Hiking: Koko Crater Arch

Emily, Adrienne, and I on our way to the Koko Crater Arch!

Emily and I, sitting on the arch.

The Koko Crater Arch trail is really short, but definitely not low on adventure. What it lacks in length, it makes up in steepness. In a minute, as you scroll down, you’ll see what I mean.

To get to this hike, park at the Halona Blowhole parking lot (you can actually kind of see it behind us in the distance in the first picture above). Once parked, make your way to the other side of the road where you’ll follow the railing until you reach some rocks that cut you off from it. This is where you start climbing.

Tips: 

1. Cars can go pretty fast over here — walk on the inside of the railing.
2. The rocks and cliffs on this hike are pretty sharp, so watch your footing! It’s easy to get scraped.

This is where you’re going. You can barely see the arch, as it blends in with the rest of the mountain.

Once you get to the top of the rocks near the road, you’ll kind of be able to see where you’re going if you look hard enough. From far away the arch ends up blending into the mountainside. It’s right in the middle of the picture above.

If you can’t make it out, don’t worry. Keep moving up along the rocks until the path becomes more defined. Once that happens, all you’ve got to do is follow it until you get to the steep climb that leads to the arch.

In the picture below, you can make out the path you’ll be following behind Emily as she climbs toward the base of the arch.

Check this out — steep right? Relatively easy to climb up, but going down is not fun.

The view while sitting directly under the arch.

The final trek to the arch is pretty steep, but there are some cracks that make for excellent footholds.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Oh wow, I can’t do that,” just know that I was able to climb up in Converse. (Yeah, I’m currently in the market to buy new hiking shoes.)

Once you’ve reached the arch, I found that it’s easier to get inside from the right side of the path you climbed. (In the picture above, it’d be the left side.) See where those rocks jut out? The second to last one makes a good stepping stool for you to climb down and into the area below the arch.

If you try to get to the arch by going the opposite way, there’s a lot of loose gravel, making it hard to get your footing while transitioning from such a steep incline into the arch.

The view from the arch.

We made it!

We spent a while taking pictures and hanging out under the arch. The view from up there on a sunny day is absolutely gorgeous — and the thought of having to go back down that steep incline doesn’t really motivate you to leave quickly anyway.

Emily and I attempted to climb to the top. I really wanted to make it all the way, but we didn’t make it far — seeing as the steepness had us imagining ourselves tumbling into the ocean. (I can only trust the grip of my Converse so much.)

Let’s just say this optional portion of the hike is not for the faint of heart. I’m told there used to be a rope to help you climb to the top, but there are some metal bars up there that you could probably use to grip onto as you make your way forward.

You can expect that once I get my new shoes, I’ll be making my way right back up!