"We are in decent shape for late 60s - early 70s people and this hike was hard! Gorgeous! Amazing to get to the water. Loved it all. Please note: bring lots of water, wear good (closed toe) shoes, snacks are a good idea too but don't let the mongoose eat them while you are in the water! Super steep climb with all sorts of scree. Elevation is no joke! Have fun and stay safe."

Hilary Lang Greenebaum, PhD

"Alright, if you’re concerned about the difficulty of the hike I’m going to leave a no nonsense review that is just about the hike itself.

If you’re not used to hiking or do not routinely do cardio to get your heart rate up, this will be an extremely difficult hike.

The hike is roughly 1.91 miles down and then 1.91 miles back up. The hike to Captain Cook monument is basically all downhill. I recommend going early for two reasons: 1) parking is limited and 2) there is about .5-.75 mile stretch where you’re fully exposed to the sun on a trail filled with lava rocks. The hike will be much more difficult all around the hotter it is outside.

Going down isn’t easy as there are a lot of loose rocks and leaves that can be slippery if wet or there is mist. You will need solid shoes that handle wet/loose conditions well so you don’t fall. For us, going down actually took longer (56 mins) than going back up (54 mins) as we were trying to ensure we didn’t slip on the loose rock. If you are not sure footed, this could be extremely difficult.

Going back up is physically more demanding and your heart rate will definitely increase. However, it’s easier with respect to not trying to balance yourself for fear of slipping which is why we did it faster. You also definitely want to have plenty of water (we had a 2L camelback and two 40oz hydro flasks and this was good for us).

Cannot emphasize enough trying to avoid doing this during the hottest part of the day.

Breakdown for hike:
1: first mile is in the shade all downhill. Slippery conditions possible if leaves are wet.
2: .5 - .75 miles where you’re fully exposed to the sun and there is lava rock all around. This is where a lot of loose rocks are which can increase chance of slipping. Still all downhill.
3: remaining distance - loose rocks with mix of shade towards the end of the hike. All downhill with exception of the last .10 miles or so where it levels out towards the ocean.

The monument is incredible and worth it. We did a little bit of snorkeling which was beautiful but cut it short due to the waves. However, I saw a lot of comments about the difficulty of the hike and wanted to leave a no nonsense breakdown for anyone who was curious!"

Taylor Bonner

"My husband and I both in our 50s and moderate physical shape did this hike twice this week. We took plenty of water. It was recommended to take 2 L per person and that’s what we did. The trail is shaded partially the first half and then it’s fully exposed the second half. Going down was no problem. We wore sturdy shoes and it took about 50 minutes going down. The trail is uneven, with loose lava rocks, but was not slippery. Going up is a lot more challenging with an over 1200 foot elevation gain, and it took about 90 minutes with rest stops. The second time we found that coming back later in the day was a little cooler. The views are amazing going up and down you’ll see lots of goats. The snorkeling was fantastic. Plenty of shade at the bottom and every tropical fish imaginable.Getting into the water is easy, getting out is a little trickier watch what other people do. If it is rough, it would be even more challenging. We did fine after getting some advice from a local. Mongoose are everywhere and we they can operate zippers. They were constantly looking for opportunities to steal food."

Mark & Mary