ALOHA!
The Lanikai pillbox hike is one of the best hikes on Oahu. It doesn’t take too long, and it comes with amazing views!
And, after the hike, you can go for a post-hike swim at nearby Lanikai Beach or Kailua Beach!
It’s also possible to get to the Lanikai pillbox trailhead by bus, so it makes for a great day trip from Waikiki!
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First, unlike another super popular Oahu hike, you don’t need a reservation to do the Lanikai Pillbox Hike.
You just go and do it.
There is no gate to entry at any point.
To start the Lanikai Pillbox hike, you will go to the residential neighborhood of Lanikai which is on the east side of Oahu.
There are actually several ways to do the Lanikai Pillbox Hike.
I’ve done the Lanikai pillbox hike a couple of times now, and here’s what you need to know!
The most popular way to do the Lanikai Pillbox Hike is to start in the Lanikai neighborhood (map), hike up to 1 or 2 of the pillboxes, and then return the same way you came. This would be the “front way.”
Or, you can extend your hike too.
Instead of immediately returning the same way you hiked to the pillboxes, you can also continue on the trail to hike more of the Kaiwa Ridge Trail.
If you drove to the Lanikai Pillbox Hike and you did Lanikai street parking or you left your car at the Kailua Beach parking lot, then you can hike as far as you want along the top of the ridge (like until the trail starts to go back DOWN), and then turn back around the same way you came.
If you took the bus to the Lanikai Pillbox hike, that means that you can hike one way! You can take the Kaiwa Ridge Trail all the way down back to street level, where you will end up on another residential street (map), and then you can walk to the nearest bus stop. This is the “back side” of the Lanikai Pillbox hike.
Or once you end up on the back side of the Lanikai Pillbox trailhead, go to Safeway to pick up some food, and then go to the nearest bus stop. (map)
How do you take the bus?! After you take the bus once or twice, you’ll feel like a pro! See about how to take the Oahu bus and why you need a HOLO card. You don’t actually NEED it, but it’s super convenient!
Of course, even if you took the bus, you can also start from the front side and still hike out-and-back if you want to go to Lanikai Beach or Kailua Beach afterwards or something.
Similarly, you can also start the hike on this back side, and then hike one way (if you took the bus) or do it as an out-and-back.
This would be starting from the “back way” of the Lanikai Pillbox trailhead as it is called on google maps.
The best way to hike the Lanikai Pillbox hike is just really about how much you want to hike!
If you start the hike from the Lanikai side (aka the front side aka the way most people do it), you will get to the amazing views in front of you more quickly.
If you start the hike from the back way, you will be hiking towards the ocean the whole time which means that it can feel dramatic like you are getting closer and closer to the ocean, and closer and closer to the Mokulua Islands!
The Mokulua Islands aka the mokes aka the twin islands are the famous islands off the shore of Lanikai Beach.
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ð You can hike the Lanikai Pillbox hike from the front way or the back way. If you hike from the front way, you will see the iconic Mokulua Islands rather quickly! I got to this spot around 10 minutes after I started hiking from the main Lanikai Pillbox trailhead. I was going at a leisurely pace. You will first spot the Mokulua Islands at an even earlier point on the trail, maybe around 5 minutes of starting the trail.
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Is the Lanikai Pillbox hike difficult?
No matter what, you will be hiking UP UP UP to start the hike, and you will be hiking DOWN DOWN DOWN to end the hike!
The pillboxes are located along the top of the ridge, so you need to hike UP to get to them!
We will say the Lanikai Pillbox hike is moderately difficult.
It starts off with a steep hill up, and it finishes with a steep hill down. This doesn’t last long, but the hill you have to climb to get to the Lanikai pillboxes means that this certainly can’t be called an easy hike.
Your effort will be rewarded with VIEWS!
The last time I hiked the Lanikai Pillbox hike (February 2023), I started from the Lanikai neighborhood (aka the normal way).
Once I got to the pillboxes, I did not feel like going DOWN DOWN DOWN. I don’t like really steep downhills.
So when I got to the pillboxes and saw the ridge trail extending towards the mountain side, I was like, that seems the easier way to finish the hike because it’s basically flat along the top of the ridge.
Well, I wasn’t thinking clearly because this logic was flawed. ðĪĢ
I wasn’t thinking about how to get down from the ridge. ðĪĢ
Because the pillboxes are on the top of the ridge and the hike went UP UP UP, at some point (like on the other end) I would have to go DOWN DOWN DOWN. So I had to do what I was trying to avoid. ðĪĢ
But anyway it was fine!
The Lanikai Pillbox hike is one of the best hikes on Oahu!
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How to hike the Lanikai Pillbox hike… for example!
ð There is a bus that goes to the Lanikai neighborhood, so you can get to the Lanikai pillbox hike by bus. (map)
ð You’ll see the famous Mokulua Islands as you are hiking the Lanikai pillbox hike. But if you want to see them from sea level too, you can go to Lanikai Beach before or after your hike! There are several beach access paths to Lanikai Beach. It’s about a 10 minute walk from Lanikai Beach to the Lanikai Pillbox trailhead.
ð Going the “front way,” the Lanikai Pillbox trailhead is directly alongside a local street.
ð You’ll get scenic views before you even reach the first pillbox!
ð Views from the first pillbox! Many people also climb on top of the pillbox. Take care!
ð You can continue hiking to the second pillbox. Many people hike to one or both of the Lanikai pillboxes and then turn around to make it an out-and-back hike. Or, you can also continue hiking along the Kaiwa Ridge Trail past the pillboxes! You can make it a one-way hike, or you can turn back around at any time. If you want to keep hiking past the pillboxes, a good time to turn around would be when you see that the trail starts going down very steeply. You will know when you get to it.
ð Views from the second pillbox!
ð Continuing the hike past the pillboxes going “inland” away from the ocean. You will be hiking towards the mountain range you see off in the distance!
ð As you’re hiking away from the ocean and pillboxes, you can look back to see where you came from! Or, if you’re starting the Lanikai Pillbox hike from the back way… this is what you’ll see as you approach your first pillbox!
ð Spot the pillbox! Or just trust that it’s there. ðĪŠ If you hike from the back side, you’ll see these views as you hike to the Lanikai pillboxes!
ð Continuing on the Kaiwa Ridge Trail past the pillboxes, away from the ocean! You will be hiking along the top of a ridge!
ð Looking back towards the ocean! Or what you’ll see if you start hiking the Lanikai Pillbox hike from the back way!
ð The Kaiwa Ridge Trail will start to go down very steeply, and then you will end up on another local street! Or, if you want to hike it as an out-and-back, this is a good turnaround spot.
ð There is a bus stop located about a 10 minute walk from the back side of the Lanikai Pillbox trailhead. (map)
HAPPY HIKING TO THE LANIKAI PILLBOXES!
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