Mokolii Island a.k.a. Chinaman’s Hat Trail

If you see enough other people it’s probably fine but if you don’t see anyone else, don’t go out to the island. There are sharks if the tide isn’t low. Hubs and I just seam for our lives AWAY FROM A SHARK! A size able one by the looks of his fin. Yes we are triathletes but we were not intending to race this morning. We went out about 9am. Low-​ish tide but still couldn’t stand in places.
It sounded really cool but take a kayak and lots of buddies!

Breathtaking views of Chinaman’s Hat in the Ocean and the mountains behind you make it a worthwhile visit. Plenty of free parking too. It’s has easy access. Very quiet on a weekday. Mokolii Island is an icon and you will regret not bringing your camera to take multiple shots and of course a selfie.

It was a completely gloomy and rainy day. A day to hide under your blanket and snooze the day away. What crazy people would even think about renting a kayak and heading out to Chinaman’s Hat? Yeah, that would be my friend and I…2 optimistic souls who had been looking forward to this adventure all week and wouldn’t let any bit of rain stop us!
We parked at Kualoa Park. We lugged our kayak (thank goodness for my strong friend!) to the water and off we went! I was a first time kayaker, but luckily my friend has had experience kayaking before. He guided me along the way and got us safely to Chinaman’s Hat without toppling over! Success!
When we got to the island, we made sure to pull our kayak higher up on the rocks to ensure that it would still be there when we got back. You never know when that tide will start rising.
My friend started us off in what he thought was the right direction. We went one way, then turned around, then went up another way, then turned around, then went back from where we came, then turned back to where we were… confused yet? Haha… yeah that’s how I felt. There’s no real clear path marked to find your way up the ‘hat’. We went back and forth a couple of times before we actually figured out where to go. We went along the «back side»…the side you cant visibly see from Kualoa Park. The island is full of some seriously overgrown and vicious plants. My legs are all cut up from their thorns and other prickly parts.
Eventually, we did see a tiny little blue ribbon tied on a branch, which we hoped would lead us in the right direction. We followed along until we saw another tiny little blue ribbon. Then we just kept going straight until… voila! A pretty evident path appeared to go up the ‘hat’! From there, we just followed up the path until we got to the top. Be prepared to do some serious rock climbing with no ropes! It’s doable because there are lots of sturdy rocks to grab onto and holes to hook your feet in. You just really need to keep those eyeballs open for those little helpers to get up to the top and back down.
Once to the top, you’ll feel on top of the world! A beautiful view of the windward side of the island. Unfortunately as I mentioned earlier, it was an extremely cloudy and gloomy day so we didn’t exactly get the prettiest of pictures, but it was still an amazing view. We literally had the whole island to ourselves! Talk about feeling like royalty! It was an extremely amazing experience that I will treasure in my memories forever.
Tips:
* Wear tabis (water shoes) because the island is surrounded by rocks.
* Bring longer pants if you plan to go hiking because the plants are extremely overgrown and have thorns! Ouchies! Not fun at all!
* If you don’t mind bringing along extra weight, it would be good to bring along your good hiking shoes. It’ll help as you trek up the «hat».
* Don’t go swimming on the side of the island that you can’t see from Kualoa Park because I heard there are hammerhead sharks swimming around there.
* Go early so you can just spend the day relaxing there.
* Look for turtles in the water! We saw quite a few of them.

Walked! How cool is that?! Checked the tide table and started over about 30 minutes before low tide. Very little wind. As another reviewer commented, start your walk from around the 8−12^th «brick» of the breakwater (to the left of the lifeguard as you’re looking out at Chinaman’s Hat) and just walk as straight as you can. Took me 22 minutes to walk over with plenty of photo ops. The water never rose above my chest (I’m 5′ 10″). So easy to do yet so many locals are so, so scared to do this «People have died there.» I’m sure there have been deaths. Darwinism at its finest. A little common sense goes a long way. Again, check the tide table and go a little before actual low tide. And make sure the wind is limited.
So, wore water socks (that’s a must) and brought my snorkeling gear in a mesh backpack. I could only make it up about ¾ of the way to the top of the island since the trail becomes dangerously slippery with just water socks (note to self, bring hiking boots in waterproof bag next time). But I did get high enough to get the photo ops of Oahu with palm trees on the island. Pretty damn cool. Once back down to sea level I walked over to the beach — kinda rough water there so I didn’t snorkel there as I’d planned. I did snorkel on the north side of the island — pretty lame as the water’s shallow and murky. I did find one pool that was about 8′ deep that had some fish — but not enough to bother snorkeling again.
Headed back to the mainland of Oahu :-) about 1 ½ hours after setting out. It was rush hour then as many folks were now walking over to Chinaman’s Hat (I was solo when I walked over).
Pretty cool adventure. I’ll do it again and I will bring my boots so I get to the top of the island!

The hubs and I took a two-​person kayak and paddled out to Chinaman’s hat. It was a easy-​moderate trip out in the morning around 9am. We pulled our kayak on the beach and enjoyed the view and peace. There were a few other couples there but it was still very quiet. The trip out took about 20 minutes.
After a little swim (bring water shoes as it is very rocky or wear your slippers) we hiked to the top of the island. This is a DIFFICULT hike. It really should not be done without appropriate footwear. If you are an inexperienced hiker, I would not suggest attempting this climb. About halfway up the trail becomes literal vertical rock climbing. Just remember– getting up is the easy part, you have to get back down when you’re done. We made it to the top and we were all alone with the most beautiful views of the island. It was well worth the effort.
After the hike, we got back in our canoe and circled around to the ocean facing side of the island and beached the canoe there. We walked around the tide pools and were fortunate to hang with a monk seal for several hours. There is a little sea cave on this side and it’s really a beautiful view.
I highly recommend kayaking or paddle boarding to the island versus walking/​swimming. We encountered a group that walked over that an individual got stung by a jelly fish. I’ve also heard that there is a hammerhead breeding area nearby although I’ve not seen it and I don’t believe they are normally aggressive, still not worth the risk to me.
Also, the current on the ocean side can be rough. If you’re not a strong paddler, the two man kayak works well when fighting the current.

Ah where do I start. We decided to walk it instead of going by boat. Took about a half hour from island to miniland. Most the way the water was to the shoulders (I’m 5’2″). Had to swim about 10 min of the way, wasnt bad. The hike up was steep. took no more than 5 min. but the View! 360 view of Gods beautifull creation. Tip for next time: a picnic with a loved one would be ideal!
if your debating to go or not. do it!
(if you walk it, wear watershoes. check the time for low/​high tide. Worse case scenario you get taken into the open ocean by a current. or get eaten by a hammerhead shark. Just kidding they don’t prefer humankind, usually. But you might see one.

I’ve always known about Chinaman’s Hat Island, but I never knew that you could hike to the top of it until last week! Hike/​mountain-​climb, actually. It’s crazy steep and one of the shortest-​but-​toughest hikes I’ve ever done (and I’ve been hiking throughout the Western US).
First thing to do is you’ve gotta find some way to get out to Chinaman’s Hat … kayak, swim, you can even wade out there when the tide is out! There’s a tiny beach on the Oahu-​side of the island where you should head to – make sure to tie up your kayaks so the tide doesn’t get them! The trail starts just a little bit south of that beach, and goes mostly straight up to the top with only a few switchbacks. Hopefully you are good at bouldering, because you’ll have to scramble up a few rock faces with just a few hand– and foot-​holds and scary drops below. Thankfully, it is a very short hike! Enjoy the view from the top for a bit, and then, if you thought getting to the top was tough… well, getting down is even worse! I’m not sure how or why (since it’s the same way down), but it just seemed a lot easier to go up than it was to go down!
Hopefully you’ve got enough juice left in your tanks, because you still have to swim/​paddle/​kayak back to Oahu!
I was surprisingly sore the next day from the hike, but maybe I’m getting old?! There were at least half a dozen high-​school/​college-​age kids that found their way to the top while I was there…
The views of Oahu from the top are great, but it’s still pretty awesome even if you just kayak out to the island and don’t hike all the way to the top.

As you make your leisurely drive around the island of Oahu, in the Kaneohe Bay you see a mini island in the not so far distance. You wonder, «Hmm thats pretty close, can I get to that island?» YES!!! What a treat! Not many places you can snike too. Snike as in snorkel/​hike and get all that goodness of water meets rocks in one. Park in the lot closest to the island and enter the water by the lifeguard tower. We used a kayak to get out to the Mokolii island and working against the wind we were there in 10 mins. The water is very shallow and at low tide it would be possible to almost walk out to. If using a kayak make sure to wedge it in between rocks so it wont float away as your on your way to the top. There is a clear, distinct path leading up. Begin your climb through the brush and when in doubt, keep heading up. It is steep and I highly recommend water shoes or something on your feet. We saw some brave souls trekking bare foot and my heart goes out to them, it looked painful. You will be faced with a couple volcanic rock faces that you climb almost vertical. Check your footing and hand grips and you will be fine. I made it to the top in 20 mins and the view looking back at our beautiful island of Oahu is amazing. You are rewarded with cool breezes, gorgeous mountains and satisfaction of a job well done. Be slow and careful on your way down.

Decided to kayak to Chinaman’s Hat today and had an amazing day. First, we decided to rent some kayaks from a groupon deal in Kailua, so got it at a pretty decent rate; and we luckily have a large truck to haul the kayaks to the beach. The weather was gorgeous today and the waves weren’t treacherous– so always a plus. Took approx 20 minutes to reach Chinaman’s hat kayaking, and no unfortunately we didn’t see any hammer head sharks along the way. For those that don’t know, there is suppose to be a hammer head den near Chinaman’s; but the water was actually a really shallow during most of the commute. Once on Mokolii island, we did a little sightseeing. If u venture to the left of the island there are some tide pools and sand to relax. Or, you can decide to hike up Mokolii. There are aeveral different trails to take that all lead you to the same spot. There are a few areas where the dirt can be slick and crumbles below you feet so wear decent shoes. Plus, there are a few areas where it’s like a 8 foot rock climbing wall! Makes the hike even more amazing. But the hike up was pretty quick and definitely worth the spectacular views you get looking back at Oahu/​Kaneohe Bay/​the ocean behind!
Tips-​if you do kayak, make sure u bring your boat far enough in, the water levels rose fairly quickly. If you come back from hiking you don’t want to be greeted with a big Surprise!

Nice beach. Great view of the Chinaman’s hat. We stopped here on our last day in Hawaii last weekend. Not too busy and the waves weren’t that aggressive despite being December. Didn’t stay long — took some pictures and then went to eat!

Length: 45 minutes to the island. 30 to the top of the hat
Difficulty: intermediate
The way: how many hikes can say has both swimming/​walking in water and climbing components? As you turn into chinaman hat park towards the end of the parking lot, this is the closest you can get to the hat. We paddled there on surfboards but the water was shallow and calm enough that we saw people walk it, swim it, and snorkel it. And if you get tired you can just stand up and take a break. Reef shoes are definitely recommended. It’ll take you about 30 – 45 minutes to get to the island if you continuously paddle on a surfboard. There will be a very small inlet somewhat to the right of the island where people park their kayaks. From here walk to your right and you’ll see a trail that goes somewhat around the island. You cross a fork where you can either keep walking around to your right or scale a small rock climb to your left. Scale the rock and keep moving upwards. There are parts where you have to be careful because you’re on the side of a somewhat steep cliff. This is where those reef shoes are helpful again. Soon you’ll be on top with 180 views of the mountains and the ocean. Spend some time up here and watch others get to the island.
Overall, an awesome experience and a must! One of the more unique hikes that you can do on Oahu!

We went out with our kayaks from beachhouse close to the Kualoa Ranch, took maybe 30min to get out to Molokii (it’s futher away then you think).
We started hiking at the wrong side of the island but we quickly realised our mistake, after a few bushes!
The real hiking trail is marked with orange markings and goes up the pretty steep hill, this is the hike you do in your flip flops although my brother and I have tried that before and you will have to have some kind of stamina to manage to the top! We actually got lost again but we took the less traveled trail and won! The view is magnificent, you see the whole bay appear in front of you with big powerful mountains in the background and turquoise water as far you can see! I’ll post pictures as soon as I can!
The walk down went smoother but the kayak trip back was pretty rough after the trail and that it was against the current!
I would recommend this hike to anyone who dares, it’s a bit of a climb and you should really make room in your trip for this one!

Mokolii Island is located on the east side of Oahu right in the middle of the ocean. You will need a kayak, at least one buddy (recommended) and some time.
How long this will take all depends on some different factors:
–Where you are heading out from
–Your current state of fitness
–Weather conditions
Bring
–Hiking shoes and/​or reef shoes
–Water
–Camera
I wouldnt say that this is a really tough trip, but it will take some strength to make it anyway. If you wanna go the easiest way you should head out from the beach right in front of the island and just go straight at it. We had to do a 30 min paddle through some open water which was a bit rough intermittently.
If possible, enter the island from the east side which will give you some calm water while docking. Make sure to put your kayak on land so you dont have to swim back after the hike.
If you have made it so far, you just have to follow the shore until you find a orange marked trail going uphill on the island. Dont do same mistake i did, pick the first trail and run around in circles and after awhile find yourself back at the beach again. Theres a bit of rock climbing and sliding gravel to watch out for, but just take it easy and stay on the orange trail you will be just fine. You will hit the sweet spot in around 15 minutes.
Once you are up you will get the pay off, magnificent view over the whole bay area with mountains in the back. Now you can take some pics, snapit, instait, whatsappit, voxerit, skypeit and facetimeit if you like. You should also take some time soak up the view before descending again. And dont forget to watch your step on your way down!
My suggestion: Do some pushups before leaving for Hawaii, squeeze this hike into your already packed schedule and i guarantee that you wont regret it!

We kayaked from Kualoa Regional Park to Mokolii Island. Took us approximately 15 to 20 minutes. I would not recommend swimming there. I watched one women and her two kids do it… and it took them an hour.
There is a beach on the side of the island facing the ocean… however, we were concerned that the waves would drive us into the rocks before we could get there, so we beached on the side of the island facing Kualoa Park. We were able to pull the kayak up on the rocks easily. Highly recommend wearing your water shoes for this adventure.
We could not find a way up to the top of the island. Too much brush! We ended up hanging out on the beach. I’m really glad we did this, it was the highlight of our trip!

Kayaked to the Hat from the far right corner of Kualoa’s Beach Park. Made it there, climbed to the top & back, & kayaked back all within 1.5 hours.
Amazing experience & will be doing it again!
We did it barefoot, but I do not recommend it!

Seemed like a good idea to swim to the island and then climb to the top of the hat, so I did it.
You don’t really have to swim there, you can just walk since the tide is usually low enough. Beware of times that the current is strong. I recommend wearing water shoes which will prove to very useful while you’re trudging over the rocky sea floor and when you’re navigating your way to the top of the land mass. Since I was only wearing swimming trunks and water shoes, my legs had some scratches/​cuts from the foliage on the island (not well-​maintained since it’s not the most popular hike). I feel like it’s mostly teenagers and the adventurous who do this – not the best typical family activity. Some people use kayaks to get to the island but swimming there is more fun.
It really does look like a Chinaman’s Hat. If you’ve already done the main cool/​arduous hikes in Hawaii (Haiku Stairs, Ka’au Crater, etc.), Chinaman’s Hat Trail is a great next challenge.

Cool, familiar patch of island you see driving around Kualoa area. It really looks like a Chinaman’s Hat!
I had no idea that it was a also a hiking trail accessible by kayak, SUP, and even walking???(during low tide) Just seeing pictures of people walking to the island in waist-​deep water just gives me the heebie-​jeebies, because you NEVER KNOW
about the water currents, and even what dwells in these waters… last time we were there, a baby Hammerhead Shark washed up… just sayin’…
I think I’ll be content with seeing Chinaman’s Hat from a distance, but everyone else’s pictures make this look like a fun time. ALOHA!!!

We swam to the island — I would recommend kayaking or paddling out on a surfboard instead. It’s not impossible to swim out but it can be challenging, and you can save a lot more time with a kayak or board. It’s also easier to transport things if you want to be like us and BBQ there!
You should be wary of the tide, especially if you have any weak swimmers in your company. Also be wary of the weather on the windward side. We were lucky enough for it to be perfectly sunny on the way in, but heading out, the weather (and the tide) started to turn. We made it back to shore just in time.
Going to the island itself was fun and I definitely recommend it for the adventurous! I didn’t go up Chinaman’s Hat but exploring the lower area and swimming around is fun enough. As I mentioned, we also BBQ’d there, so lunch was especially satisfying with the beautiful view and because we were starving!

They say you can swim to the island from Kualoa Park, but I wouldn’t. Its shallow the whole way, but if you SUP or Kayak you can bring sneakers or more than flip flops with you for climbing to the top of the island. You could even bring a lunch or snack, once you get out there its a nice spot to be for a while.
I’d recommend going in the afternoon.
There’s no place to rent anything independently nearby, so we got our SUP boards in Kailua and drove them up there. Took about 15 minutes to SUP out there, then we climbed to the top of the island and then down and swam around.
It is a bit of a hard and complicated climb to the top. We brought sneakers in a back pack. I saw people do it in flip flops (the only other 2 people out there) but we erred on the safe side. Took only 10 min to climb, and we were rewarded with the most breathtaking beautiful views! I felt as if we were on the edge of the world.
Definitely go! It’ll be one of the coolest things you do in Oahu. Be smart about it though.

Chinaman’s hat was neat! A few months ago, I attempted to swim here with a group of people, but the lifeguard advised us to come back another day because it was too dangerous. We followed his good advice because the water looked pretty rough.
Fast forward to now: my hubby and I came here about 15 minutes before the «low tide» time and we walked the entire way to Chinaman’s hat. The highest it went up to was an inch above my bellybutton so it was relatively easy to do.
You will see the cement bricks in the water. We walked directly next to the that first brick on the left and headed straight towards the island. My recommendation is to continue walking maybe 8– 12 bricks down the brick path (in the direction of the lifeguard tower) to hit water that’s more shallow and then walk towards the island.
Make sure you wear a pair of water shoes. I own a pair that you wiggle you toes into and they give you a «toe wedgies,» but i highly advise water shoes with a good rubber sole to protect your feet because the coral can be very sharp.
We walked around the entire mini island and there are a bunch of little paths. I couldn’t make it to the very top because my shoes had zero grip and it started to drizzle a little so the path got too wet for me to climb up. When it’s dry– the rocks get loose and beware of the spiky plants that will try and poke you. They also have those spike balls that love to cling to your tush and shorts. :/​
Next time I go– I will be sure to bring a pair of good sneakers along with binoculars because the view is pretty great! If you go during low tide– be sure to give yourself plenty of time to walk back or you’ll be needing to swim back in rougher water. We spent about 45 minutes to a hour to explore, but headed back because we didn’t want to get «stuck.»
Happy hiking and be safe!