Oahu hikes
 

Hello!

We are off to Hawaii eight weeks today! (Staying one week on Oahu and one week on Kauai) Very excited and starting to think about what we'll get up to.

I have found lots of info on Kauai hikes but not so much on Oahu. We definitely want to do some hiking on Oahu. We have been to Oahu before and have done the Diamond Head hike but no others - we definitely want to explore some of the island beyond Waikiki. We are mid-late twenties and fit, looking for something fairly moderate that takes maybe 2 or 3 hours (including rest stops). Ideally something with a nice pay-off at the end - for example, view or waterfall. Looking for recommendations and websites/books detailing various hikes.

On Oahu, we will be based in Waikiki and are considering whether to hire a car for part of our stay. To be honest I have always felt a car is more of a hindrance in Waikiki and enjoyed taking TheBus around. However if it is necessary we'll rent one!

Also considering taking a guided hike with Oahu Nature Tours. If anyone has any feedback on taking such a tour I'd be glad to hear it!

There is a hike to Manoa Valley, to see a waterfall. You may also want to pick up Oahu Revealed -- it has an entire section on hiking.

We loved this relatively short hike to Makapuu Point. See link below. Not long but VERY steep. BEAUTIFUL views!

http://www.backyardoahu.com/index.html?mlhr1.htm

My two favorite hikes on Oahu are to Kaena Point from the west side of the island and the Ko'olau Ridge trail. You'd need a car to do either hike, and the latter would probably take more than 3 hours. Try backyardOahu.com for trail info.

I took oahu nature tours to manoa falls. Our tour guide was John. This guy was very very knowledgeable. if you are planning on a tour, get it with him. He is very entertaining and you will learn a lot as well.

There are some Oahu hiking sites in this thread:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34812564

Manoa Falls trail is nice. You can go there & also Lyon Arboretum, right next to Manoa Falls trailhead.

Bus to Manoa Falls & Lyon Arboretum:

http://www.thebus.org/pop/ecologic.asp

Other attractions by bus:

http://www.thebus.org/pop/pop.asp

Stuart Ball has some excellent hiking books. One of them is "Hikers Guide to Oahu".

If you are in Chinatown area, Foster Gardens is nice. Just on the other side of H-1 there is Liliuokalani Gardens which has a small waterfall and Kapena Falls about 1/2 mile from Liliuokalani Gardens. Neither falls is impressive, but they are OK if you are in the area. You would do more walking on city streets rather than hiking. Kapena Falls hike is less than 1/4 mile.

Jackass Ginger Trail has a small waterfall & pool.

If you are into mountain biking, you can bike around Kaena Pt.

The Bus allows you to take bikes on the buses. They attach the bikes to the front of the bus.

Aiea Loop Trail is nice:

http://oahuhiking.com/aiea.htm
(You can find other trails from their home site)

Some nice hikes in Kahana Valley State Park area.

My two favorite hikes on Oahu include Kaena Point (from Yokahama) and Maunawili. The Kaena hike isn't exactly the best because it's extremely hot, but seeing the albatross and possbily a seal (I've seen one both times I've done the hike) at the Point is awesome. Maunawili trails is one of my favorite hikes anywhere. It's nine miles long and you would need two cars to shuttle from the start to end point or be willing to catch a ride with a stranger to do the whole thing, otherwise you could just hike in a few miles and then hike back. It's steep to start out, but then completely level and you get to walk right along side the beautiful, tropical foliage of the pali cliffs.

You might want to try an outing with the Sierra Club:
http://www.hi.sierraclub.org/oahu/outings.htm

Thankyou for all this information - just what I was looking for! Much appreciated.

I wanted to make a correction to my post. I meant to recommend the Kuliouou Ridge trail, not the Koolau trail.