Fisherman’s Trail + Lanai heritage trail: Coastal hike with cliff views that starts from Four Seasons Lanai 🌴 Hawaii travel blog

ALOHA!

So there are grand beautiful views to be found all around the island of Lanai!

And one of the ways to get those beautiful views is by hiking the Fisherman’s Trail!

This is one of the Lanai hiking trails that has you hiking along the coast.

This means vast views of the ocean, and it also means you’ll be able to see some of Lanai’s rugged coastline too!

And if you are interested in learning a bit about Hawaiian culture, you can find informational signs all around Lanai that will give you a glimpse into what life for Hawaiians was like on Lanai long ago. There are a number of these signs to be found along the Fisherman’s Trail too.

This makes the Fisherman’s Trail a historical interpretive trail too. This is also a walk along what’s called the Hulopoe Heritage Trail, with insight into “800 years of life at Hulopoe,” as explained along the trail:

Your walk along the Hulopoe Heritage Trail will introduce you to the cultural landscape and way of life of Lanai’s early inhabitants.

Cultural sites situated along the heritage trails are valued facets of Lanai’s traditional landscape.

Specifically, along the Fisherman’s Trail:

Fishing and farming were the routine of daily life for people who originally made Hulopoe home.

This area represents ancient residences and workshop areas of people who settled here centuries ago.

While walking along the trail, you can learn about the houses they lived in, stone tools they used, the community in which they lived, and more about Hawaiian life at Hulopoe Bay.

It’s also mentioned that you can visit the Lanai Culture and Heritage Center to further explore Lanai history. This is located in the main town area of Lanai City.

More below about the Fisherman’s Trail!

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Now…

More PHOTOS from the Fisherman’s Trail!

And how to get there!

There are 2 hiking trails that start from Hulopoe Beach, which is the main beach of Lanai. One starts off on the left side of the beach as you’re facing the ocean (which will take you to the famous and iconic Sweetheart Rock). The other that starts off on the right side of the beach is the Fisherman’s Trail.

The Four Seasons Resort Lanai is the one and only oceanfront hotel on Lanai. This is the resort that’s right near Hulopoe Beach.

You’ll start off hiking the Fisherman’s Trail what’s basically directly below the Four Seasons.

This also means that if you’re staying here, it’s easy access to get on the Fisherman’s Trail, and you can make it a hike along the coast every morning… or afternoon… or evening. (If you’ll be doing hiking in the evening bring along a headlamp as part of your Hawaii hiking essentials in case you end up out later than you planned for!)

And even if you’re not staying at the Four Seasons, it’s pretty easy access to get on the trail. Just get yourself to Hulopoe Bay, and then the trailhead is off to the far right as you’re facing the ocean. Or, once you’re at Hulopoe Bay just look for the resort, and that’s the direction you’ll walk across the beach to find the trailhead. If you are arriving by ferry from West Maui, then you can walk to Hulopoe Bay from the Lanai ferry port (Manele Harbor).

So once you start walking towards the right side of the beach, you’ll see the start of the trail.

And then continue onwards hiking along the coast with ocean views!

The Four Seasons golf course can make for a good turnaround point to hike back to Hulopoe Beach. This is an oceanfront golf course, and you can see it from the Fisherman’s Trail.

The Fisherman’s Trail is an out-and-back hike, so you can make this as long or as short as you want to hike along the coast.

When you are ready… hike back to Hulopoe Beach!

Hiking along the Fisherman’s Trail from Hulopoe Beach to near the golf course may take around an hour or less one way. Of course this depends on how often you stop to take in the coastal views along the way! You’ll also want to add in extra time if you plan on stopping to read all of the heritage trail signs.

You may consider avoiding this trail if it’s rained recently or if it is raining. The mud on this trail was pretty extreme for me! There was a portion of the trail in which mud would stick to my shoes with every step I took.

I later went back to hike the Fisherman’s Trail when it was sunny, which is when most of the pictures are from!

After you get back to Hulopoe Beach, bring your own picnic food and you can have a post-hike lunch with ocean views! If you are staying in the main town area of Lanai City, then you can go to Richard’s Market for groceries.

Or you can go snorkeling also right at the beach. Hulopoe Bay is part of a marine life conservation district in Maui County.

There is also the Hulopoe Beach campground that’s right near the beach, which makes the Fisherman’s Trail one thing you can do while camping in Lanai!

Be sure to see the list of what to pack for hiking in Hawaii!

And that’s a bit about hiking the Fisherman’s Trail and a Lanai heritage trail!

See more:

• More Lanai hikes
• More things to do on Lanai
• Where to look for Lanai petroglyphs (more Lanai history!)
• Garden of the Gods (more Lanai history!)
• The best of West Maui (the ferry to Lanai is from West Maui)
• West Maui without a car
• The best of Maui with a car

HAPPY HIKING THE FISHERMANS TRAIL!