Hawaii · National Historical Park trail

J - Shoreline Viewpoint on the 1871 Trail

in Hawaii

Rest for a moment on this shady bench as you take in the view of the coastline you just traversed. Listen to the waves pound the shoreline below. Think about your journey so far and imagine what it would have been like years ago when this trail would have been your only connection to the world beyond your village.

Anything you needed that wasn’t provided by the ocean or the kula (upland) gardens would have to be brought into the village via this route. If you were lucky, you had access to a mule, if not, you had to carry your goods along this rocky route... barefoot!

Most oral histories taken from people living in the area at this time mention that people rarely wore shoes. Given the modern conveniences we are used to today, it would be difficult for us to adjust to living in historic times. What are a few modern conveniences that would be difficult for you to live without?

States
Hawaii
Trail type
National Historical Park trail
Centroid nearest city
Honolulu, HI · 182 mi · ~5 hr drive
Centroid coords
19.4134°, -155.9059°

About Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

National Historical Park

This trail is inside Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, a national historical park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.

Entrance fee: $20 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.

Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/shoreline-view-1871.htm

Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/puho/index.htm

Plan your hike

Practical notes

Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.

Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.

When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.

If you've hiked J - Shoreline Viewpoint on the 1871 Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.

Other trails within 50 miles

8 nearby

Sources

Public data + curation

Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.