Introduction to Yokohama Bay and Ka’ena Point

Yokohama Bay (also known as Keawa’ula Bay) is a large bay with a sandy beach located at the end of the road on the western tip of Oahu.  Beyond this point, there is a short segment of rough, dirt road, and then only the remains of an old scenic railroad that is now a hiking trail.  This hiking trail leads to Ka’ena Point, the northwestern tip of the island, where there is a bird sanctuary and a rocky point that is a favorite resting place for native monk seals.  Entrance to Ka’ena Point State Park is free. The Ka’ena point trail can be hiked in one of 3 ways: 1. Hike from Yokohama bay to the point and back for a total of 4.8 miles. 2. Hike from the trailhead on the North Shore at Mokule’ia to the point for a total of 5 miles. 3. Hike the entire trail from Yokohama to Mokule’ia and back for a total of 9.8 miles.  We did the hike to the point and back from Yokohama Bay because I really wanted to check out the beach and swim there for the hottest part of the day.

Yokohama Bay:

Located a good 1.5 hour drive from Honolulu, with very few accommodations nearby, the beach at Yokohama Bay tends to be less crowded and is more pristine than most other beaches on Oahu.  You will find mostly locals here.  With the large, open bay and the Waianae mountains in the background, it is one of the most picturesque beaches in Hawaii.  The conditions can get rough here when there are large northern wrap swells and it is not safe to swim during that time.  On superbowl Sunday, the seas were particularly calm and the winds were light, and we couldn’t bring ourselves to sit inside and watch football at 1:30 HST, so we headed to Yokohama Bay instead. We had an absolute blast!  The unique topography of the beach makes this a crazy fun place to swim and this is our number 1 favorite beach for swimming in Hawaii.

What makes this beach so unique for swimming?

1. The ocean floor drops off abruptly at the shoreline to about 8 feet deep just 10 feet out from the beach.  As a result, the waves break right at the shore.  This creates this crazy situation where it looks like there are no waves, and then, all of a sudden, a swell picks you up and carries you 20 feet onto the beach.  On the day that we visited, the waves were what Wilson refers to as “hill-shaped waves”.  These waves are incredibly fun to play in.  It is easy to let them pick you up and just float over the top of them.  If you want more action, however, you can swim with the waves and let them carry you up the shore. Beware: this is not a good place for little kids or anyone who is not a strong swimmer because the waves are deceptively strong and it is deep! I can imagine there are some strong currents and very large, dangerous waves on rougher days.

2. There are clusters of big rocks just 30 feet out from the shore that provide a nice spot for fish and good snorkeling.  

3. The bottom is soft and sandy, unlike most Hawaiian beaches.

4. It is peaceful and quiet and not crowded.

5. We saw several whales breaching and swimming just out from shore.

Hiking to Ka’ena Point

After swimming at Yokohama for a couple hours during the hottest part of the day, we dried off, changed into hiking shoes, and drove about half a mile to the actual end of the road and the trailhead parking lot.  

Trail Specifics

Trailhead: 

Drive to the end of Farrington Highway (hwy 93), park in the gravel parking lot at the end of the beach, and proceed onto the rutted out dirt road

Distance:

4.8 miles out and back

Difficulty:

Easy. Most of the trail is an old railroad and there is no real elevation change.  

Payout:

6/10. The views along the trail of the ocean and tide pools below were lovely.  Since we spent so much time swimming at Yokohama, we didn’t have time to explore the tide pools along the hike, but it looked like some were relatively easy to get to from the trail.  We heard two seals during our hike, but could never find them on the rocky shore below.  There are a couple sea arches along the way, so be on the lookout for those.  We also saw a lot of whales during this hike, which never gets old.

The point itself is a little anticlimactic as a destination.  At the point, there is a bird sanctuary that is surrounded by a fence enclosure. The fence is there to keep predators out but hikers can enter and exit freely.  Within the bird sanctuary, there are nice, sandy paths, more tide pools, and a ton of birds. When we visited, there were nesting albatross pairs everywhere and these birds are big and impressive.  The albatrosses were my favorite part of this hike. See the video below for footage of an albatross that successfully intimidated me on the path and another pair performing a mating ritual.

Trail Tips

1. The gate to the state park is closed and locked at 7:00 PM!  I somehow missed this fact when researching this trail.  We did this hike at sunset and I lingered just a little too long watching whales breach in the light of dusk and the moon rise up over the mountains.  When we got to the park exit at 7:08 PM, the gate was closed and dead bolted shut.  I could not believe they had actually locked us in!  Two other cars were locked in with us.  After assessing every possible way of getting around the fence, we deemed it impossible.  There is a Space Force Base beside the gate, but the attendant at the Space Force entrance could not help us. (Yes, Space Force is apparently a real thing).  We had to call 911 and have a police officer sent out to open the gate and let us out.  Needless to say, he wasn’t super happy with us and we didn’t get out until 8:00 PM.  If you want to stay past 7:00, park outside of the gate!

2. Do this hike early in the morning or just before sunset.  It is exposed and hot and dry.  

3. Don’t forget your sunscreen.

4. Bring food and water with you because there are very limited amenities nearby.  There are restrooms and outdoor showers at the parking lot for Yokohama but the water is not potable.

5. Make sure you give yourself time to hang at Yokohama either before or after your hike.

What we liked:

Swimming in Yokohama Bay!

Albatrosses

Views of the coast line and mountains

What we didn’t like:

The point itself was a little anticlimatic as a destination

The trail was hot and exposed, even at 5:00 PM.

Getting locked in the park at 7:00 PM!

I highly recommend visiting Yokohama Bay.  It is our favorite beach on Oahu.  Combining it with the hike to Ka’ena point before or after is a perfect half day activity.

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