WaterfallNear Me

Kapena Falls

Honolulu County, Hawaii

Your visit at a glance

Waterfall height
Not recorded
Location
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Access status
Published short route and cemetery lot parking documented; lot closes 5 p.m.
The walk
About 0.5 miles return
Ground & access
Short, easy path with boulders and banyan roots. Many mosquitoes.
Hawaii.com: Hiking Kapena Falls (updated April 2026)

Kapena Falls is a 15-foot waterfall with a wide pool on Nuuanu Stream in Honolulu. Drive up Nuuanu Avenue and turn into Nuuanu Memorial Park and Mortuary (navigate to the cemetery, not to the falls). Follow the driveway past the cemetery to the small parking lot at the end. The path starts on the left beyond a green sign for Kapena Falls visitors. Petroglyphs are in a small barred cave on the left, and the stream is on the right.

Plan your visit

Nuuanu Memorial Park and Mortuary parking lot to Kapena Falls on Nuuanu Stream

Hawaii.com gives the Kapena Falls Trail as 0.5 miles round trip and calls it a 5-minute trail.

Short, easy path with boulders and banyan roots. Many mosquitoes.

Where to start

Small lot at the end of the Nuuanu Memorial Park and Mortuary driveway. A sign says the lot closes at 5 p.m. for Kapena Falls visitors. Parking is limited and there are no restrooms.

Timing & water

Leave before the 5 p.m. lot closing. Stream water may carry leptospirosis.

Before you go

No fee or reservation mentioned. This is an active cemetery: be quiet and respectful and do not come in large groups.

Visitor information
Visit sources

More waterfalls nearby

Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.

Explore Hawaii

Waterfall location

Honolulu County, Hawaii.

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