Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail
Hawaii
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
8.5 h fully dark
Open today
Open
Entrance
Free entry
Established in 2000 to preserve, protect and interpret traditional Native Hawaiian culture and natural resources, Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail is a 175-mile corridor encompassing a network of culturally and historically significant trails. This "trail by the sea" traverses wahi pana (storied landscapes), ancient Hawaiian sites and over 200 ahupuaʻa (traditional land divisions).
Activities
Topics
No entrance fee.
Hours & seasons
Hours vary dependent on trail section.
Generally open:
winterspringsummerfallHours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
Conditions
Weather now: ☁️ Overcast, 84°F
☁️ 84°/73°
☁️ 82°/73°
🌦️ 83°/72°
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Things to do
Take a Lava Hike! · 4.5 mi
Accessibility
26 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
Places to see
1871 Trail Introduction
audio
1871 Trail Tour Conclusion
audio
1871 Trailhead
audio
A - Hōnaunau Holua
audio
Ala Kahakai at Puʻukoholā
audio
B - Kōnane Papamū
audio
C - Stone Walls & Curbstones
audio
D - ʻŌmaʻo Heiau
audio
E - Kēōkea Hōlua
audio
F - Animal Pen
audio
G - Alahaka Heiau & Keanaeʻe Cliffs
audio
H - Alahaka Ramp
audioAudio & media
🎧 Alanui Aupuni - Hawaiian Pronunciation ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎧 Hāpuna - Hawaiian Pronunciation ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎧 Kaunaʻoa - Hawaiian Pronunciation ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎧 Māmalahoa - Hawaiian Pronunciation ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎧 Ka Lae - Hawaiian Pronunciation ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎧 ʻAnaehoʻomalu - Hawaiian Translation ↗ · 0 mintranscript
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Learn more
In 2020 Harpers Ferry Center (HFC) won eight awards at WorldFest Houston. Many of these can be viewed over the summer through our upcoming film festival in celebration of HFC’s 50th Anniversary. (Note: The Special Jury REMI Award is given for a ranking of A+ and recognizes the top films in each category.)
“Mālama kō aloha (keep your love)" were Chiefess Manono's dying words in the 1819 Battle of Kuamo'o. Her words were a plea to both sides to keep their love for one another despite the obstacles that had come to Hawaiʻi, including the abolition of the traditional kapu system. Manono fought on the side of the traditionalists for the culture she believed defined her homeland. But she hoped that love would be enough to get all Hawaiians through the turmoil ahead.
The National Park Service will protect and restore ecosystems by detecting and removing invasive feral goats from national parks in Hawai’i. The project will support detecting and mapping goat populations to inform removal plans. The project employs rapid response removal techniques (such as trapping, fencing, and live removal) to yield immediate results for the affected natural and cultural resources in these parks.
The National Park Service (NPS) will restore Hawaiian montane rainforests and anchialine pools to protect cultural and natural resources in sensitive coastal areas. The NPS will prevent feral pigs and invasive fish from entering anchialine pools and remove invasive species to protect the unique and culturally important natural ecosystems. In the montane rainforest, removing invasive plants and preventing new establishments will improve forest health.
Queen Lili‘uokalani was the last sovereign of Hawai‘i. Many continue to admire Lili‘uokalani for her resolute and peaceful resistance to the US businessmen who ended her reign and to the United States’ annexation of Hawai‘i during the 1890s.
In celebration of the 55th anniversary of the National Trails System Act, learn more about these significant trails and their history.
How Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
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