Seasonal
A 2.5-mile walk on an old railbed ends at 59 acres of restored dune behind a predator-proof fence, with nesting mōlī and hauled-out monk seals.
Kaʻena Point is the island's north-western tip and the only part of Oʻahu's coast with no road. Farrington Highway ends at Mokulēʻia on the North Shore side and again at Keawaʻula on the leeward side, and between them is roughly two and a half miles of old railbed each way, walked rather than driven.
At the tip, a predator-proof fence completed in 2011 encloses about 59 acres of restored coastal dune inside the Kaʻena Point Natural Area Reserve. The fence keeps out rats, mongooses, cats and dogs, and behind it the native plants and the seabirds have come back.
Laysan albatross — mōlī — return to the point in the late autumn to court and nest, and the chicks are on the ground through the spring before fledging around the middle of the year. Roughly November through July is the window in which there are birds to see. Wedge-tailed shearwaters use the same ground in the warmer months. Hawaiian monk seals haul out on the rocks below, and in winter humpbacks pass close offshore.
Stay on the marked routes inside the fence. Close the gate behind you. No dogs, at all, for the obvious reason. Keep well back from nesting birds and do not approach a hauled-out monk seal — federal guidance asks for at least 50 feet, and considerably more for a mother and pup. Vehicles are not permitted through.
There is no shade, no water and no facilities at either end. The track is exposed, the sun is direct and the wind is constant. Take more water than feels necessary, wear a hat, and start early.
The Mokulēʻia side, past Dillingham Airfield, is the North Shore approach and the one most visitors use. After heavy rain the red clay along parts of the route turns to grease.
It is a fine walk and a poor shortcut. There is no way to get a car from one end to the other except back through the middle of the island.
SourcingReserve status, the predator-proof fence, enclosed area and visitor rules summarised from Hawaiʻi DLNR Natural Area Reserves System material for Kaʻena Point, with monk seal approach distance from NOAA Fisheries guidance. Nesting timing varies year to year; nothing here guarantees birds on a given date.
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