Full Moon Hikes are Back at HTMC

Do we have selenophiles in our midst? This is for you then!

Thursday night, July 10, 2025, twenty-six members and nine guests set out on a full moon stroll on Waimanalo Beach Park. Starting out from our clubhouse at 7 pm, and still light out, we headed west knowing that we would be turning back by 7:42pm. The time of the moon rise. The weather had been icky all day and was getting cloudy in the late afternoon. We didn’t know if we were going to see anything. After turning back to the east to get a good look at the moon, we saw nothing! How disappointing!! BUT, there was this dull obscure light coming from the horizon. Was that the moon? Was it going to show its face?

Two minutes later, at 7:44pm it rose above the clouds to shine in all its glory! Wow! It was stunning! It wasn’t just the beauty of the moon; it was the wonderful ocean breeze, the sounds of the waves washing on shore, walking on one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet, and then have this big beautiful moon with a golden color shining in your eyes just took your breath away. I wish you were all there!

As the moon rose higher in the sky the color changed from a golden color to its “normal” white color. We all stayed on the beach talking about how wonderful the experience was and asking why we never do this on our own. We stayed on the beach taking it all in but knew we needed to pull ourselves away, tomorrow was a work day after all.

After all the “hikers” had gone and the last name checked off the list, I looked up at the sky one last time before getting into my car to head home, the clouds took over once again and the moon was gone. Sometimes you just get lucky!

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Choosing where to hike on a full moon is not as easy as hiking during the day. Many trails, and access to trails, are closed at sunset. Kaena Point would be a wonderful moonlight hike, however, the gates at Yokohama Beach Park close at sunset and even if we parked outside the gates, cars would not be safe after dark.

Would you like to share your full moon hike suggestions? We would love to hear them. Keep in mind the following challenges; parking, safety, doable terrain in the dark, open trails that are not on private property, and of course, the view of the sky. CLICK HERE to share your full moon hike ideas.

Unlike day hikes, not all full moon hikes will be a success. The clouds need to cooperate. Even so, hiking at night has a peacefulness about it that you just don’t feel during the day. There is a stillness, a connection to someplace other than this planet.

“The Moon dances with me the way the sun never will.”— SB

We hope to see you on our next full moon hike.

Images in this article are by Hawkins Biggins