Best Hikes on Oahu: The Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

Basic Information

• Name: Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail
• Where: Honolulu, Hawaii
• Distance: 5.2 miles
• Maximum Elevation: 2,421 feet
• Elevation Gain: 1,199 feet
• Time: 2-3 hours
• Difficulty: Medium
• More Information: The Hikers Guide to O’ahu

Topographic Map of the Wiliwilinui Trail

Elevation Map

Google Earth Map

Directions

Getting to the trailhead for this hike is fairly easy by first taking the H-1 east until it becomes the Kalanianaole Highway.  A short distance down the Kalanianaole Highway make a left on to Laukahi Street.

Drive up Laukahi Street all the way to the security guard check in station:

At the check in station the security guard will give out a parking pass and give directions to the trailhead.  Hikers must not deviate from the directions as they pass through the gated community.

The trailhead is very easy to find with the assistance of the map on the parking pass plus the various signs put up in this nice gated community to lead hikers to the trail:

Parking

There are two parking lots for the Wiliwilinui Trail.  The first one is paved and is located at the end of the paved road:

The second parking lot is located next to the trailhead adjacent to the dirt road:

Each lot can hold about ten cars each.  The security guard hands out parking passes and if the lot are full he will not hand out a pass.  Arriving at sunrise will ensure you get a parking pass.  However, if you arrive too early the security guard will not let you in.  Just after sunrise is when he gives parking passes out for the trail.

Hawaiian Meaning

According to the book, “Place Names of Hawaii” the word “Wiliwilinui” literally translates to “large ridge”.

Narrative

The Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail was the latest of the various Ko’olau Range summit ridge hikes that I have completed.  I have completed many challenging hikes on Oahu so I expected this approximately five mile hike to be fairly easy considering it has only 1,200 feet of elevation gain.   To access the trailhead I had to drive through a beautiful gated community of multimillion dollar homes.  The views some of these homes had of Diamond Head Crater was pretty incredible:

I arrived at the paved parking lot at about 0700 in the morning and walked over to the trailhead located at the end of the road:

The way to the trailhead is marked with this easily identifiable sign:

The official trailhead is located at this yellow gate:

Besides being a trailhead this is also the beginning of a hunting area as well.  This is why I always hike with bright clothing on in Hawaii because often the trails are in hunting areas:

From the trailhead the hike begins by following a paved road:

The paved road travels for about less than a quarter mile to access this water tank:

From the water tank I had some nice sunrise views looking east towards Koko Crater that was visible in the distance:

After the water tank the paved road ends and the dirt rod begins:

I found some sections the dirt road to be very muddy which made me thankful I wore my KEEN Men’s Liberty Ridge waterproof hiking boots:

The dirt road remains quite wide as it ascends up the ridgeline:

The ridgeline that the road followed was mostly surrounded by trees which meant I only had occasional views of Honolulu in the distance to the west:

Due to how wide the dirt road was, I made great time up this trail:

At about the 1.5 mile mark the dirt road ends at a clearing:

This clearing was well known for a rope swing that had been installed on an adjacent tree, but for some reason someone has taken it down.  At the clearing is where the real work out of this hike begins because it is where the first staircase has been installed.  From this point of the hike about a 900 feet of elevation is gained over 1 mile using various staircases:

As I ascended the first staircase I could see the clouds were not burning off the summit of the Ko’olau Range as the sun rose in the east.  The frequent cloud cover is one of the gambles of hiking the Ko’olau Range.  I have started early hikes before where the Ko’olau Range summit was covered in clouds to have the cloud cover burn off as the sun got higher in the sky.  I hope that would be the case on this hike as well:

After I ascended the first staircase I had a nice view of the valley below me and the ocean in the distance:

After the first staircase I had another staircase to ascend:

And another staircase to ascend:

The staircases were sometimes divided by short trail segments:

The stairs on the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail were installed by the Sierra Club.  Most of the stairs are in fairly good shape:

As I gained altitude the views started to become obscured by the clouds:

As I gained in altitude I began to notice more of the native koa trees along the trail:

I next came to a steep trail section that had a rope installed for those who needed it:

At about the 1,800 foot level I was completely engulfed by the clouds:

To gain the remaining 600 feet to reach the Ko’olau Range summit ridge I was going to need to hike up some more stairs

And even more stairs:

And yes even more stairs:

The trail next comes to a hazardous cliff warning sign:

This is because near the summit a landslide had taken out a portion of the stairs along the trail:

This section was steep, but there was a rope installed for assistance.  I don’t generally trust the ropes installed on trails in Hawaii and thus decided to put my hike spikes on to climb up this section of the trail:

It was raining and very muddy, but with my hike spikes I was able to easily ascend this landslide section of the trail:

At the top of the landslide section I noticed the poor shape that the rope was in which justifies why I believe hikers should never trust their lives to ropes installed on trails in Hawaii:

Above the landslide the last section of the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail is a nice walk up to the summit:

Just before reaching the summit I spotted this large antenna:

The trail passes right by the antenna station:

After the antenna there is a short muddy section of trail that leads to the summit:

At the summit there is a small clearing with a bench:

Due to the clouds I had no views:

If there was a view, the view would have looked very similar to the one seen from the Lanipo Trail which is one ridge to the west of the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail: :

Best Hikes on Oahu: The Lanipo Trail (Mau’umae Trail)

Since I had no views from the summit, the only thing I had to checkout was the vegetation such as this native Hawaiian ohh tree:

There were also fern trees growing on the rainforest floor:

I am not sure what the below tree is called, but it is often seen growing in Hawaiian rainforests as well:

Without any views to take in I only spent about 10 minutes up on the summit before beginning my descent back down the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail:

The descent was pretty easy other than having to pass through the landslide section again:

As I hiked down the trail I could see the ridgeline momentarily appear in front of me through the cloud cover:

The valley to the east of the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail was also momentarily visible before being covered in clouds again:

I eventually descended enough to where I was below the clouds:

Being below the clouds gave me a good view of the valley to the east of the ridgeline where I could see a large grove of Cook Pines growing to the north of the Aina Haina neighborhood at the valley’s entrance:

The rest of the walk back to the trailhead was a pleasant stroll on the dirt road:

Now that I was out of the clouds I was really enjoying the beautiful weather:

In less than an hour after leaving the summit I found myself back at the water tank and walking down the paved road:

After a short distance of walking on the paved road I was back at the yellow gate that designates the trailhead for this hike:

Conclusion

In total I hiked 5.2 miles with nearly 1,200 feet of elevation gain on the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail.  It took me just over 2 hours to complete the hike.  The hike largely lived up to my expectations though most of the elevation gain occurs at the end of the hike which provides a nice stair workout.  Due to the steep elevation gain and the landslide section I do not recommend this trail for young children.  Most other people should not have issues completing this trail which is one of the easiest to access the summit ridge of the Ko’olau Range.

Disclaimer:  On-Walkabout is a website about outdoor activities that is not affiliated with any state or national government.  The articles on this website are for informational purposes only and to inspire others to get outside.  The activity descriptions are given to showcase the beauty and fun of experiencing the outdoors.  The writer of On-Walkabout is not responsible for any accidents, injuries, rescues, legal issues, or loss of life by anyone attempting the activities listed on this website.  Outdoor activities can be dangerous which is why it is the responsibility of the reader to use common sense and understand their own abilities before attempting an outdoor activity inspired by this website.  Most importantly parents need to understand the ability of their children before attempting an outdoor activity.  Just because my young children completed a hike mentioned on this site does not mean your children can as well.  Be safe and I hope this website inspires others to go and enjoy the outdoors as much as I do.  

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Note: Further hiking information can be found in the below book: