Pillbox Trail

Unfortunately, here is another post that I have been delinquent on posting.  We did this hike in the beginning of September on a Saturday, so unfortunately there were quite a few people on the trail.  That being said, there was plenty of room for everyone.

                                 

The Pillbox trail is located in Lanikai, which is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  It is about 2-3 miles from Kailua Beach, a personal favorite of ours.  Parking is a bit of an issue in this area, but we got lucky this day.  

The hike starts pretty steep with plenty of trees to grab for support.  After breaking out of the trees, the remainder of the trail was exposed to the elements and was a mix of flat and steep rocks to climb, but nothing too difficult.  We saw many people doing this hike in flip flops (though everyone I saw slip was in those, so probably not a good idea).

Once reaching the ridge line, the pill boxes can be accessed fairly easily.  These pill boxes were used as lookouts for Kaneohe Bay (occupied by the navy at the time) and Bellows Beach and air field (still operated by the Air Force) during World War II.  The views continue to be amazing and allow you to see from Kaneohe Bay to Kailua Bay to Lanikai Beach to Bellows Beach.

Straight out from the pill boxes in Lanikai are the mokes, two off shore uninhabited islands (kayaking post to come regarding these guys).

Overall, I would classify this hike as an advanced beginner hike, with ages from young children (maybe around 4 or 5) to active older adults enjoying the trail.