West Kaunala Mountain Biking Trail

more stats

2.0 miles

Distance

549 ft

Climb

-495 ft

Descent

00:35:35

Avg time

55 ft

Altitude change

674 ft

Altitude min

1,033 ft

Altitude max

978 ft

Altitude start

1,033 ft

Altitude end

0.5%

Grade

-35%

Grade max

49.7%

Grade min

4,852 ft

Distance climb

4,452 ft

Distance down

1,158 ft

Distance flat

00:35:35

Avg time

West Kaunala Details

Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
Riding Area

Pupukea
, Hawaii
Difficulty Rating

Black Diamond Rate
Local Popularity
5 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 5 in Trail Running
- 90 in Hiking
Global Ranking
#87994 in Mountain Biking [+]
- #14592 in Trail Running
- #10584 in Hiking
Trail Type

Singletrack
Bike Type

AM
Direction

Both Directions
Climb Difficulty

Black Diamond
Physical Rating

Hard
Season

Jan-Dec
Dogs Allowed

Yes

Located on the beautiful North Shore this 5 mile ride offers both challenging single track, some hike-a-bike, steep jeep roads, finishing in a fast paved decent.
Note - if there has been any significant rainfall, expect to walk at least a third of this trail. If no rain, expect to walk at least a quarter of it - this is a hiking trail and is not fully rideable, but is definitely a challenge.

The West Kaunala single track is fun. The trail is generally tight and technical, with some flowy paved descent. The trail is littered with roots, some fairly large, forcing you to pay attention. At times the trail gets narrow with steep cliffs. You really get the feel of the tropics with all the lush greenery.

The unmarked trail begins at the very end of Pupukea road. Once at the trail head you ride down a dirt road that runs parallel to the Boy Scout Camp until you reach a gate. Hop the gate and proceed down the jeep road. Eventually the jeep road will turn into pavement. Proceed along the paved road for 100m, and you will notice the sign for Kaunala Trail off to the left. It's possible to continue up the paved road and run the loop counter clockwise but you will miss the rewarding downhill run at the end of your ride if you do.

Once at the Kaunala trail head, stay left at the fork. You'll find tight and twisty heavily rooted (and dangerously slippery when wet) singletrack taking you down to the valley floor. You'll cross a few small streams, encounter a partial ascent (nearly all hike-a-bike), then a slow, narrow, badly rooted descent, and a long slow partially-rideable ascent transitioning from the mud-bogged valley floor to dry and sun-exposed grassy trail, on to the jeep road. (Note: After a massive wind storm, there are multiple very large trees down across the trail on steep faces - these are a challenge to get bikes through and over).

The single track portion ends and dumps you out onto a rocky jeep road. If you head left it takes you to the Kahuku Motorcross Track. This road is used by the military on weekdays and is only available to the public on weekends and holidays. Take a right on the jeep road and head up the hill. The jeep road is steep and will test your endurance. It's less than a mile to the next gate, followed by a paved road that takes you back to your car. There is a beautiful view at the peak, it's a great place to stop and relax before the long downhill run.

At the end of the jeep road, hop the last gate and turn right onto the paved road. This is a long, fast, flowy decent that will take you back to where you started at the end of Pupukea road, which can also be ridden all the way back down to the ocean.

Add another 6 miles to your ride by starting at Pupukea Beach Park and riding up the road to the trail head.

source: MTB Hawaii

Access Info

Google directions: https://goo.gl/maps/0VpcF. Cars do get broken into here every now and then. It may be better to park at the bottom of the hill by the ocean and ride up the hill to the trail head.

Local Trail Association

Hawaii Mountain Bike Association
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Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Kanaka ʻŌiwi

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week

0 rides

6 Months

1 rides
307 miles avg distance

All

23 rides
Last: Jan 27, 2026

c1	c2	c3	c4
January	February	March	April
May	June	July	August
September	October	November	December

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West Kaunala Trail Reports

status	date	description
	Nov 10, 2023 @ 5:16am Nov 10, 2023	Trail is in great shape for hiking.
	Oct 24, 2018 @ 3:06pm Oct 24, 2018	The forest road is currently closed due to construction meaning the trail needs to be ridden as an out and back. Also trail is slick and muddy.
	Jul 3, 2016 @ 12:12am Jul 3, 2016	Few trees down but all were easy to get around. Several sections were pretty beat up from folks hiking in the mud. Overall though it was a great...
	Aug 19, 2015 @ 12:35am Aug 19, 2015	If it's raining it will be muddy. If you don't like mud, don't ride it wet.
	Jan 7, 2015 @ 3:49pm Jan 7, 2015	Major mud bogging across all valley floor sections, and various ascent/descent portions. Multiple trees down across steep terrain.

West Kaunala

West Kaunala Details

Access Info

Local Trail Association

Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

West Kaunala Trail Reports

Photos

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Reviews / Comments

Nearby Trails

Pupukea

Frequently Asked Questions About West Kaunala

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