Ahupua'a O Kahana State Park
Ahupua'a O Kahana State Park
4
7:00 AM - 6:45 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 6:45 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 6:45 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 6:45 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 6:45 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 6:45 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 6:45 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 6:45 PM
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4.0
25 reviews
Excellent
14
Very good
4
Average
3
Poor
3
Terrible
1
Xroust
Quebec57 contributions
June 2014 • Couples
First of all, the park is gorgeous! There are several trails there. One of them is very short and very easy, but nevertheless provides excellent views on the ocean and the beach.
But under no circumstances camp there! The camping site is small and squeezed between the busy road and the ocean. It's full of unsavory-looking characters. We initially booked three nights there but after seeing the nightmare it was - decided to stay elsewhere. It was very-very costly to find another place to stay (not only you cannot cancel the booking, but also good luck arranging last minute stay for three nights during a busy season). But I think that had we stayed there, our car would have been either vandalized or broken into. So creepy the place was.
In a nutshell, go there to do hiking during the day but do not stay overnight.
But under no circumstances camp there! The camping site is small and squeezed between the busy road and the ocean. It's full of unsavory-looking characters. We initially booked three nights there but after seeing the nightmare it was - decided to stay elsewhere. It was very-very costly to find another place to stay (not only you cannot cancel the booking, but also good luck arranging last minute stay for three nights during a busy season). But I think that had we stayed there, our car would have been either vandalized or broken into. So creepy the place was.
In a nutshell, go there to do hiking during the day but do not stay overnight.
Written 8 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tom B
Berkeley, CA399 contributions
Oct 2014 • Solo
Kahana Valley, on the Island of Oahu, is located in a state park. The state park and the valley are easily accessed from the main road that hugs the north shore of Oahu. I have hiked the trails alone and also with a hike sponsored by Sierra Club. The first bit of the hike into the valley is on a wide gravel road, and after that, there is a dirt path. The attractions are like in a pleasant dream:
(1) PANDANUS TREES. These are very interesting trees with aerial roots. The aerial roots are straight and are arranged by Mother Nature into beautiful conformations, resembling a bird cage or perhaps the type of harp used in a symphony orchestra. Some of the aerial reach down from the tree and are embedded in the soil, while others hover in mid-air.
(2) LILIKOI. Somewhere along the trail, you might encounter likikoi. Lilikoi are beautiful to look at. When there are many in one location on the ground, and have deteriorated somewhat, you can pick one up and experience their pleasant fragrance. In my photography, I have been so bold to do what I call, "manual PhotoShop," where I arrange the lilikoi so that three or four of them are in the foreground of my photograph.
(3) TINY, NAMELESS WATERFALLS. Once you are deeper in Kahana Valley, the hiker begins to encounter tiny waterfalls. Some of these occur in small gulches, where the walls of the gulches are covered by taro (or with plants having heart-shaped leaves that resemble those of the taro plant). Truly, for those who wish to become the Hawaiian-equivalent of Ansel Adams, and do not want to go to a great deal of effort and expense, I recommend hiking into the deeper parts of Kahana Valley and taking photos of some of the waterfalls. I recommend a tripod, for those interested in blurring the water with a longer exposure, e.g., an exposure lasting two or three minutes.
(4) HAZARDS. Unlike many hiking areas in the Hawaiian Islands, I think that getting lost is not a big risk in Kahana Valley. This is because the three walls of the valley tell you exactly where you are. Moreover, if you find a stream, you can always follow it to the ocean. Of course, the prudent hiker will need to educate himself about leptospirosis. And one more thing, if you need to stand still for a while, for example, when taking a photograph, the mosquitoes in Kahana Valley are industrial grade and will eat you alive.
The attached photograph shows me with my 4X5 Tachihara camera and Schneider lens, taking a picture of a pandanus tree. For this self portrait, I put my Olympus OM4 camera in a tree, and set the self-timer.
(1) PANDANUS TREES. These are very interesting trees with aerial roots. The aerial roots are straight and are arranged by Mother Nature into beautiful conformations, resembling a bird cage or perhaps the type of harp used in a symphony orchestra. Some of the aerial reach down from the tree and are embedded in the soil, while others hover in mid-air.
(2) LILIKOI. Somewhere along the trail, you might encounter likikoi. Lilikoi are beautiful to look at. When there are many in one location on the ground, and have deteriorated somewhat, you can pick one up and experience their pleasant fragrance. In my photography, I have been so bold to do what I call, "manual PhotoShop," where I arrange the lilikoi so that three or four of them are in the foreground of my photograph.
(3) TINY, NAMELESS WATERFALLS. Once you are deeper in Kahana Valley, the hiker begins to encounter tiny waterfalls. Some of these occur in small gulches, where the walls of the gulches are covered by taro (or with plants having heart-shaped leaves that resemble those of the taro plant). Truly, for those who wish to become the Hawaiian-equivalent of Ansel Adams, and do not want to go to a great deal of effort and expense, I recommend hiking into the deeper parts of Kahana Valley and taking photos of some of the waterfalls. I recommend a tripod, for those interested in blurring the water with a longer exposure, e.g., an exposure lasting two or three minutes.
(4) HAZARDS. Unlike many hiking areas in the Hawaiian Islands, I think that getting lost is not a big risk in Kahana Valley. This is because the three walls of the valley tell you exactly where you are. Moreover, if you find a stream, you can always follow it to the ocean. Of course, the prudent hiker will need to educate himself about leptospirosis. And one more thing, if you need to stand still for a while, for example, when taking a photograph, the mosquitoes in Kahana Valley are industrial grade and will eat you alive.
The attached photograph shows me with my 4X5 Tachihara camera and Schneider lens, taking a picture of a pandanus tree. For this self portrait, I put my Olympus OM4 camera in a tree, and set the self-timer.
Written 5 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RickFromCO
Monument, CO732 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
This will turn out to be our best experience on Oahu by far. If you love nature and the outdoors please come here. Did the person who wrote the review saying Do Not Camp here and mentioned Lots of shady characters there EVER talk to anybody or did you just drive in and make some lame assessment based on what you saw? I Guarantee you it was the ladder.
If this person had taken the time to talk to Irving or any of the people there he would have had a different and GREAT experience. The people living there are living off of the land and have been there for several generations. The Hawaii government is trying to kick them off there land. If you go there, they will share with you their culture, where they came from, show you everything planted there and share their gift for life with you. They aren't trying to sell you anything, they are just sharing information with people who have open minds and not like the do not camp here bozo
The cultural tour takes literally 15 minutes and they'll show you the biggest papayas you've ever seen. many varieties of taro, banana types you've never seen or heard of and different indiginous plants that all have a story. I am blessed to have met Irving and I told him that he neede to touch more people with his story and how the old natives lived. He is only about continuing the Hawaiin culture and their story and that's it. Trust me..you want to go here !!
After that we did the Kapa Eli Eli trail which was very cool but the interaction with Irving was way better by a LONG shot.
If this person had taken the time to talk to Irving or any of the people there he would have had a different and GREAT experience. The people living there are living off of the land and have been there for several generations. The Hawaii government is trying to kick them off there land. If you go there, they will share with you their culture, where they came from, show you everything planted there and share their gift for life with you. They aren't trying to sell you anything, they are just sharing information with people who have open minds and not like the do not camp here bozo
The cultural tour takes literally 15 minutes and they'll show you the biggest papayas you've ever seen. many varieties of taro, banana types you've never seen or heard of and different indiginous plants that all have a story. I am blessed to have met Irving and I told him that he neede to touch more people with his story and how the old natives lived. He is only about continuing the Hawaiin culture and their story and that's it. Trust me..you want to go here !!
After that we did the Kapa Eli Eli trail which was very cool but the interaction with Irving was way better by a LONG shot.
Written 6 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kira S
3 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
We saw the sign driving by! There were a lot of hostile signs from locals and even though online it says it is open, all buildings were closed and locked. One building had a broken window. The bathrooms were open. We were able to grab a pamphlet but the trail head we did see had chains across the trail - we were not sure if that meant closed or closed to car traffic. Regardless we only found that one trail head and it looked unkept. We decided to leave without hiking which was a bummer.
Written 17 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maggie D
Saint Louis, MO78 contributions
May 2014 • Friends
This park is Hawaii's best kept cultural secret--and it is a goldmine. This is where Hawaiians go to learn about their past, so the information here is authentic and not coated with the glitz and glam of tourism. You'll find real information about real practices that are still in use today. DO call ahead to make sure that the visitor's center is staffed, however, as you'll be missing out if you don't get to see it.
We were lucky enough on our visit to be greeted at the visitor's center by a lovely woman who was part of the 'living park' community, a group of Hawaiian people who live in the park on the lands of their ancestors and work hard to preserve their history and way of life. She took us through the center, which is a replica of an actual old Hawaiiaan general store which had been owned by a couple who still live at the park (right next door, in fact.) I can't even begin to go over everything that she told us while we were there, but if you're looking for the opportunity to really learn about how Hawaiians used to live and actually get to handle the tools and understand the methods, then this is the park for you.
After spending a good 45 minutes in the center, we were taken out to view a cultural garden by Kahala, who does a lot of work maintaining the garden and also the park itself. He showed us the sorts of plants that can be grown on Hawaii, and talked about the uses of the plant and why the Kahana valley--the wettest part on Oahu--should be used for growing food. As Kahala would say, 'the proof is in the pudding,' and his proof was a bunch of bananas straight from the garden--the most delicious banana I have eaten in my life.
After a wonderful tour through the garden, we ate packed lunch in the sea-side park, and then went up the Kapa'ele'ele Ko'a Trail to the fishing shrine. There is sadly not much left of the shrine, but it is still exciting to see the remains of something that had really been part of the culture, and the bay is beautiful from up high.
There definitely were mosquitoes, so do bring repellant. However, we found that if you just kept walking they did not bug you, and I escaped with only one bite DESPITE not wearing repellant.
We were lucky enough on our visit to be greeted at the visitor's center by a lovely woman who was part of the 'living park' community, a group of Hawaiian people who live in the park on the lands of their ancestors and work hard to preserve their history and way of life. She took us through the center, which is a replica of an actual old Hawaiiaan general store which had been owned by a couple who still live at the park (right next door, in fact.) I can't even begin to go over everything that she told us while we were there, but if you're looking for the opportunity to really learn about how Hawaiians used to live and actually get to handle the tools and understand the methods, then this is the park for you.
After spending a good 45 minutes in the center, we were taken out to view a cultural garden by Kahala, who does a lot of work maintaining the garden and also the park itself. He showed us the sorts of plants that can be grown on Hawaii, and talked about the uses of the plant and why the Kahana valley--the wettest part on Oahu--should be used for growing food. As Kahala would say, 'the proof is in the pudding,' and his proof was a bunch of bananas straight from the garden--the most delicious banana I have eaten in my life.
After a wonderful tour through the garden, we ate packed lunch in the sea-side park, and then went up the Kapa'ele'ele Ko'a Trail to the fishing shrine. There is sadly not much left of the shrine, but it is still exciting to see the remains of something that had really been part of the culture, and the bay is beautiful from up high.
There definitely were mosquitoes, so do bring repellant. However, we found that if you just kept walking they did not bug you, and I escaped with only one bite DESPITE not wearing repellant.
Written 15 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrea L
New York City, NY52 contributions
June 2017 • Family
This park is free to enter and offers small visitor center (which we did not enter) and has clean toilet facilities next to the entry point for both trails. We walked the Kapa eleele trail which was reported as being 1 mile round trip. It was a bit muddy in spots and pretty quickly turned to something borderline difficult to navigate. We ended up on one route which was barely recognizable as a path and then turned back to find the real path which was verified by the presence of some simple steps in the hillside and the presence of one other group. We reached a high point where there is a bench and one can see views down to the beach. It was never very steep and since we are all three able-bodied the climbing was not a problem. But I would not recommend for anyone with less than sure footing given the wetness of the terrain and the presence of roots, branches etc. across the path as well as occasional rocks.
Afterwards we drove over to the beach which is bordered by pine trees and a small campground. Two ports-potties are available for use. The beach was not at all crowded; the waves very gentle and the water shallow making this ideal for kids. My daughter loved this beach; she is six. It was also easy to find shady areas for sitting. Highly recommended.
Afterwards we drove over to the beach which is bordered by pine trees and a small campground. Two ports-potties are available for use. The beach was not at all crowded; the waves very gentle and the water shallow making this ideal for kids. My daughter loved this beach; she is six. It was also easy to find shady areas for sitting. Highly recommended.
Written 18 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
youngcats
New York City, NY270 contributions
May 2017 • Friends
Park is about 45 minutes from Honolulu on the Northeast side of Oahu. If you are tired of all the hustle and bustle in Waikiki, this park offers tranquility and local custom. Park has several trails for hikers, two recommendations are the Kapaeleele Loop trail and the Na Koa trail. The Kapeleele Loop trail offers a great view over the sun rise, trail is just about one mile, about half of the trail is in the shade. The beginning of the trail is covered with beautiful Jasmine plants, the air is permeated with a lovely jasmine scent, it also takes hikers to a small shirne for the local fishermen. The Na Koa trail is about four and half mile through a dense tropical forest terrain. The trail has several creek crossings, either the last or the first crossing pending which way you start your hike, the creek is wide and does not have abundant exposed rocks to provide a dry crossing for the hikers. Be warned, bring a pair of water shoes if you don't want to hike in a pair of wet boots. Trail is also densely covered with large Pandanus Palm hanging over the trail, leaves have razor sharp edges, wear a light long sleeve shirt for cover. The state park is also a hunting park for the locals, you might come across with hunting dogs.
Written 3 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
frogfan63
Crescent Ctiy, CA70 contributions
May 2016 • Couples
As avid hikers we are always on the lookout for the "out of the way" hikes to avoid the masses. We found it here on the Nakoa Trail. The Trailhead is in the Ahupua'a O Kahana State Park. Easy to follow signs lead you to the parking area, then you need to take off on foot walking briefly through a residential area. The trail is only about 3.5 miles long, but it stated to allow 2.5 - 3 hours to hike, which seemed longer than necessary, but once you get out on the trail, you'll understand why. This is not for the faint of heart. You will get muddy, as this is in Hawaii's rainforest. So wear shoes that you don't mind getting muddy. Certain times of year the mosquitoes can be bad, so bring repellent. We were there in May, and had no problems with mosquitoes. Easy to follow signs (although there are warning signs which claim people have been lost. I don't see how they could have, signs are easy to see and follow) A unique hike that had us ford a couple of streams (easy to cross) and we didn't see anyone else the entire time on the trail..........just the way we like it.
Written 15 May 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yassi28374
West Milford, NJ9 contributions
Mar 2015 • Family
The location and the entry of the Park is at the right hand side and across the bay if you are travelling south. It took us a while to find it by asking some of the locals but it was worth the effort. Once there, you should drive until the sign says " do not pass this point" which is the real beginning of the residential area. Park your car and start walking. Once you see the sign for the trail bear left and you will cross the River ( if it is raining , the water might get some flash flooding) as per the comments we have seen. However, it is not that bad at all. The hike is condensed hike . We got to the third point where it said "to the Pond" but there was a tree that fell and we lost our trail to the end. So we decided to go back. It was 2.5 hours that was well worth the trip. It is highly recommended. We never got to the point where we see the Bay because we lost the track and the trail was no longer marked.
Written 21 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julie W
West Valley City, UT21 contributions
Sept 2019 • Couples
We took a UTV tour and had an excellent time, it’s a dusty ride but you see a lot of beautiful scenery and some sites where they have filmed movies. Our tour guide Paulo was the best and funniest guide we had on the island.
Written 22 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How difficult is the road to this park? I would not drive the road to Hana myself but I am wondering if the road up to the point where this park is is manageable? Thanks.
Written 24 April 2019
Where is the campground in relation to the Visitors center here? Is it a short walk? Thanks!
Written 3 May 2015
I was just there and I'm really not sure how to answer. I don't recall seeing any camping there. Maybe it's on the ocean side of the road when you come in? I'd email or call the Visitors Center and ask them.
It can't be too far because it's small. If it's not walking disctance there is a road that leads toward the EWA Forest so you'd be able to drive in if it's too far for you to walk. Have fun.
Written 4 May 2015
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