Pupukea Summit

Overview

The Pupukea Summit Trail is a good introduction to the magnificent Ko’olau Summit Trail. It ends at a peak with a nice lookout. Built by the CCC from 1934 to 1936, “The Ko’olau Summit Trail is a graded footpath that winds along the crest of the Ko’olau Range from the end of Pupukea Rd. to the end of the Kipapa Ridge Trail.”*

Directions

Continue on foot along a dirt road past the Boy Scout camp. Climb over a gate and stay on the main road beyond two junctions, the first on the right (a locked gate to the Pa’ala’a Uka Pupukea Rd.) and the second on the left (the start of the Kaunala Trail). Reach another junction near a stand of Norfolk Island pines. Advance straight ahead and pass through a gate. Remain on the road until you arrive at a fork. Take the right fork onto a somewhat overgrown abandoned dirt road which becomes the Ko’olau Summit Trail (KST). Tramp along the KST to a junction marked by a large wooden sign. Bear left to reach a helipad and scenic lookout or continue on the Summit Trail. Ahead, at another junction, go straight and climb a peak to a scenic overlook of Kahuku and the extreme northern tip of Oahu and the terminus of the Pupukea Summit Trail. Otherwise, turn right on the KST bypassing the peak. The KST beyond the peak has been cleared recently of strawberry guava. Enjoy the improved section until it ends about a mile from the summit of Malaekahana Ridge.