UYE Hanauma Rock Bay Bridge Hike

I’ve been wanting to try out this hike for a while now. Thanks to Denise K’s/Gary N’s UYE this is one bookmark that I can now cross off :)
The hike itself isn’t necessarily hard, but I won’t lie-​there were multiple times when I thought to myself… I may not make it: p Okay, many… many…times!
We met right before sunrise and headed up the deceivingly steep hill. As I was huffing and puffing-​I couldn’t help but stop and stare at the beautiful view of the bay. It was a good thing we had several knowledgeable guides because there is no way I would have taken the detour necessary to get to the end point.
The old lava flow was neat to look at but boy did it reflect heat (especially on the way back up, I was tempted to bust out my umbrella to shade the sun) :p Right before the bridge, we were treated to a majestic panoramic view… of Koko Head, Blow Hole, etc.
I found it a bit tricky to get down to the infamous rock bridge. Truth be told, I was feeling lazy… thinking of how we’d need to eventually climb back up. I just didn’t have the energy or time (had an appointment to get to) so we watched as our fellow Unilocalers frolicked happily below us. The waves were huge! The bf and I decided to head back before the group and on the way back, we were fortunate to see some whales (thanks for pointing them out Nick)…that was pretty neat :) Anyhow, we were really struggling to get up the lava flow. When we finally got to the top, we met up with our fellow Unilocalers (lol, who are obviously in waaaaay better shape than us). The daredevils actually took a different route up (the dirt path)…my, how they amaze me!
My vibrams weren’t a wise choice for this hike. I ended leaving with a few souvenirs in the form of blisters on my feet :(Sad feet, but happy, happy heart ;)
Hiking with Unilocal friends (old & new) is something which I could get used to. Talk about great motivation and company!

After parking at Koko Head District Park, Tracey M and I tried to find the entrance to the trail. We followed Jacob N.‘s directions to take the closed road, but made a left instead of a right which would take us to the main road. Lucky thing I was able to text Paul C, because we almost went on a little adventure through a closed-​off area!
For folks who are looking for the trail, you look for the «Road Closed» sign, walk up the path and swing a right at the intersection. The path will lead you to the main road where there’s also a crosswalk.
From there adventure begins!
First off, this hike was a ton of fun! You get an awesome view of the mountains and ocean the whole way up. Many of us stopped for photo ops, because there were just so many to be had!
The hike itself was moderately difficult, but not too difficult. There are 3 parts.
Initially, there’s a paved path that’s on a contant incline, so there’s a slow burn as you walk up, but nothing unbearable.
Then, there’s the path down to the rock bridge which is an old lava flow. The ground is so dry and the spots where the lava rippled looks so different from anything that it seems like you’re walking on the moon or something. very surreal. It’s all downhill at this section, so take your time and don’t be too hard on your knees!
Finally, there’s a bit of rock climbing and you go from the base of the lava flow to the rock bridge. Be careful of small rocks, though! They are deceptively slippery and we don’t want anyone falling from those heights!
The rock bridge is a natural formation that is surrounded by ocean. Very beautiful spot for photos!
Thanks to Denise for organizing the event and to Gary for hosting! I’m so glad I had a chance to hike this trail and am looking forward to going back again soon~

About as fun of a hike as you can get! Great Unilocalers hiking on Saturday morning from Hanauma Bay entrance up, over, and around the bay on the access road that leads to the Koko Head VOR, then a veer off the road down a lava flow to the tide pools and rock bridge.
It was a nice hike up to the place where you leave the road but is somewhat steep on the lava flow heading down to an overlook of Hanauma Bay and then some climbing down to the rock bridge.
The waves were low so access to the bridge was no problem for us. It is very beautiful there and it was only lightly visited while we were there.
The climb back up to the lava flow route took moderate effort. There are two routes back to the roadway. One closer to the bay which is shorter in distance and at a lower elevation than the lava flow route which is quite a steep but a good flat surface for the most part.
Take plenty of water with you and try to depart the trail before the sun gets too high. Take a camera for great pictures. We took a ton of them, especially on the bridge.
Thanks to Gary N. for organizing the event for us. It is always fun to spend time with great people!

Yes!!! Was finally able to attend a great UYE hiking event with no rain!
First of all, a great thanks to Gary N. and Maka K. for taking us cool group of Yeeps on a clear Saturday morning. Some of us showed up with bed faces and bed hair but that’s not important at all! We showed up on an early morning and made our way down Hanauma Bay.
It was a clear and cool morning going down as we braved the slopes but took awesome pics along the way. We found the bridge at the very bottom but had a short line to wait for our turns! It sure was a great challenge to hike back up that nasty long and steep slope. But in my opinion, this slope was easier than Koko Head Railway’s steps. :P
Most of the peeps attended today I already knew but made some new friends today (Paul R., Jason T., Daniel L. and Malynne S.).
We missed Denise D. and Ben but had an awesome hike. Looking forward to the next hiking UYE!