Hiking Trails on Oahu

  Kahuku Shoreline (James Campbell Wildlife Refuge) - October 12, 2014 There are some scenic walks on Oahu shorelines and this one is up at the top along with Lanikai. I haven't walked too much on the beach. I prefer not to. However, this hike has a lot to offer. Last year I did Kawela Bay, a  not so secret, secret bay left of Turtle Bay. This hike is to the right of Turtle Bay, highlighted by the James Campbell Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is home to a family of Nene Goose, the only Nene on the island of Oahu.  Today we hoped to find the Nene. Daniel put together this hike because Sarah was coming back from the mainland for one week and said she can only hike on a Sunday. We spent the week trying to get all OAG's to come, but in the end, Sarah bailed so we just had fun without her. We were also projected to have our Post Hike Meal at Tita's Grill where I was going to pound The Pounder ~ a massive burger almost a foot tall in height, 6 pieces of bacon, 4 cheeses, choke sau...

Kawela Bay - January 2, 2014 First hike of the New Year got me doing a shoreline hike. Daniel did this hike multiple times and invited me on this day to do something I’ve always wanted to do, a shoreline hike. I don’t remember doing a shoreline hike before. I think the closest I’ve done is the Rock Bridge. Today was a real shoreline hike in the Kahuku area at Turtle Bay. I picked Daniel up at his house and drove to the Turtle Bay parking lot, we took a path that led us to the beach just left of the hotel. I wanted to take some nice pictures, but was struggling to get things going. Things weren’t going right today. Its a beautiful area! It also provides a different type of hiking experience. Walking on the sand and rocks, listening to the waves. No wonder a lot of relaxation music has sounds of the waves, running water, and singing birds. The human race has been conditioned to relax under those sounds. After about 40 minute leisurely walking, we arrived at a pillbox and took a break adm...

Three Corners to Mokuleia Trail – August 10, 2013 I've always wanted to get to Three Corners, a spot on the Waianae Summit which supposedly has one of the best views on the island. The goal today was to start at the Mokuleia Firebreak Road, make a left at the Peacock Flats Junction, then onto Mokuleia till the HTMC campsite. We would then take the junction towards the Waianae Summit, make the left, crossover until Three Corners, then backtrack the way we came. However, with the Great Dave F., plans adjust on the fly. Only because, we can. Joining the crew today was OAG- Erik, Aprille, Darren, Janice, Sarah, Allison, the Great Dave F. and his trusty companion Kona Dog. We started a little before 7am. The weather was bad, overcast skies and rain. We pushed it up the steep road and in 1 ½ hours we got to Peacock Flats. At the campgrounds, we took a break at a bench while it poured cats n dogs. We pondered what to do. That was short lived as we knew what we HAD to do, get to Three Corn...

  Wailele Falls – March 24, 2013 Marvin and I planned a hike today. We wanted to do Hobbs-Ka’ala, but with rain, we decided to do Koloa Gulch. Then I drove, it started pouring really bad, so we decided to do Wailele Falls. Neither Marvin nor I have done Wailele Falls. I knew we needed a Hawaii Reserves Permit. I have mine, but it expired in 2011. Since Marvin and I weren’t prepared for this hike because it was a last minute adjustment, I looked on my iPhone for directions. On Everytrail, there was a map so Marvin and I looked at the map and figured it out. We parked near the Polynesian Culture Center and took a road that led to some farmland. The place was a no doubt farming area, in a minute I expected some dogs to come out running at us. But no dogs came after us, it was too wet today. We neared a house, Marvin and I tried to find a side trail though the forest, we did, but the side trail led to the house, some inconspicuous hikers we are. The dirt road led into the forest. ...

Ehukai Pillboxes – July 8, 2012 There are so many pillboxes on this island. Anywhere there is a hill near the coast line, there is a pillbox. The military wasn’t taking any chances during the war. They set pillboxes everywhere and anywhere on the island, on all the sides of the island. Today’s hike was up to the Ehukai Pillboxes. This trail was opened about a year ago after the state bought the land. The trail starts at Sunset Elementary and goes up a ridge to a lookout. At the lookout is the pillbox. It is said that there are three pillboxes on the trail, but today we only seen one. We had a super late start 11a because the kids woke up so late. It was hot today. The trail is shaded most of the way, but it was so hot that the sun must have penetrated through the trees. The kids were exhausted making their way up the hill. In addition, there are multiple trails leading in different directions. It led us astray, but my hiking instincts kicked in. On the first wrong turn we were heading ...

  Mokuleia Trail – June 1, 2012 I set out to find Three Corners today, but failed. This now becomes a storied hike. This hike isn’t too difficult, but with the exposure to the sun, it becomes taxing and physically draining.            I woke up early, dropped the kids off at school, and drove towards the Mokuleia Access Road and parked my car. The gate is locked which means walking on the 4 mile long road. There are no big trees with long branches and wide leaves hanging over the road which means exposure to the sun. Being summertime in Hawaii, it was very hot. The initial walk on the road is level and easy, but the road will incline. I passed a few more gates, one was locked and one wasn’t. Somewhere after the second mile, I met Daniel and his friend Lisa. They started out before me and were now heading back. They walked near three miles on the road, but didn’t make it to the Peacock Flats Campsite. We talked about various topics, ...

Kaunala – May 13, 2012 Today was Mother’s Day, so it would seem I would celebrate the day with my mom and wife. One problem, both were working all day. I can’t just stay home right? Off it was to hike with the Hawaiian Trail & Mountain Club (HTMC) to do the Waimea Valley hike. The kids woke up late, by the time we got to Waimea; the club was off to do the valley hike. Instead of going home, I changed the plan to do the Kaunala trail. I’ve wanted to do Kaunala since we did Pupukea back in March. I guess today was the day to do it. From Waimea, we drove up the road and made a right on Pupukea road to the top. I parked in a grassy area, and we walked up the road, past the Boy Scout Camp, over a locked gate, and to the Kaunala Junction. We made the left. Immediately we hit a fork. Going straight was to what I think was the Ehukai trail. I have to do more research, but it looks like it. The Ehukai trail follows a ridge all the way down to Sunset Elementary and Ehukai Beach (a.k.a. Banza...

Pupukea Summit – March 31, 2012 Being my 32 nd  birthday, I decided to plan a birthday party at a summit. I haven’t celebrated my birthday in 20 years. My last birthday party celebration was when I was 12 years old, 6 th  grade. Over the years, my birthday just became another day. Usually a lot of 30 year olds have their parties at clubs or restaurants. A few things I hate about that, 1) Too much unwarranted attention, which I hate 2) I have to share the room with others, which I hate. While planning a birthday hike, I had to choose a non-popular trail, so we would have the summit to ourselves. Going through Stuart Ball’s book  Hiking on Oahu , there was no doubt which hike I would choose: Pupukea Summit Hike. This hike is about 9 miles round trip. It’s an easy 9 miles because the trail is graded and most of the trail is on a paved road. Although relatively easy, the trail for some reason gets little traffic, maybe because of a few complicated junctions. You can compare i...

  Kealia – January 8, 2012 I had a chance to meet Stuart Ball today. Stuart Ball was the guy who wrote the book  Hiking on Oahu . This book has influenced many people to become avid hikers. It gave them a reason to get into shape and enjoy Oahu trails. For me the book did not entertain, but opened up my imagination about what the most remote places on Oahu would look and feel like. I would have dreams about hiking to the summits of Oahu mountains and experiencing world class views. As I checked off the hikes one by one, I realized that hiking was for me. I too got a chance to experience the descriptions of the book first hand. Stuart Ball The hike today was Kealia, located in back of Dillingham Airfield in Mokuleia. The HTMC created a 9 mile loop. The goal today was to hike on the Kealia trail and work our way up great switchbacks eventually overlooking a quarry and the entire North Shore. We would then meander through the mountains via dirt roads, also known as a foothil...