Hiking Trails on Oahu

Mariner’s Ridge – March 28, 2011  ( *as of January 2013, Mariner's Ridge access has been closed to the public.) Mariner’s Ridge is the second easiest hike to one of the summits of the  Koolau’s (#1 being Kamehame ridge). The hike starts in Hawaii Kai and ascends most of the way, but even kids and dogs can do this hike. To get there, you have to drive nearly to the end of    Hawaii Kai .GPS   Kaluanui  Road in Hawaii Kai. At the bottom of the street you’ll see the Mariner’s Ridge sign.  After the sign, is a 5 minute drive up the mountain. Park just before the trailhead. You can see the trailhead from the road.  The sign at the trailhead says private property, KEEP OUT! Even in Stuart Ball’s book, it says that Mariner’s Ridge is a forbidden hike.    Not sure who owns this land, but the trail is maintain pretty well, defined, and there are lots of people who hike this trail. There are no major   subtrails  and it would be nea...

  Maunawili Falls Trail – March 25, 2011   The Maunawili Falls Trail is located on the windward side of the island.  This trail is not to be confused with the Maunawili Trail. There is a 17 mile difference and the misunderstanding can lead to disappointment. The Maunawili Falls trail is a simple 1 ½ mile one way hike with some elevation gain. The trail is muddy as hell. There are some stream crossings, so expect to get wet. On this day, I went with my kids Malia and Jared. There is no parking directly at the trailhead, so you have to park on a side street about 1/8  of a mile from the trailhead.    trailhead I lead a good pace and the kids were game. Since the trail is used so frequently, you’d be an idiot to get lost.  However, there are sub trails leading to nowhere. With that being said, it wouldn’t be a surprise to encounter someone every 5 minutes, so you can ask for directions. There is one stream crossing ...

  Nanakuli Lookout – March 5, 2011 Watering the grass in my backyard in Kapolei, I look 45 degrees north and see a bunch of peaks that contribute to the Waianae Mountain Range. Time for exploration. On this wet day, Malia and I took a trip up the road to Makakilo and Camp Timberline. We tried to get onto this trail a few weeks ago, but the gate was locked. Wondering how to get in, I emailed the receptionist from Camp Timberline. It took a while, but we got it settled. There was $5 per person fee to hike on the trail, in turn the receptionist emailed me the gate combination. Wonder if they change the combination from time to time?  We signed in by the office and waited for one of the staff members to help us. She pointed us to two trails 1) Nanakuli Lookout 2) WWII Bunker.  She said that Nanakuli is easier. Since I had Malia, I decided to do Nanakuli.  The trail is marked with yellow paint every 10 yards. It should be noted that...

Hawaii Loa Ridge – March 2, 2011 The Hawaii Loa Ridge community is known for its multi-million dollar homes. It also means  a perfect intermediate trail. Hikers categorize hikes using 3 major categories 1) Novice/Beginner 2) Intermediate 3) Expert/Advanced. If you don’t know the difference between the 3, then hike Hawaii Loa Ridge! It’s the perfect in every sense of the word, an intermediate hike, especially towards the end. You need to be in good cardio condition to do this hike or you'll be making frequent rest stops and it will take forever to get to the summit. Once you experience it, you’ll know what an Intermediate hike feels and looks like. In addition, Intermediate hikes are generally safe. Experts hikes are the ones you have to really focus and watch out for your safety. On this day I dropped the kids off at school, then ventured to Hawaii Kai. I was stuck in traffic for over an hour. The residents of Hawaii Loa graciously grants visitors access to the trailhead and  ...