Crouching Lion Hike, Oahu, Hawaii - The Elevated Moments

The Crouching Lion Hike is one of the best hikes on Oahu. It’s a short and steep climb up for 30 minutes to the top, but along the way you will see dramatic cliff sides pushed up against the ocean, and a crescent shaped bay among Oahu’s finest mountains. It’s a hike worth seeing.

Do you see the crouching lion?

Location:

To reach the Crouching Lion Hike, you will want to head past the Google Maps marker and make a bend around the bay. At about the “83” marker on the map below, you will see parking on the right – ocean side of the road. Directly across the street on the mountain side will have the Area Closed – Danger signs, the same as the photo below. That’s the start of the trail head.

Trailhead signs and start of the hike.

The Crouching Lion Hike can be as difficult as you want it to be. Some will only go to the first clearing and hop on a few rocks. This takes about 20 minutes of climbing on a fairly steep scramble. Those more adventurous will push onwards towards the top of the mountain. This is more of an hour or more up. You can continue on the ridgeline to complete the loop, which drops you into the valley. Choose where you want to stop based on your comfort zone. You’ll have to climb back down every step that you took upwards.