Hiking Trails on Oahu

Kamanaiki Ridge Trail - May 31, 2011 Ever got the feeling that you fell short, but thought you succeeded. That happened to me today.  It was my third day of hiking in a row and I felt good. Body was sore, but my mind was still strong. The passion I felt inside was flowing all through my body. Today was also the first day of summer vacation for me and there was no better way to start the summer than to go on a hike.  I went through Stuart Ball's book,  Hiker's Guide to Oahu  and found a trail called Kamanaiki. Its a five mile ridge hike that does not end at the summit, rather it ends on a hill. On that hill you can view the Ko'olau summit. Doesn't sound too appealing, especially after doing the Stairway to Heaven a few days before.   This was my first hike in Kalihi. I parked on a side street near Kalihi Street and traveled on foot towards the end of a street. I walked up a green astroturfed staircase that appeared to be part of someone's house. The sta...

  Moleka to Pu'u Ualaka'a State Wayside Park - May 30, 2011 I just did the Stairway to Heaven yesterday and my body was sore. But with Michelle tired from working yesterday evening, I decided that I should take the kids out and give her a break. So another unplanned hike. I didn't know where to go, but I needed to do a short hike, one where my legs wouldn't strain too much. I decided to do the Tantalus-Arboretum Trail. I started driving to Tantalus a little after 11a. I ended up on Makiki Heights Drive then on Tantalus Drive. And damn it! I couldn't find the trailhead to the Tantalus-Arboretum Trail. So I abandon the plan and decided to head towards the Moleka Trail again. I think the Moleka Trail is the easiest trail to access on Tantalus. There is a big parking lot that can fit at least 10 cars. The plan now was to go on Moleka, then at the hiker's stop, head onto the Ualaka'a Trail to Pu'u Ualaka'a State Wayside Park. One reason was I haven't ...

The Stairyway to Heaven (Haiku Stairs) - May 29, 2011 The Haiku Stairs or what people refer to as The Stairway to Heaven is infamous on Oahu. The brief history goes as follows. The steps were built in 1943 by the Navy who needed to set up radio communication.  The trail was open until 1987 when vandals dismantled parts of the stairs. The stairs was closed from then on. The stairs was rebuilt in 2002 costing the state $875.000, however the trail remained closed because legal access to the trailhead had not been agreed upon by all parties involved. To add to this, residents in the Haiku Valley area have fought to prevent hiker's from accessing the trailhead. You can only access the trailhead by going through someone's  property in the Haiku area.  Residents of Haiku feel that hiker's illegally trespass, leave trash, and park irresponsibly. They too are an integral part in the stairs not reopening. The only way to get onto the trail is to sneak in illegally. t...

  Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail -  May 22, 2011  All the signs told me to not go hiking today. But I've gotten the trail bug within the last three weeks and its been 6 days since my last hike. Here we go! First, Jared's 5th birthday was yesterday and I was hungover like hell. Add to that, I had to be back before 12pm because of Malia's soccer party. 1) I was tired 2) I had to rush. More news, it was pouring like hell in Hawaii Kai and the clouds were covering the entire Koolau Mountain Range on the east side of Oahu.  I had an early start because of the party. I got to the Waialae Iki V gated community at 7:15a. The guard gave me a day pass. The trail starts on asphalt and then turns into a dirt road. It was about 7:35am.   trailhead It was rainy, windy, cold, and muddy as hell. After about 2 miles, the dirt road ends and the hiking begins. This is where the steps section takes place. Like all Hawaii Kai hikes, there seems to be a  steps section . I started the...

  Likeke Falls via Old Pali Road pt. 2 - May 15, 2011                                                          Today was a good day for a hike. I called my friend Blaze to see if he wanted to go hiking. He said he would, but it would have to be a family hike. So 10 of us (5 adults, 5 kids) made our way to Nuuanu Pali Lookout at about 10:45 am and went down the Old Pali Road towards the Likeke Trail. kids picture Just like last time, we had to squeeze through the concrete opening just below the Pali Hwy. But this time we had 10 people, it was easier said than done. The kids had a difficult time going down, so we formed a carrying line. It worked fine. going under the Pali Hwy. under On the way to the Likeke Trail, we seen this tree that was uprooted, probably from the bad weather a few weeks ago. This tree covered the entire road and we had...

Nuuanu Overlook via Pu'u Ohi'a Trail, Manoa Cliffs Trail, Pauoa Flats Trail - May 14, 2011 Today I decided to attack the Makiki Trail System again. The plan was to start at Manoa Cliffs, then take a right at Pauoa Flats to the Nuuanu Overlook. By doing this, it will better prepare me for Konahuanui, planned for this summer 2011. I had a late 2 pm start.  I was driving up Tantalus Drive at about 1:50 pm and in the corner of my eye I seen the Pu'u Ohi'a Trailhead. WTF! Last time, I searched forever trying to find the trailhead for this damn trail and came up empty. Now, from the corner of my eye driving at 30 mph, I see the words PU'U OHI'A in passing, WTF! Anyway, I had to do it! I turned around and headed toward the parking lot near the Pu'u Ohi'a trailhead.  My initial plan died, AGAIN! But that was okay, I reverted back to my previous plan in April when I tried to figure out Pu'u Ohi'a to Pauoa Flats .   Now, my plan was to do Pu'u Ohi'...

  Hamama Falls & Waihe'e Falls - May 12, 2011                                       The last time I did Hamama Falls was in May of 2010. One year later, it was time to go again. This time, the focus was to get to Waihe'e Falls. Last time, Erik, Chris & I went to look for Waihe'e falls, but after 45 minutes of searching, we came up empty. Over the past year, I've been following hiking blogs, mainly Kaleo L. Island Trails and Josh S. 808 Goonies. I've also been following Wayde's World Poor Man's Guide  to Hawaii's You Tube videos. All of them have been to Hamama Falls and Waihe'e Falls. On their experiences, they marked the path to Waihe'e Falls. Kaleo Lancaster marked the trail to Waihe'e Falls with orange ribbons. With all that valuable information, today was the day to find the elusive Waihe'e Falls.  On this day, Michelle and I had the day off and drove to Kahalu'...