85 ft. Sport Climbing & Top-Rope (No Bouldering)

The wall at Mokuleia is by far the most popular and well developed climbing site in the islands.  Take H-2 north (or go west from Haleiwa) and follow the signs to Waialua on the northwest shore of Oahu.  Drive past Waialua and Dillingham Airfield with its skydive center and glider airport.  Continue driving until you past the YMCA Camp Erdman facility located on both sides of the highway.  At this point, you will want to drive only about another 1,000 feet or so, at which point the ocean and sand is again located just next to the highway.   Park your car on either side, and look for a faint trail through tall grass heading up to an obvious cliff line.  Avoid, the mistake of continuing too far to the end of the paved highway (an additional half mile past Camp Erdman).

Though definitely worth it, the hike up to the wall can be a little strenuous.  It's short, maybe 25-35 minutes, but steep.  The trail up is fairly well defined most of the way, and although it does have a few ambiguous points climbing over small boulder piles, it's not likely you'll stray too far off course.  Down climbing the trail can be difficult in the dark, so plan your day accordingly.

Mokuleia boasts over 50 distinct developed routes, ranging from 5.7 to 5.13a.  Routes feature dihedrals, cracks, thin faces, overhangs, aretes and slab, and require no more than 12 draws (not counting anchor) for sport leading.  The Mokuleia site also features a support box containing rugs, helmets, first aid, etc. and a stretcher is stashed nearby for emergencies.  Though a little out of date and missing information on newer routes, there is a small topo with route names and ratings inside the lid of the box, along with some friendly guidelines for climbers.

Permanent anchors are set atop each route.  The top of the wall is fragile, and climbers are asked not to go beyond the anchors (though there really isn't anywhere to go).  Although there is no walk off, top-roping has been made easy with a system of nylon strings which run from each anchor down to a wood shaft at the route base.  It is a simple matter to pull your rope up through the anchor ring by first tying a seris of clove hitches with the string.  Newcomers are encouraged to get a demonstration on this process from a local climber. Please reset the string and tie it off tightly as you found it when you are done climbing on the route.

The area is fairly remote, so don't leave valuables in your car, as break-ins can occur.  With no afternoon direct sun, occasional winds and Hawaii's sudden weather changes, it's a good idea to bring a sweatshirt regardless of the weather at the bottom.

 

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