Tourists and island visitors gaze at the view from lookout at Nu'uanu Pali State Wayside.

© Phillip B. Espinasse/Shutterstock

Nuʻuanu Pali State Wayside

Top choice in Windward Coast


About 5 miles northeast of Honolulu, turn as indicated to the popular ridgetop lookout with a sweeping vista of Windward Oʻahu from a height of 1200ft. As you stand at the edge, Kaneʻohe lies below straight ahead, Kailua to the right, Mokoliʻi Island and the coastal fishpond at Kualoa Point to the far left. The winds that funnel through the pali (cliffs) here are so strong you can sometimes lean against them; it’s usually so cool that you’ll want a jacket.

This is where more than 500 Oʻahuan warriors plunged to their deaths when chased by the forces of Kamehameha the Great in 1795.


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