intuitively, go down the hill. But I don't like to do counter-intuitive stuff. My intuition is barely functioning in the best of times. But I know I'm better off when I listen to it. And my intuition was telling me that it wasn't worth it to hike down this trail to the second Pillbox, because I was going to have to turn around and walk back up to the top again before I could walk back down the trail to the starting point. My intuition is saying, hell no. Climbing to the top of a damn mountain once is enough. One view is enough. Let's just declare victory right here and go get some pastries at Ted's. Yeah, well I didn't listen to my second mind. We pressed on to the second Pillbox. Yes, the view is even prettier, but is it really worth it? In my opinion, not really. If you are already done in by the hike to the first, you aren't missing all that much from the second. And the second is on posted private property, so, there's that issue too. Ok. So, that's how the Ehukai Pillbox hike went down. It was a glorious victory, and it was celebrated with many malasadas. Mikey C says: total victory!

    First pillbox
    Ruby S.

    I will forever remember this hiking location filled with a plethora of roots. We arrived on a clear and sunny Saturday morning. We remember seeing Sunset Beach Elementary School parking lot along with a mini, happening Farmers Market. There's restrooms within walking distance. Found open parallel parking, near the entrance of the hike. Highly recommend coming here to hike when the grounds are dry. I can only imagine how dangerous this hike can be when rain runs down the roots during inclement weather. Able to take intermittent breaks on level surfaces. Moderate hike with various areas that ascend or incline, flat level, and descend or decline. I'm not referring to declining an invitation to hike. I'm referring to going down, down, down. Visit two pillboxes that are a few minutes apart from walking. Beautiful scenery of greenery, homes and breathtaking ocean view of North Shore. When you reach the top and stand on pillbox, you will notice sea spray. Ehukai literally means sea spray in Hawaiian language.

    Jada C.

    It has been sometime since I last went hiking. I wanted to go on a trail where dogs were allowed. So when my husband, Joseph suggested to come here. I said, "why not?" We decided to come here for a weekend hike. It will be good to do an outing with our beloved pet. When we got on the trail, it turned out better than I thought it did. First off, the trail was not as steep as the other trails. We went up the trail slowly with Lola leading the way. Second, most of the tree branches and tall plants covered the trails. This made the hike feel cooler. Third, the hike led to a beautiful look out. We went into the bunker, took photos, and Lola our dog, enjoyed the outdoors. We felt we accomplished something big for a Sunday morning. We went early. After 10am, people started to go on the trail. Some even brought their dogs on the hike. This trail appears to fit perfectly for families and friends who want to do a get together. This trail appears to be perfect for beginner and advanced hikers alike. We even saw a girl hike barefoot. Come, relax and enjoy a hike. Spend time in nature.

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    My absolute favorite go to hike in Oahu. Pretty easy trail to follow and has gorgeous views. Highly recommend this trail

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    Page 1 of 5

    Ehukai Pillbox Hike Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Ehukai Pillbox Hike

    Review Highlights - Ehukai Pillbox Hike

    The second pillbox is just a little ways after the first pillbox, and trust me the view is more than worth it.

    Mentioned in 38 reviews

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    4.3(100 reviews)
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    I was looking for a trail appropriate for 9 year olds, and Nadia K recommended this trail, which…read moreturned out to be perfect for my friend and our kids! The trail was very easy to find, just search for the trail on google maps and the map will lead you to the parking lot next to Dillingham Airfield (look for "West Gate). After parking, head towards the mountain to get to the trailhead. It took us 1 1/2 hours to the covered picnic table, mostly because we were pausing for water breaks and photos with the kids. Tips: wear plenty of sunscreen, a hat, and bring LOTS of water. It gets hot!

    Nice little trail on the north shore…read more You park at the dillingham airport and the trailhead is across the street. Not hard to find. The first half mile is shaded switchbacks. The mile after that is exposed. It sort of reminded me of hikes in SoCal. The gradient isn't too bad because of the switchbacks but you are going up about 1000' in like 1.5 miles. So the climbing can feel a bit relentless. No scrambling over rocks and other obstacles like some other Oahu hikes. I thought it was fairly easy. I think anyone in decent shape won't have any issues. For those who are just beginning your fitness journey, this would probably be a good workout. The trail is easy to follow. Very little chance of you getting lost (at least to the picnic table which was my turn around point). It's very rocky but walking/hiking isn't an issue. Trail Runners: I saw some other trail runners but this wouldn't be my first choice trail on the north shore. The switch backs don't go on long enough to get any sort of rhythm after the half mile point. And while I wouldn't say this is the most technical of runs, you definitely have to pay attention. I went super slow on the decent for my first time. I may go back and go past the picnic table to see what's up there but I'd say skip this if you're a runner. Hikers will like it I think. And it wasn't too crowded. I saw a handful of people on my run. The views are ok. There are definitely much more scenic views on Oahu but these weren't bad by any means.

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    Kealia Trail - Picnic table at the end of zig zag section of trail

    Picnic table at the end of zig zag section of trail

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    Mahina Hawaii

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    4.7(32 reviews)
    1.9 mi

    Where to begin?! From the booking to the end of day drop off, Ryan and Beccy were beyond amazing!…read more Booking: with COVID, we wanted to ensure our booking was 100% refundable if someone in our party had a positive result. The cancellation policy doesn't have a COVID contingency so I called and asked if they could accommodate and asked to have that sent in email as a confirmation. Ryan was more than accommodating and immediately emailed us with the modified cancellation policy and even told me to call to book versus online to avoid online fees. Booking was easy and Ryan asked great questions to understand what type of group we were and what interests we had to ensure he created the perfect itinerary for us. Day of: Pick up: Ryan called before pick to let me know/confirm the activities for the day. Ensured he had what he needed and that we packed what we needed. He was picking us up and was even 10 minutes early to ensure we were packed and ready to go right at 10 am! First stop: Snorkeling! I have been snorkeling several times but this was by far the BEST I've done. The weather was perfect and sun shining and water was crystal blue clear. The fish and coral were beautiful. We saw a pod of dolphins, a seas turtle, sting ray and so many different type of tropical fish. There were some great underwater statues/ structures and Ryan shot some great photos/ videos. Beccy was wonderful with my youngest daughter (10 years old) and ensured there was a surf board to hold into when she got tired. 2nd stop: mermaid caves! Right up the road from the snorkel spot and such a cool/ beautiful spot we did a little bit of exploring, took some great photos/videos and went to our next stop. 3rd stop: Waterfall Cliffs! Brief hike through lush forest to a cute hidden gem of a waterfall. There were ledges 8, 25 and 35 feet high that you could jump from. Most of my party jumped off one or all of them and it was amazing. Ryan took great photos and videos to capture the memories. 4th stop: Lunch at The Smoking Boar and the Coconut!! OMG, great recommendation by Ryan. The place is a family owned restaurant (Ryan and Beccy's neighbors in fact). Everyone in our party (8 people) absolutely LOVED what they ordered. I even tried a few bites of others too and everything was absolutely delicious. Even my youngest, who is the pickiest easter eva could stop eating hers and kept saying how it was the best rice she ever tasted. 5th stop: Surfing the North Shore!!!! Only two people had done any kind of surfing and Ryan and Beccy had everything we would need. Down to the surfing clothes to avoid any rashes. The waves were perfect and everyone got up on their first try! Great instruction and really attentive to ensure we caught the wave and had the best experience. Ryan took photos and videos of the kids surfing and we got some great family photos at the end in front of the surf boards. Becky went tandem surfing with my youngest and she was AMAZING with her. My daughter didn't want to stop. In transit: Ryan and Beccy were great conversationalist and the drive didn't seem long at all to each stop because we were having so much fun just chatting. Overall: I would book them every day if I knew how amazing the day would be. My girls and the rest of the party said it was the best day of the trip. Even if you're only here for a day or two, BOOK THEM! You will not regret it. If/when we come back, we will definitely be booking them again. Mahalo Ryan and Beccy for an amazing experience and day!

    Our tour wasn't perfect but we still had a great time…read more Pros: 1. Our guide was full of interesting stories. 2. It was cool going to more hidden spots. Many of the places we went to, we were either the only ones there or there were just a handful of others. I really appreciated being able to experience places that we would have never found on our own. 3. Some of the activities were beyond our comfort level, but the guide always gave us an alternative that we were more comfortable with. We did push ourselves beyond our comfort level, some more than others in our group, and I have to say that in itself was a rewarding experience that I will treasure, even more than some of the sights we saw. It was terrific bonding experience. Cons: 1. There was less communication than I would've liked before the tour. Our guide said he would follow up the day before but he never did. I had provided general input on what we preferred but none of it was confirmed ahead of time so we really had little idea of what the day would include. As a result, we weren't exactly sure how to dress or what to bring, and there were parts of the tour we would've been happy to skip. 2. The guide didn't bring any life vests. Most of us weren't comfortable swimmers and this really inhibited us from enjoying the water activities to the fullest extent. I would say this was the most disappointing part. (Note: If you hike through any tropical areas, wear bug spray -- no matter what anybody tells you!) Overall, it was still a memorable experience that I will reminisce about fondly. I feel like we got our money's worth and we'd try Mahina Hawaii again.

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    Ehukai Pillbox Hike - hiking - Updated May 2026

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