Hiking Trails on Oahu

Manoa Middle – January 14, 2012 I did this hike in my dreams. It’s a hike I’ve wanted to do for some time now. Only a few years ago, this hike was extremely difficult to do for two reasons 1) overgrown 2) no clear directions. Great work by an anonymous clearing crew and maintenance by the HTMC make this hike a reality. I joined the hiking group Oahu Weekend Hikers & Adventures today as they were going to do the Manoa Middle Loop. This loop consist of taking you onto Pu’u Pia, then descending down the valley to where Waiakeakua stream flows. We would then make a left at a junction to gain Manoa’s Middle Ridge before making the steep ascent to its summit. From the summit, we would turn right on the KST towards the Mount Olympus trail. Finally we would go down the Olympus trail before making a right onto Kolowalu and back onto Pu’u Pia.           Leading the hike today was Udom and Laredo. Both are HTMC hikers and help out with this group. T...

  Mount Olympus (Awa'awaloa) via Wa'ahila Ridge Trail - June 4, 2011 Mount Olympus is the highest peak in Manoa. Its Hawaiian name is Awa'awaloa, but some years ago, students at Punahou renamed it Olympus. The name stuck and its also on listed as Olympus on Hawaii maps. I wanted to do this hike yesterday, but with a flash flood in effect for Oahu, that was out of the question. So I decided to do it today, which after much reflection was still a mistake. Lets just say climbing a steep mountain one day after a downpour isn't the right thing to do because you know, slippery mud.   I headed towards St. Louis Heights Drive at 8:30 am. After turning on a couple of side streets, I ended up at Wa'ahila Ridge State Park. I remember doing the first 30 minutes of this hike with the kids a couple of years ago and they had trouble, so we turned around. The lower Wa'ahila Ridge Trail claims to be a novice hike because there is little elevation gain. However, there is rock cli...