Parking
Start at the Kīpahulu Visitor Center parking area, the trail’s official access.
Overview
About Kūloa Point Trail
Why go
- Coastal and gulch views, Hawaiian cultural areas, and archaeological sites in a short loop.
Heads up
- The half-mile circuit is a brief stop, not a long hike.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Road to Hana map
Full mapElevation95–180 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Road to Hana Tour Guide
Your drive to Kūloa Point Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Road to Hana. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Road to Hana audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Kīpahulu’s Coast and Waterfalls0:00 / 0:37
“You’re coming up on Kīpahulu Visitor Center, the starting point for coastal walks and the Pīpīwai waterfall hike.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Road to Hana Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Bat in the Evening Sky
- Wailua Falls from the Bridge
- Where the Lava Went
- Kukui: The Tree That Gave Light
- 48 audio storiesacross Road to Hana’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Hawaiian Monk Seal, Green Sea Turtle, Frigatebird, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 13 trails, 39 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 Kūloa Point Trail
A short coastal loopKūloa Point Trail is a 0.
Kūloa Point Trail is a 0.5-mile loop from Kīpahulu Visitor Center, with 80 feet of elevation change. The short dirt path passes a Hawaiian cultural demonstration area and circles to Kūloa Point at the mouth of ʻOheʻo Gulch. Allow 30–60 minutes. It is an easy add-on while you are in Kīpahulu; Pīpīwai is the longer, four-mile round-trip waterfall hike in this district.
Follow the loop to the pointThe route starts beside the visitor center, passes the cultural demonstration area, and returns…
The route starts beside the visitor center, passes the cultural demonstration area, and returns to the same access after a circuit around the point. The coast-side stretch opens to the ocean and views down into the Pools of ʻOheʻo. The point also has archaeological sites. Stay on the marked trail and leave the sites undisturbed; the park protects fragile Hawaiian ecosystems.
Look down into the gulchThe pools are a viewing stop from above, not a swimming destination.
The pools are a viewing stop from above, not a swimming destination. Flash floods and rock slides make swimming in ʻOheʻo Gulch hazardous. From Kūloa Point, frame the gulch and open coast together; that view is the walk’s main payoff.
Start at Kīpahulu Visitor CenterUse the visitor center parking area as the trailhead.
Use the visitor center parking area as the trailhead. Restrooms and water fountains are available there. The park has no food, supplies, or gas; the nearest general stores are in Hāna, about 10 miles away. Park admission covers both Kīpahulu and the Summit District for three days. Pets are prohibited on all park trails.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Road to Hana
10 sightingsHawaiian Monk SealMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
127 sightingsGreen Sea TurtleMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
86 sightingsFrigatebirdMost seen around noonSighting map
17 sightingsRed-footed BoobyMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
73 sightingsNene (Hawaiian Goose)Most seen around 6 AMSighting map
58 sightingsHawaiian StiltMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Road to Hana. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
