Best Hikes on Oahu: The Hawaii Loa Ridge Trail

Basic Information

• Name: Hawaii Loa Ridge Trail
• Where: Honolulu, Hawaii
• Distance: 5 miles
• Maximum Elevation: 2,389 feet
• Elevation Gain: 1,333 feet
• Time: 2.5-3.5 hours
• Difficulty: Medium
• More Information: The Hikers Guide to O’ahu

Topographic Map of Hawaii Loa Ridge Trail

Elevation Map

Google Earth Map

Directions

For those traveling from Honolulu just take the H-1 East until it turns into the Kalanianaole Highway.  The turn from the highway to get to the trailhead is a little tricky because there is no left turn lane to make the turn on to Puu Ikena Drive.  Instead once the Kawaikuni Beach Park comes into view on the right side of the road, follow the right turn lane and exit the Kalanianaole Highway at the park.  The turn lane will do a half loop back to a stop light.  Once the light turns green simply drive across the Kalanianaole Highway on to Puu Ikena Drive.

A short distance up the road a security checkpoint comes into view:

At the check point the security guard will ask to see a Hawaii Driver’s License and have you sign a liability waiver form.  Once complete the guard will issue a parking pass.  Since I arrived at 6:30 in the morning I received the first parking pass of the day:

The parking pass also has a map on it that shows the directions to the trailhead located at the end of Puuikena Drive:

The road leads through the beautiful Hawaii Loa Neighborhood which is one of the most exclusive on Oahu.  There is not a home here that isn’t worth well over $1 million:

This exclusive neighborhood is called Paka Nahele which translates to “wilderness park” in Hawaiian:

At the end of Puu Ikena Drive is where the trailhead is located.  Just before entering the parking lot at the trailhead I noticed what appeared to be the remains of a Hawaiian temple known as a heiau on the side of the road.  I checked my different books and could not find what heiau this could have been.  If anyone knows please leave a comment.

Parking

At the trailhead there is only parking for 10 vehicles.  The parking lot is easy to find since it is adjacent to a large water tank:

If the security guard has given out 10 parking passes they will not issue any more until the other ones are returned.  For those that really want to do this hike I recommend getting there early to ensure you get a parking pass.

Hawaiian Meaning

According to the book, “Place Names of Hawaii” the word “Hawaii Loa” literally translates to “distant Hawaii hill”.

Narrative

The Hawaiian island of Oahu has many ridge trails that lead to the summit ridge of the famed Ko’olau Range.  I had some time for a quick morning hike and decided to walk up the Hawaii Loa Ridge Trail.  It is a five mile hike that I was confident I could get done in under three hours since I had other obligations that day.  Since I arrived early at the trailhead at about 06:45; I was the first vehicle in the parking lot.  From the parking lot I noticed a nice community park across the street from me:

The park is for residents only and I spotted only one lady there walking her dog.  Hikers are not supposed to go over there.  Near the park there is a small clearing that I did walk over to take in the nice view of Diamond Head Crater from the Hawaii Loa ridge:

After taking in the views I then proceeded to walk from the parking lot down a short path to the trailhead:

Near the trailhead there are small bags to put dog poop into for those that need it.  For whatever reason someone put up the sign “Keep Calm and Blame the Dog”:

Something else I spotted near the trailhead was this small pile of rocks which appeared to have may been a Hawaiian shrine of some kind:

At the end of the path is where the trailhead for the Hawaii Loa Ridge Trail begins:

The trailhead is marked by the ubiquitous Na Ala Hele sign that marks all the officially maintained State of Hawaii trails:

Here is are two other common signs at Hawaii trailheads asking hikers to clean their boots and to properly care for their dogs:

From the trailhead the first section of the Hawaii Loa Trail is quite open with small bushes around it and the Ko’olau Range visible in the distance:

From the initial open section I could see the sun rising over Koko Crater and Koko Head in the distance:

Here is a closer look at Koko Crater:

On the opposite side of the trail looking west I could see the long ridgeline I had previously hike that the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail ascends:

Despite the cloudy morning I could see the end of the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail near the radio tower:

You can read more about the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail at the below link:

Best Hikes on Oahu: The Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

The volcanic nature of the Ko’olau Range became quite evident in some areas where the trail turned a reddish color:

After hiking a short distance the trail then entered into a thickly wooded section of small pine trees:

After exiting the section of pine trees I had a nice view looking directly down the valley below the trail towards the Aina Haina neighborhood:

I could also see that someone had a great piece of property at the head of the valley:

Here is the view looking up the scenic Aina Haina Valley:

After exiting the trees I had a good view of the rest of the ridgeline ahead of me leading to the summit of the Ko’olau Range:

The trail next became a little rougher, but still easy to traverse:

As I hiked further up the Hawaii Loa Trail, I was becoming more concerned that the clouds that had been on the summit of the Ko’olau Range all morning were not going to burn off:

I next came to a section of the trail that was heavily eroded, but still easy to hike up:

I then saw in front of me a small knob on the ridgeline that needed to be hiked over:

This knob was heavily forested mostly with guava trees:

I also spotted some of what looked like fungus growing on some of the trees:

At the opposite end of the knob the trail descends down a small staircase:

On the other side of the knob the trail enters into a really lush and beautiful plateau area:

The gloomy, but always impressive Ko’olau Range rose up directly in front of me:

I was close enough that I could spot the section of the Hawaii Loa Trail that steeply climbs to the summit of the Ko’olau Range:

As I walked across the plateau this large koa tree I was impressed by:

Koa trees are a native Hawaiian plant species and were historically used by early Hawaiians to make their canoes.  Today koa wood is highly sought after for use in making furniture.  Along one section of the trail a koa tree actually made an arch for hikers to walk under:

This section of the trail also had a lot of flowers and other vegetation to see as well:

After crossing the plateau the real work on this trail begins:

A series of staircases take hikers up to the summit ridge of the Ko’olau Range:

Here is the view looking back on Hawaii Loa Ridge from one of the lower staircases:

In the distance to the west I could see Diamond Head Crater:

Here is a nice panorama picture of the view to the south:

About halfway up the final section of the trail there is a very eroded section with no staircase.  Fortunately it was not very muddy the morning I hiked this trail, but if it was muddy this area could be challenging for those without microspikes to wear over their shoes:

This extremely eroded section is the toughest part of the hike, but overall is not that hard for those with a moderate level of experience hiking on Oahu:

Even when dry this section can be a little slippery because of its steepness and gravel like surface:

After passing through the eroded section I came to of course more stairs:

And even more stairs:

Something I recommend hikers be cautious of on this trail is the number of metal stakes from eroded away staircases.  Somebody slipping on the mud and falling forward could potentially get impaled by one of these stakes.  Someone has put orange ribbons on these stakes as a risk mitigation measure, but I recommend hikers be extra cautious on these stairs:

Here is the view looking all the way back down the Hawaii Loa Ridge from near the summit of the Ko’olau Range:

Here is the final staircase I had to ascend to reach the summit:

At the summit there is a sign warning hikers of the danger of approaching the ledge of the ridge:

On the 2,389 foot summit of the Hawaii Loa Ridge Trail there is a small clearing to take in the views from:

Unfortunately for me this is what my views consisted of:

The only view I could see was of the next peak over to the west of my location:

Here is the view looking straight down the cliff known in Hawaii as a “pali”:

Down below the clouds is the village of Waimanalo.  I could here chickens and vehicles driving down below in the early morning quiet, but could not see anything.  If the clouds were not there my view would have looked similar to the one from the end of the Kuli’ou’ou Ridge Trail which is one ridgeline over to the east of the Hawaii Loa Ridge:

You can see more pictures from the Kuli’ou’ou Ridge Trail at the below link:

Best Hikes On Oahu: Kuli’ou’ou Ridge Trail

Due to past experience I decided to wait and see if the clouds would be burned off by the early morning sun.  While I waited I drank some water and checked out the various tress and plants on the summit:

Just like other areas of the Ko’olau Range summit ridge, the plant life is lush, but its growth is stunted due to the extreme amount of moisture and wind these plants face:

On the summit I did see the only lehua blossoms of the entire hike:

Lehua blossoms grow on ohia trees.  The ohia tree has an interesting legend associated with it due to its bright red blossoms.  The legend states that if you pick the tree’s lehua flower it will rain on the same day.  This belief goes back to a legend involving Hawaii’s goddess of fire Pele.  She wanted a great warrior named Ohia to marry her.  He refused because he was already in love with a woman named Lehua.  Pele was angry and turned Ohia into a twisted tree now called a ohia tree.  Other Hawaiian Gods took pity on Lehua for losing her lover and thus turned her into the Lehua flower so she could forever be with Ohia.  So if you pick the Lehua Flower you are separating Lehua from her lover which will cause it to rain due to Lehua’s tears.  I guess someone picked some lehua blossoms on the day I did this hike because the longer I stayed on the summit the worse the conditions became.

It was now not only cloudy, but the wind and rain were increasing as well.  That was my cue that it was time to get off of the summit. I had spent about 20 minutes on the summit before deciding to head back down:

Getting back down the stairs was easy, but I was extra careful when I approached the highly eroded section of the trail:

Fortunately it was just drizzling out which meant that this eroded section had not become muddy yet:

Here is a panorama view looking back down the Hawaii Loa Ridge after passing through the eroded section:

I soon found myself hiking passed the impressive koa tree again:

I next came to the knob and hiked over it:

Here is the view from the knob looking back over the beautiful garden like plateau area:

Looking back at the mountains I could see I made a good decisions to leave the summit because the conditions were not getting any better:

After crossing over the knob I then passed through the guava tree forest again:

I then came to the open area on the lower section of the trail:

Here is a panorama picture of the view:

Here is the view looking back towards the Ko’olau Range where the weather had obviously gotten much worse:

Here is one last picture that shows the first part of the Hawaii Loa Ridge Trail before returning to the trailhead:

From the summit it took me about 50 minutes to return to the trailhead walking at a brisk pace:

I returned to the trailhead just a little passed nine o’clock in the morning.  On the way back down the trail I saw a number of hikers heading up the trail.  Once back at the parking lot I could see that all ten parking places were full.  Because of the limited parking I recommend hikers get to the trail before nine o’clock to ensure that they receive a parking pass from the security guard.  Once all the spots are filled the guard will not give out any more passes until someone leaves:

Conclusion

It took me 2.5 hours to complete this hike which includes the 20 minutes I spent on the summit.  Based on my time I think most people should be able to complete this hike in about 3.5 hours.  Fortunately when I hiked the trail it was not muddy, but in muddy conditions I would consider microspikes to be helpful, but not a mandatory requirement for this hike.  Due to its 5-mile round trip distance and over 1,300 feet of elevation gain I rate the Hawaii Loa Ridge Trail as a moderate level hike.  Because of this, I don’t recommend this trail for young children, however kids 10 years and older I think should have no issues completing this hike.  As a parent use your best discretion since you know your kids better than anyone.  Overall I recommend the Hawaii Loa Trail for those looking for a little bit more challenging hike after completing some of the more easy hikes on the island.  It makes for a great introduction into the various Ko’olau Range ridge hikes found on Oahu.

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: