Hiking Trails on Oahu

Dupont-Ka'ala - June 9, 2014 Probably one of the best hikes I've done since Koloa Gulch in November of 2013. This hike had it all - exploration, views, danger, bushwhacking, cardio, more views, prayer, hiking out in the dark with critters, and ending with 10 Pueo owls. It all starts with Aprille, she went on a church retreat to the St. Benedictine Monastery awhile back. There, she met wonderful nuns or sisters who told her about a trail to a cross. That cross is on a ridge which connects to Dupont.  Dupont is off limits. The start of the trail is well within farmland boundaries with owners who do not want hikers there. There are even signs that say no hikers allowed. Security patrols the area and keeps a tight grip on loiterers.   To connect the two stories, Aprille asked one of the sisters if she could hike on the cross trail. After an approval, we did some quick research on a Friday night. We saw that the cross trail connects to Dupont. Based on that information, we felt tha...

  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 ...