Crouching Lion Trail

The Trail
This moderately difficult trail is about 1.4 miles round trip with a 470 foot elevation change. The difficult part of this trail comes from the fact that some areas are well worn by other hikers and the ground is slick in these spots, not due to length or other factors. Be prepared to do a bit of scrambling.

Topographical Map (Blue = Crouching Lion; Red = Mananama Trail)

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

This trail is technically "closed," though it is frequently hiked anyway. Because of this, there is not much to mark the trail except a couple warning signs.

Trailhead

There also appears to be a trail further up the road without signs (shown in red above). We had tried this one first. It also lead up to some good view points and was also slick. We had a great view of the crouching Lion from the spot we stopped, but couldn't find a quick way over to it without going down and starting again.

View of Kahana Bay from the first trail we attempted

View of The Crouching Lion from the other route to the Pu'u Mananama Trail

The trail is pretty clear the whole way up, though it can be steep and slippery. Going when it is wet and rainy is not recommended. We first headed to the rock to the right in the picture above. This was a cool spot to perch, but the views were better overall from the peak to the left in the above picture.

View from first rock we went to

Panoramic View from first rock

After heading down from the first point, we headed out to the second one. This path took us down under a rock ledge before ascending a slippery stretch of dirt to its top.

View from the top of the second peak

As we figured out later, both the Crouching Lion Trail and the trail we first attempted while trying to reach the Crouching Lion continue up the ridge along the Pu'u Mananama Trail, which is an extremely precarious and difficult trail. The two trails connect further up from where we stopped.

View looking back at the first rock and the mountains where the
trail continues from the second we climbed

There have been a number of injuries and deaths along this trail, so please use caution. The cliffs are made of loose crumbly rock. Use prudence and wisdom in your activities on them. Also, as always, don't rely on ropes left on the trail more than you have to; it is impossible to know how long they have been there or how securely they will hold your weight. Always test them to make sure they will support you before trying to use them, and don't put your full weight on them while climbing unless absolutely necessary.

When finished enjoying the views, proceed down the way you came. No restrooms are available at the trailhead.

Directions

This trail is located in Oahu, HI in Ahupuaʻa ʻO Kahana State Park between Kaaawu and Punaluu. To get there, take HI-83/Kamehameha Hwy to the southeast side of Kahana Bay. There is parking here facing the bay, and the trailhead is right across the street. If this parking is full, you can also park at Swanzy Beach and walk up to the trailhead. GPS Coordinates: N21 33.484 W157 51.973