Haputo Beach Hike – Dededo, Guam (NCTS)

Haputo Beach Hike is one of the amazing secluded beaches and snorkeling areas that can be reached after a short hike. It’s in Dededo, Guam on the U.S. Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Guam. You do need a military ID to access the trailhead and you also need to check both in and out at the Visitors center just before the gate.

U.S. Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Guam is commonly known as NCTS. It’s also still often referred to by it’s previous acronym NCTAMS as well, and has a great mini NEX that is is worth checking out. There is also another hike/beach on this base as well, I’ll post after we go check it out.

One IMPORTANT thing to know is that this hike is not always open, it’s often closed for during training times. You need to check out the US Naval Base Guam Facebook page to see if it’s open. They update the header photo often which shows what is open & closed. You can also check in the Notes section to see what upcoming dates it is scheduled to be opened and closed to help with planning.

After getting on the base you’ll take a left at the first road and head down to the parking area that is located on the right side of the road. There is a nice new interactive display set up at the start of the trailhead so you can’t miss it.

One of the BEST things about the Haupto hike is that it’s secluded beach is often bare and you can enjoy it without crowds. We went on a Saturday and there were ‘maybe’ 10 people there the whole time we were there. It’s also got some amazing views including the neat mushroom rock at the southern tip. Snorkeling is great here as well but do keep in mind that there can be some strong currents here so be educated & informed before venturing out too far.

The path is made up of a trail & stairs (212 of them) and near the bottom there are a few rocks to climb down but it wasn’t bad. As soon as you get off the rocks your in the sandy area.

We stopped here and changed into our flip flops to walk the beach to find an area to set up. Note that you won’t get cell phone service starting about mid hike down and none at the bottom as well. You’ll have to wait to get back up to the top before you get service again.

You can get some great views on the way down as well, or stop on the way back up for a breather and enjoy them also. We seen a large monitor lizard as we were hiking back up too! We hiked down in 9 minutes, coming back up it was a bit longer as I had to stop and catch my breath twice, probably closer to 15 mins back up.

Once you get to the beach you’ll find a scene right off a postcard, it’s so beautiful! The cove with it’s sparking blue toned waters surrounded by the lush green hills is breathtaking.

At the southern end is the picturesque mushroom rock which makes for some great photos. We seen some guys climbing out on the ridge near it while we were there, I wouldn’t recommend that since the rip currents are strong near the rock and getting swept off would not be great.

The clear water provides some great snorkeling, we stayed way inside the reef. There were current lines in the sand on the ocean floor so we didn’t want to deal with going further out and fighting with the currents.

The rocky areas to the left provide a great spot to check out some of the many crabs that like to hang out there as well. There are supposed to be some latte stone ruins in the jungle area, but I didn’t see any paths so we left that part of the adventure off. For more info you can get the Best Tracks on Guam book (Jeff’s Pirate’s Cove is the ONLY place that has the remaining books on island as they are no longer being printed).

Overall this is a fantastic spot to do a short & easy hike as well as getting to enjoy a secluded beach area. We happily spent a few hours here enjoying the scenery and ocean life.

If you’ve done the Haupto Hike I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

Know Before You Go

What: Haputo Beach Hike – Dededo, Guam on NTCS aka NCTAMS

Hike Info: Rated – Easy, Length – 0.6 mile, Elevation change- 300 feet both up and down.

How To Get There: From Andersen take Route 9 to NCTS and go check in at the Visitor’s Center. If you use Waze you should be able to find NCTS or Naval Computer and Telecommunications in it to help you if needed. You also need to check out on the way out. Make sure to check Facebook page, listed above, to make sure its open before heading that way. Approx 19 mins from Andersen AFB and approx 44 mins from Big Navy. Here is a google map to the parking area HERE it’s from Andersen but you can change the from on the left hand side.

Bring: Water! Clothing: Bring swimsuit & snorkel gear. Also sunscreen, & snacks. Visor/hat/sunglasses are optional. Also waterproof bags for cellphones, at a bare minimum as zip lock bag so it doesn’t drown if you get caught in a downpour!

Parking: Parking is on the right side of the road, across from the info display sign located at the start of the hiking trail.

Cost: Free

Traveling with little kids: This hike is fairly easy and can be done with littles. The hardest part is the uphill climb back up so just prepare to make a few stops along the way back up. My friend did it and they wore their littles (3 & 1.5) in carriers both up and down. It only took us 9 minutes to get down but a bit longer to get back up. If you have a little one comfortable walking they can probably walk this too.

How long: Plan on at least 2 hours to get down there, enjoy the secluded beach, and hike back out. Maybe a bit more if your hauling littles up and down. You could easily spend many hours there if you want to hang out at the beach. There are no restrooms or facilities though.