Crouching Lion Trail view of Kahana Bay

This photo was taken along the Crouching Lion Trail with a great view of Kahana Bay Beach Park. To get here, head towards the east side of Oahu, taking Kamehameha Highway north past Kaneohe to Kahana Bay. At Kahana Bay, park along the dirt area on the right side of the road, directly across from the trailhead. You can also park at Crouching Lion Park (21.557757, -157.866807) and walk around to the right side of the bay. Do NOT park on Trout Farm Rd — if you've reached here, you've gone too far. Please note to not leave any valuables or bags in your car, as this area is prone to theft. Bring all items with you or pack it in your trunk. The trailhead is slightly hidden in the bushes by a telephone pole, but once you get through the brush you will see the markings of a trail. There should also be pink ribbons in parts along the trail to help with directions. The trail gets steep very quickly and can be slippery in parts due to dry crumbling dirt. After a rain, that dirt turns into slick mud that's easy to slip in — make sure bring proper footwear, like a sturdy hiking shoe with good grip soles. Continue along the trail until you reach the first viewpoint. At this point, the trail splits either left or right — choose right, as this way will take you up to a higher lookout. Follow this route for a bit; you should be able to see a steep drop off just on the other side of the bushes. Once the brush clears, you'll once again have an amazing vista looking back towards the bay. The point where this photo was taken is just beyond this lookout. To find this spot, keep going up the trail a short ways until you reach a rocky section that sticks out and faces Kahana Bay. To achieve this photo, I positioned my camera with the rock overlook in the foreground and Kahana Bay down below, and posed myself on the rock for the shot. If you'd like to keep going beyond this spot, the trail actually continues all the way up to the top of the ridgeline. At this point, the trail meets up with another trail and continues into a full loop back to the beginning trailhead — the full hike is about a 4-5 hour affair, however, so I would only recommend attempting if you're an experienced hiker and you're venturing with someone who has done the hike before. Most people only hike the shorter part of Crouching Lion Trail to the general area of this lookout before they head back down.