Kanea Point, Venture Hawaii To The Most Western Part Of Oahu

Kanea Point, Venture Hawaii To The Most Western Part Of Oahu
Sayaha
Sayaha 
Published
| 4 min read

Kanea Point is the most western point of Oahu where it is a beautiful sanctuary for seabirds and monk seals local to this part of Oahu. The hike to Kanea Point is all on flat land so it is easy, but it can get very hot during the day so make sure to bring a lot of hydration when you head to this part of the island. This hike can be approached both from North Shore and from the west side. In this article, the hike began from the west side after passing Yokohama Bay from Wai’anae side roughly 5 miles round trip.

Search for the tip of the island

kanea point, venture hawaii to the most western part of oahu | search for the tip of the island

Passing the most western beach of Oahu, Yokohama Bay, there are cars all parked at the starting point of Kanea Point Trail. On a sunny day, it can be a pretty exposed hiking trail with very little shade so make sure to put sunscreen on, wear a hat and a pair of sunglasses to protect yourself from the heat before heading out to your adventure. The scenery of this tip of island is beautiful. You hike along the coastal line of west Oahu where many rare marine creatures come to nest. One of those is the Hawaiian monk seals, which are one of the rarest marine mammal species in the world. In addition, if you are lucky, you may spot whales and dolphins out in the ocean so keep your eyes open on this hiking trail.

Step into Hawaiian monk seals’ sanctuary

Monk Seal 03
Source: Photo by user Bob Denaro used under CC BY 2.0

Kanea Point is a special place, which is gated once you get to the tip of the trail. After hiking from the starting point, you will finally reach to this gate, which slide side ways to enter and exit. The gate is there to protect wild life at the tip of the island from rodents getting in so make sure you close completely when you enter and exit. This area also prohibits from dogs entering as well (except for service dogs).

Kanea Point is the nesting area for seabirds and Hawaiian monk seals so hikers entering this location have to be careful and respectful of wild life. Once you pass the gate, you will see where you can walk around so stay on the marked path. As a reminder, there are many signs indicating signs with “Do not disturb” to warn hikers to stay away from the nesting area so make sure you stay on the right path. You want to avoid upsetting wild life that are at peace in this sanctuary.

Beautiful tide pools

kanea point, venture hawaii to the most western part of oahu | beautiful tide pools

Once you get to the tip of Kanea Point, you see beautiful tide pools along the coastal line where Hawaiian monk seals arrive from the ocean and nest. Unfortunately, the day I went hiking, there was no sign of Hawaiian monk seals, but the scenery was both beautiful and peaceful. At this location, we are the guests, so we want to make sure if there are any of them, we need to give space and keep certain distance. It is also the same for seabirds which are nesting on the grassy area of Kanea Point.

Take a break, have a picnic!

kanea point, venture hawaii to the most western part of oahu | take a break, have a picnic!

At the tip of Kanea Point is where people take a little break and simply enjoy the scenery. Even there is no sight of Hawaiian monk seals, it is a beautiful location after hiking for few hours. Many hikers come prepared with bringing snacks or even lunch to have a picnic at this location and I highly recommend you to do the same. There are no stores near where hiking starts from the west starting point so you want to bring ample water and whatever you like to eat once you get there. Of course, this is a conservation area for monk seals and seabirds so make sure to take all your trash upon departure. Remember, you are the guest in this area so do not leave anything behind. The location shown in the picture is where a lot of hikers take a seat to have lunch.

Continue hiking or head to the beach

kanea point, venture hawaii to the most western part of oahu | continue hiking or head to the beach

You have quite a few options of your next move after getting this point. If you have stll have a lot of energy and have plenty of drinking water with you, continue hiking on to North Shore or to the mountain right behind the conservation area. If you are though all hot from the heat and do not have much water, you can always head back and jump into the water. If you hike during the day, it can get brutally hot and dangerous without much hydration, so you want to be careful making your decision. Yokohama Bay right next to this hiking trail is a beautiful white sand beach where there are also tide pools that you can enjoy so definitely maximize your time exploring the west side. If you are staying in Waikiki, you need to drive quite a bit to get this area so why do not enjoy a full day of adventure exploring what the west side has to offer?

A full day of west side adventure

If you get a chance to visit the west side of Oahu, definitely take a stop at Kanea Point. The area is beautiful and there is high likelihood of spotting wild life such as seals, dolphins, and whales at this part of the island. Unfortunately, on the day of the hike I did, I did not see the Hawaiian monk seals, but I could totally see why they choose to nest there. I was lucky enough to spot a big group of dolphins swimming together heading to this point at a different scenic spot so everyone has a chance to watch wild life there. Some hikers spotted 50 whales just in few hours hiking this trail during winter so make sure to keep an eye on the ocean when you are hiking.

Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

History


Get Trip101 in your inbox

Unsubscribe in one click. See our Privacy Policy for more information on how we use your data

Sayaha Aida has been traveling internationally since the early age of 15. She has lived internationally in Japan, England, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and the United States (Miami and San Francisco)...Read more

 Want to contribute as a Local Expert?
Explore Oahu Island
Looking for accommodation?
x
Good things are meant to be shared!
Back to top