Hiking Trails on Oahu

  Olomana – August 30, 2011 This hike was long overdue. The first time I heard of this hike was in the year 2000. Michelle did this with her military friends. She said it was the most difficult hike she’d ever done. Michelle was in good hiking condition back then, and I in my early 20s, believed her story. Over the years, I heard many stories of hikers getting into trouble when hiking Olomana. The lore kept on building up and doubt began to weigh on my psyche. There were times when I felt that I couldn’t challenge the mountainous beast. Olomana isn’t very high. It stands at 1,643 feet. There are three peaks that make up the hike. The first is called Olomana, followed by Paku’i, and finally Ahiki. The first two peaks are considered intermediate hikes, but Ahiki is considered an expert hike because of an exposed ridge, great drops on both sides, and a near vertical climb. In addition some of the best hiker’s on the island end up doing the backside of Ahiki which is extremely difficul...

  Lua’alaea Falls – August 27, 2011 This is it, the last remaining waterfall in Manoa Valley I have yet to witness. I thought this hike could have been done 3 months ago, but as my favorite saying goes, satisfaction comes to people who are patient. If you look at the topo map, Manoa has 5 distinct streams, Aihualama, Wai'hi, Lua’alaea, Naniuapo, and Waiakeakua stream. Naniuapo stream branches off Waiakeakua, so I thought a waterfall wouldn’t run off that stream, but it does. In addition, there is not too much information on Naniuapo falls. I actually thought it was Lua’alaea when I discovered it 1 year ago. I already found 4 out of the 5 waterfalls in Manoa. However, finding Lua’alaea falls has now become a challenge. I know it seemed not too difficult to find, but all the directions on the internet weren't good enough. These are the two hints that exist. 1) It branches off the Manoa falls trail 2) It is on Haukulu Road. I’ve tried both options many times and came up empty. On ...

Lower Lulumahu Falls & King Kamehameha III (Kaniakapupu) Summer Palace – August 21, 2011 *This hike is on private property, sometimes they ticket people. The Summer Palace is a historic site, treat it with respect.  I knew this waterfall existed. I knew what valley it was located in. I knew which road it was on. I knew that one day I would find it. And I also knew it was near the King Kamehameha III (Kaniakapupu) Summer Palace. Well, two years of waiting, became a reality today. There were a variety of reasons why I did not attempt this hike. 1) It is on private property (I heard its monitored) 2) There are many sub trails 3) If you get lost, how will you get out? There were also numerous stories on the Internet about hikers who’ve been lost on the Lulumahu trail. Enter Marcus Griego, a big time hiker on Oahu. He has done some of Oahu’s most notorious trails and has even accomplished some amazing hiking feats, (i.e. transversing the Kalihi saddle from Lanihuli). Some of his hik...

  Halawa Ridge – August 14, 2011 *Halawa ridge is in disuse and the trialhead is on Board of Water Supply land.  Fourteen miles felt so short. This hike is in the HTMC advanced category for sheer distance. But it only took less than 6 hours to complete. You know you’ve seen Halawa Ridge before. While driving on H3 to Kaneohe, it’s that long ridge to your right. Sure it looks overloaded with vegetation, but behind all that vegetation is a wide trail. I hiked with the HTMC again. I met some hikers at Iolani Palace. The person providing the trailhead directions was John Hall. This guy is in his 80s and can still hike with the best of them. Directions to Halawa Ridge were unknown to me until John Hall gave his explanation. In Stuart Ball’s book, Halawa Ridge is a forbidden hike; maybe it intersects a private road or something.      It took a little while to get to Iwaena Street in Halawa; I parked at the end of the road and met the club members. The trail ...

  Mount Ka’ala via Waianae-Ka’ala trail – August 7, 2011 The Waianae-Ka’ala hike is not really an advanced hike; it is actually a really high end intermediate hike. With that being said, since Ka’ala is the highest peak on Oahu, it should get some credit and so I pushed it into the advanced category. Mount Ka’ala is the highest peak on the island of Oahu standing at 4,025 feet. While driving on Kam. Hwy heading towards the North Shore look left and you will see Ka’ala. Its summit is flat top and wide. The military has an FAA station up there for aviation purposes. There are many ways to get to Ka'ala, however the two most common routes are through Waianae-Ka'ala and Dupont. Today we took the Waianae-Ka’ala trail. I met Kahele at the trailhead at the end of the Waianae Valley Road at about 8:30 am. We started going up the concrete road. The concrete road is about 1 mile long, disenchanting, and leads to the trailhead of many Waianae hikes. The Ka’ala trail is marked with purple ...