Why this site?

Lanikai was not designed to be a world-class tourist attraction. It lacks many of the facilities and the road capacity that other island attractions possess. The main road into Lanikai is a loop with one-way access. Both the beach and the pillbox hikes have started to draw thousands of people every weekend, and it usually takes a half hour or so for residents to get into Kailua – a drive that should only take 5 minutes. On holidays it can take over three hours to leave Lanikai. There are no bathrooms, no trash facilities, no water faucets, and very limited parking.  The sheer volume of visitors is causing many hardships in the area.

Visitors often know very little about hiking in Hawaii and the special challenges it offers to people who are not used to hiking on steep ridge trails with slippery slopes, loose and falling rocks, and the blazing year-round sun.

This site is meant to help lessen some of those challenges by educating visitors to help them successfully plan a trip that will leave nothing but footprints and great memories. Our short list of goals for this site:

1. Alert hikers about the lack of facilities so they can plan for comfort for themselves and their pets.

2. Offer safety advice so hikers and pets avoid getting dehydrated, lost, ill, or injured.

3. Alleviate parking issues and other impacts on the neighborhood such as trash, noise, and trespassing.

4. Help the beauty of the trail by encouraging visitors to respect the land and others.

5. Provide this information to the widest audience possible so that the majority of the visitors are “in the know”.

All information is given in an unofficial capacity. This information is simply a courtesy, and should not be considered authoritative enough to incur liability, nor is it comprehensive of every possible danger on the trail. Please do extensive research before attempting any trails on Oahu (especially any high ridge trails which carry many dangers).

Mahalo for reading the information on this site, and please feel free to share  with anyone who is planning to hike Lanikai Pillboxes.  We hope you have a safe and memorable visit!