King’s Highway Trail at MacKenzie

This is a short 0.38-mile out-and-back on the old Hawaiian coastal trail in MacKenzie State Recreation Area. From the central parking area, follow the mapped park access lane to the eastern footpath, then turn around at the coastal end and return the same way; allow about 20 minutes. Short route descriptions put a compact walk here at 0.3–0.4 mile and sometimes call it a loop, but no official line for that loop is published. This map sticks to the connected path we can verify and counts the return distance separately.

The path runs beneath ironwoods over broken ground with a soft layer of fallen needles, and the tread can be faint. Stay with the mapped line and turn back at its coastal end. A separate, roughly two-mile itinerary continues farther east over loose lava boulders; that rough, partly off-trail extension is not the short in-park walk mapped here.

The state describes this as a low-cliffed volcanic coast crossed by an old Hawaiian trail. Waves can break over the ledge and currents are strong, so keep well back from the edge. The park is open during daylight hours and has a picnic pavilion, tables and restrooms near the access, but no drinking water. Pets are prohibited. This is a good quick shoreline stop on Highway 137, not a long hike.