Hiking Trails on Oahu

  Kuli’ou’ou Ridge Trail– April 22, 2011 I’ve been promising Chuck that I would join the Pearl City High School hiking club on a hike and finally after many empty promises, I fulfilled my promise. It was a perfect day to hike, wasn’t too hot, wasn’t too cold. The last time I visited Kuli’ou’ou was September 2010. I did the valley hike which led to two small waterfalls. This time was the more intermediate, ridge hike. Chuck said that we would gradually elevate through most of the trail and encounter great elevation towards the end. Sounded like Hawaii Loa Ridge. Chuck led the twelve person party up switchbacks, and for an old man Chuck led a furious pace. You needed to be in good condition to keep up with him. We took a few breaks and got to the steps section in about 2 hours. From there was 25 minutes of 45 degree angle stair master stepping toward the summit. No one wanted to admit it, but it took a lot of energy and we were huffing and puffing.  For me it was great. I alread...

  Makapu’u Lighthouse -  April 16, 2011 Our second trip to the Makapu’u Lighthouse was even better than the first trip. The Kona Winds were in effect and it was extremely hot again. It was like a hot fan blowing air on you. The family goal this time was to complete the lighthouse trail, go back to the entrance and hike the beach trail. The walk to the lighthouse was easier this time, maybe it was because I was 40 lbs lighter since 2009.  While Michelle and the kids were taking a break, I decided to sneak into the lighthouse entrance. The lighthouse entrance is off limits, maybe because the hike is so popular and there are steep drop offs on the way to the lighthouse. I maneuvered my way past the barbed wire fence and jogged along the white railing to the front of the lighthouse. There where fallen rocks everywhere, it kind of entered my mind for a minute, but I shook it off. I took a couple of pictures and went back to where Michelle and the kids ...

Mariner’s Ridge – March 28, 2011  ( *as of January 2013, Mariner's Ridge access has been closed to the public.) Mariner’s Ridge is the second easiest hike to one of the summits of the  Koolau’s (#1 being Kamehame ridge). The hike starts in Hawaii Kai and ascends most of the way, but even kids and dogs can do this hike. To get there, you have to drive nearly to the end of    Hawaii Kai .GPS   Kaluanui  Road in Hawaii Kai. At the bottom of the street you’ll see the Mariner’s Ridge sign.  After the sign, is a 5 minute drive up the mountain. Park just before the trailhead. You can see the trailhead from the road.  The sign at the trailhead says private property, KEEP OUT! Even in Stuart Ball’s book, it says that Mariner’s Ridge is a forbidden hike.    Not sure who owns this land, but the trail is maintain pretty well, defined, and there are lots of people who hike this trail. There are no major   subtrails  and it would be nea...

  Maunawili Falls Trail – March 25, 2011   The Maunawili Falls Trail is located on the windward side of the island.  This trail is not to be confused with the Maunawili Trail. There is a 17 mile difference and the misunderstanding can lead to disappointment. The Maunawili Falls trail is a simple 1 ½ mile one way hike with some elevation gain. The trail is muddy as hell. There are some stream crossings, so expect to get wet. On this day, I went with my kids Malia and Jared. There is no parking directly at the trailhead, so you have to park on a side street about 1/8  of a mile from the trailhead.    trailhead I lead a good pace and the kids were game. Since the trail is used so frequently, you’d be an idiot to get lost.  However, there are sub trails leading to nowhere. With that being said, it wouldn’t be a surprise to encounter someone every 5 minutes, so you can ask for directions. There is one stream crossing ...

  Nanakuli Lookout – March 5, 2011 Watering the grass in my backyard in Kapolei, I look 45 degrees north and see a bunch of peaks that contribute to the Waianae Mountain Range. Time for exploration. On this wet day, Malia and I took a trip up the road to Makakilo and Camp Timberline. We tried to get onto this trail a few weeks ago, but the gate was locked. Wondering how to get in, I emailed the receptionist from Camp Timberline. It took a while, but we got it settled. There was $5 per person fee to hike on the trail, in turn the receptionist emailed me the gate combination. Wonder if they change the combination from time to time?  We signed in by the office and waited for one of the staff members to help us. She pointed us to two trails 1) Nanakuli Lookout 2) WWII Bunker.  She said that Nanakuli is easier. Since I had Malia, I decided to do Nanakuli.  The trail is marked with yellow paint every 10 yards. It should be noted that...

Hawaii Loa Ridge – March 2, 2011 The Hawaii Loa Ridge community is known for its multi-million dollar homes. It also means  a perfect intermediate trail. Hikers categorize hikes using 3 major categories 1) Novice/Beginner 2) Intermediate 3) Expert/Advanced. If you don’t know the difference between the 3, then hike Hawaii Loa Ridge! It’s the perfect in every sense of the word, an intermediate hike, especially towards the end. You need to be in good cardio condition to do this hike or you'll be making frequent rest stops and it will take forever to get to the summit. Once you experience it, you’ll know what an Intermediate hike feels and looks like. In addition, Intermediate hikes are generally safe. Experts hikes are the ones you have to really focus and watch out for your safety. On this day I dropped the kids off at school, then ventured to Hawaii Kai. I was stuck in traffic for over an hour. The residents of Hawaii Loa graciously grants visitors access to the trailhead and  ...

  Waikahalulu Falls – February 19, 2011 This  page really doesn't represent a secret trail, but for some reason not many people know about this nice little waterfall. Add to that, this is not really a hike! Tucked away in the middle of Honolulu is a small waterfall called Waikahalulu Falls. This waterfall is named for the street its on.  However, the most accessible way to get to this waterfall is through the Queen Liliuokalani Botanical Gardens instead of the more logical Waikahalulu Lane. The reason is Waikahalulu Lane has no parking on the side street.  From the entrance of the Queen Liliuokalani Botanical Garden you have to stroll for about 5 minutes on a paved path to get to the waterfall. Once you get to the waterfall, you can take great pictures from any angle. The waterfall is similar to Jackass Ginger Pool, its about 8 feet in height and the falls cascades from all different angles. The pool looks deep enough to swim, but I wouldn’t chance it because th...

  Waimano Falls via Manana Trail  – February 12, 2011 Manana Trail to Waimano falls was a hike I did with Michelle about 7 years ago.  Seven years later, I wanted to visit it again. It was a Saturday and I decided very early in the morning to hike this trail. At the end of the trail is a 30 foot waterfall. The previous day was pouring in Pearl City, and this prompted me to visit the Manana Trail because its waterfall can get dry when the there is no rain. Jared and I took the drive up Komo Mai Drive till the end of the road and parked by a house near the trail.   the start The first part of the trail was simple, just your basic hiking trail, though it was slippery and muddy as hell. About 25 minutes into the trail  comes a fork, 7 years ago I took the right, so this time I did the same. If you go straight, you'll probably do Manana Ridge. About 3 minutes later, you hit what is known as CARDIAC HILL, some people call it heart attack hill. Believe me going do...

  Kamananui Valley Road – February 5, 2011 Deep, deep, deep in the back of Moanalua Valley is a trail called Kamananui Valley Road hike. This hike is the appetizer that leads to the main course hike called Kulana’ahane  Trail, then good hikers venture on from there. The day was Feb. 5th and I wanted to take the kids hiking on this Saturday. Unfortunately, option 1: the Camp Timberline Hike required permission, I didn’t know! So plan B was to hike a trail in Kunia. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find that hike and luckily I didn't because on further inspection that hike would of been impossible for the kids and access to the trailhead would of been difficult. Being frustrated I decided to look on my iphone for another hike, plan C. The kids were well behaved because they were watching their Power Rangers DVD in the back seats.  While on the side of the road checking my iphone, I found a hike in Moanalua Valley called Kamananui. It was easy to get there, take the ...

Judd’s Trail to Jackass Ginger Pool -  August     21, 2009 &  May 31, 2010 *The last time I did this trail was in 2010 and some things may have change with the trail. Use this article for entertainment purposes only.  Judd’s Memorial Trail to Jackass Ginger Pool is no secret. This hike gets a lot of traffic for a variety of reasons. Its a great beginners hike for kids and pets. It also can lead to the Nuuanu Overlook (via Nuuanu and Pauoa flats). Finally, if you veer off the trail a little, it will lead to Jackass Ginger Pool, an inviting and refreshing nature made pool. I consider this trail to be one of the best beginners hikes on the island of Oahu. Judd's is one of the most perfect hike on Oahu. On Nuuanu Pali Drive, you park on the road by the trailhead. One minute into the hike, there is a stream crossing. Be careful or you will fall, the rocks are slippery.  After the stream crossing, there is a three way path. Choose the middle one, it’s the cor...