Kuaokala Trail
Permit in hand, the Makua rim is yours.
A 2.5-mile route through the ridge country above Kaʻena, tracing the Makua Valley rim with the Waiʻanae range stacked behind. Getting in takes a state permit and four-wheel drive up the satellite tracking station road, and that gate is exactly why it stays empty. Sort the permit before you commit the day.