If you’re planning a trip to Oahu, and you’re looking for a good hike, you’re going to love the Ehukai Pillbox Trail on the island’s North Shore.

It’s a moderately challenging, but short trail with incredible panoramic views, an exciting climb, and a bit of WWII history. 

Whether you’re an avid hiker looking to check off the island’s best hikes, or just looking for a fun day out, the Ehukai Pillbox Trail is worth adding to your adventure list. 

Here’s everything you need to know before you go:

Hiking the Ehukai Pillbox Trail on Oahu’s North Shore

Oahu has a series of pillbox hikes (bunkers from WWII posted in various lookouts around the island) and while the Lanikai Pillbox is definitely the most famous one, I think the Ehukai Pillbox on the north shore is a close second. 

The Ehukai Pillbox Trail is located just off the famous Sunset Beach on Oahu’s North Shore, right behind Sunset Elementary School. 

You’ll turn into the parking lot and there’s a row of parking in front of the park (don’t go through the gates into the school yard). 

The trailhead is just behind where you park. There’s only a dozen or so parking spots here, but there’s plenty more across the road. 

The trailhead is easy to find. From the parking lot, it’s a well-trodden path that quickly starts to ascend through the forest. 

The hike is about 1.5-miles round-trip (about a 30 minute climb to the top) and leads you to two military pillboxes (or bunkers) built during World War II. 

These structures were originally used to defend the island from potential attacks. Today, they serve as historic landmarks and provide an epic vantage point for hikers. 

From the top you’ll be treated to sweeping views of the North Shore’s golden beaches, lush hillsides, and turquoise waters. 

And the pillbox itself is a fun spot for photos. It’s covered with colorful graffiti art from local artists. 

***Want to save major $$$ on your trip to Hawaii? I get asked ALL the time how I’m able to travel so often to Hawaii and stay at really nice resorts. Well, my favorite travel hack is cashing in points to score free airfare and free nights at some of Hawaii’s most high end resorts. Read my full guide on the exact system I use to max out credit card rewards here. Seriously, it’s going to save you soooo much money.

About the trail itself…The hike is a moderately strenuous climb at the beginning, with some steep sections and rocky terrain and plenty of tree roots, but there are ropes to help you out in the tricky places. If you’re in decent shape, you won’t have any trouble, especially because it’s a pretty short distance. 

That all changes though if it’s been raining. Even a slight drizzle and the trail gets SUPER slick to that point that I would not advise attempting (ask me how I know ; ) 

But if it’s the only time it fits into your schedule and you’re determined to make it work, just go slow…use the ropes, and plan to get a little bit muddy. When descending through the tricky bits where there are no ropes, sometimes I opt to use my hands and “crab walk” instead of risking a fall. 

 

And it’s good to know…there are restrooms at the park at the trailhead with running water so you can wash up after. 

After you finish the hike, there’s plenty to keep you busy on the north shore for the rest of the day. Check out this post for my favorite things to do on North Shore. 

P.S. I travel to Hawaii multiple times a year, and let me tell you a secret…I do most of it for FREE using credit card points and miles. 

I have a somewhat intricate system that I’ve fine tuned over the years to maximize earning points and how I cash them in, but the short version is:

I use THIS Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card for free Marriott nights. The sign up bonus alone on this card will get you 3 (sometimes 5!) free nights at hotels in Hawaii like the Sheraton Maui, Royal Hawaiian (Oahu), Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort, and the Waikoloa Beach Marriott (Kona). 

And I use THIS Southwest Premier Rapid Rewards card for free flights on Southwest. The sign up bonus will get you at least one round trip flight to Hawaii (possibly two depending on where you’re flying from). 

The combo of these two cards will have you most of the way to a free trip to Hawaii right out of the gate. Again, you can sign up for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless >> HERE and the Southwest Premier Rapid Rewards >> HERE
And if you’re really serious about getting into the travel hacking game, read this post for a more in depth look at how I maximize credit card points to book travel.

P.P.S. Here’s one more really important thing you need to know before your Hawaii trip…

You’ve got your airfare, hotel, rental car and your big activities booked, so you should be good to go, right? Wrong!

Travel is BOOMING in Hawaii and a lot of state and national parks have instituted reservation systems at some of the island’s most popular spots to help manage the crowds and make things a little more sustainable. 

That means that there are now over half a dozen sites (beaches, trailheads, etc.) that require advance reservations. And some sell out well before you arrive on the island so you really need to have some sort of a plan. 

I recently saw somebody in a Hawaii travel group post in a panic that they didn’t know they had to make reservations for things in advance…they thought they could just show up and “go with the flow.” I was tempted to say, well, “as long as the flow doesn’t take you somewhere that requires reservations, you can!” ; )

But I don’t want YOU to be that person, so I’ve pulled together a list of all the places you need to reserve entry in advance (plus all the details on booking windows, price, links, etc.) and a handful of popular tourist hotspots that book out really far in advance too. 
Get that info >> HERE