Parking
Use the Kīpahulu Visitor Center public lot and follow the Kūloa Point Trail connection. The other end reaches Kīpahulu Campground; the campground road returns toward visitor parking.
Overview
About Kahakai Trail
Why go
- An easy way to see the Kīpahulu shoreline.
- The campground-road return makes a short circuit.
Heads up
- The named path is point to point and needs a return plan.
- Current trail-specific access information is limited.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Haleakalā map
Full mapElevation12–39 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Haleakalā alerts
- ClosureSwimming prohibited at ʻOheʻo PoolsDo not enter or swim in the Pools of ʻOheʻo in the Kīpahulu District. - Entry is prohibited because of a number of safety concerns; view the pools safely from the Kūloa Point Trail instead.Official details
- CautionCrater Road lane closures near Haleakalā National ParkExpect single-lane closures on Crater Road (Route 378) from Monday, October 12, through Friday, October 16.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Haleakalā Tour Guide
Your drive to Kahakai Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Haleakalā National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Kīpahulu Campground0:00 / 0:24
“Up ahead is the Kīpahulu Campground area, where grassy campsites sit above rocky ocean cliffs. I'd choose it for a coastal overnight and sunrise over the Alenuihāhā Channel. You need a campsite reservation.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Haleakalā Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Pools of ʻOheʻo and Kūloa Point
- Pīpīwai Trail and Waimoku Falls
- Kīpahulu's Working Gardens
- 25 audio storiesacross Haleakalā’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Hawaiian Goose, Hawaiian Short-eared Owl, Green Sea Turtle, and 12 more
- Works offlinemaps, 17 trails, 32 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Kahakai Trail
The short routeKahakai Trail is an easy, 0.
Kahakai Trail is an easy, 0.3-mile one-way coastal path from Kīpahulu Campground to the Kūloa Point Trail connection. Allow about 15–30 minutes one way. Walk back the same way for roughly 0.6 mile total, or use the campground road for the roughly half-mile circuit described in some route guides. The mapped line is the named coastal path, not the return road.
Coast, tread, and historyThe payoff is ocean and coastline views.
The payoff is ocean and coastline views. Descriptions differ on the surface: park planning material calls the maintained trail mowed grass, while a trail-specific photo shows a rocky section under hala trees with roots and fallen fronds. Expect the tread to vary. The coastal route passes archaeological sites in a landscape inhabited by Native Hawaiians for centuries; leave those sites untouched and don’t climb or move stones. This is a shoreline walk, not beach access.
Access and park rulesPublic parking is at Kīpahulu Visitor Center; follow the Kūloa Point Trail connection to…
Public parking is at Kīpahulu Visitor Center; follow the Kūloa Point Trail connection to Kahakai. The other end is at the campground, and the campground road returns toward visitor parking. The Visitor Center has water; campground vault toilets, picnic tables, and grills are a separate stop. There is no food or supplies in the park, and pets are prohibited on park trails. Kahakai appears in an older park plan but not current general hiking information, so ask at the Visitor Center about access before setting out.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Haleakalā
442 sightingsHawaiian GooseMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
28 sightingsHawaiian Short-eared OwlMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
22 sightingsGreen Sea TurtleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
645 sightingsʻIʻiwiMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
360 sightingsʻApapaneMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
207 sightingsHawaiʻi ʻAmakihiMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Haleakalā. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
