Hiking Trails in Honolulu

THE 10 BEST Honolulu Hiking Trails

Hiking Trails in Honolulu

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What travellers are saying

  • James G
    7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    There are several look out points and lots of history. This is a great hike that people of all ages were able to do. Once in a lifetime experience!
    Written 11 February 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Terese L
    31 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    54 year old moderately fit female solo hiker. It took me 40 minutes to go up, taking it slow paced and many breaks to take pics and sips of water. It is definitely a good idea to go early. I got there at 8 on a Saturday and parking was easy. The coolness of early morning definitely helps. I found the way down to be much harder than going up. At the top the steepness of the steps was a bit scary for me going down, so I really took my time. It took me as long to get down as it did to go up. About halfway it is much less steep, so I could go faster like regular steps. The views at the top are absolutely worth it! So glad I did it!
    Written 19 January 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Sightseer787284
    3 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice walk on paved trail but up, up, up the whole way, very little shade to rest, good view of the ocean and occasional whale spottings, good view of little red-roofed lighthouse on cliff below, parking limited, very busy, and no bathrooms. Did enjoy the walk.
    Written 11 February 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Jen
    California168 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Be prepared to pay $7 to park and then wait for a parking spot to open up. The hike to the falls is mainly uphill and very rocky (round trip is about two miles). There is beautiful foliage the whole way. There’s a viewing area of the falls at the end of the trail. If you choose not to obey the signs, you can go down and swim in the catch pool.
    Written 29 November 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Gitanjali I
    11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Strenuous uphill hike , many stairs to climb close to the top. But we managed to do it in good time, knee issues and all. Definitely worth the beautiful view of the ocean and the mountains. The path was shaded and generally quiet.
    Written 18 October 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • TravellingGail2017
    Ontario, Canada228 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Went there with my grown son. Arrived at 9:40 a.m. and was done by 11:15. Great cardio. Lots of climbing. Mixture of sun and shade. No mosquitoes. Some mud, but passable. Recommend hiking shoes or boots. Not crowded. Passed fewer than 20 people. Have to keep your eyes on the ground because of uneven ground and lots of roots. Bathrooms at the start of the trails. Easy to get to and from by Uber if you don't have a car.
    Written 10 June 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • OZS_ATW
    Budapest, Hungary4,382 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The Diamond Head Crater Hike is a must for everyone while staying in Honolulu.
    It was a such a nice trail and the view was the best prize we could have all!
    Written 19 December 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Trek21202951982
    6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    My wife and I did the Ka'au Crater 3 waterfall hike. Though we did not hike around the crater. NOTE: The hike is not a beginner hike. Though my wife and I are not avid hikers we do hikes here and there. This hike can be dangerous and if not careful you can get seriously hurt, get lost, there has been deaths here if not careful you may need to be rescued. We recommend if you do this hike DO NOT attempt to do this hike in the rain, not after a few days of rain or after a heavy rain the day before your hike. Not trying to worry anyone but we want to be real for all to know it can be dangerous. We recommend downloading All trails app it uses satellite and once you lose cell service the app still shows your location and the trail to follow. There are steep inclines, wet clay which is slippery at times your walking on 12 to 18 inched of trail with drop offs on one side and at times in both sides. You will be climbing rocks, using many ropes up the falls and rappelling down using a rope. As everything you do, do with caution and be safe. If at any time you feel its to dangerous do not continue because the hike does become harder and more strenuous as you go. It took us a total of 8 hours to complete this hike with about 45 min of lunch and breaks. We did have to backtrack a few times due to the trail being overgrown, not very visible and the markers are not very clear. Overall it was a challenging hike but well worth it. Very beautiful and a great challenge for us. We recommend this hike just make sure you know your limitations and be safe.
    Written 6 September 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • AdsMan
    Melbourne, Australia403 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    TL;DR
    This hike was so rewarding and yet so difficult (but only because we descended during rain). If it's dry (and has been dry for a few days before), this is an amazing hike. Skip if it's been raining, otherwise you'll get very muddy.

    If you have a fear of falling down the side of a cliff - this hike isn't for you, as there are many narrow sections with sheer vertical drops either side. It's totally safe, but you have to be comfortable in these settings.

    We arrived at 8:30am and were only the third car in the car park (there's room for at least 20 cars). The total length was 8km return, with the first half of the walk fairly easy, yet once you hit the steps and mud, it becomes a real challenge.

    We (wife, myself, 7 & 10 year olds) did this in 4 hours. Total moving time was 2h25m (according to Strava). We ascended in perfect conditions (dry, blue skies) and despite some difficult sections with very steep & uneven stairs, and about three sections where the trail was so steep, you had to hoist yourself up with a rope.

    Given our 7 year old made it up fine, I'd say you'll be safe. However, at the very top, after 10 minutes, the clouds descended and we had a fairy heavy rain shower fall for about 10 minutes. This turned the mud / clay path into absolute slop and made the descent that much more difficult. Navigating the steps was hard, as we had to tread in the puddles (no way to avoid them) and the parts with the ropes were super difficult. Mind you, I'm a very fit guy (I cycle for 100km without issue), so I was fine, but the rest of the family kinda struggled.
    Written 25 June 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Paul Stewart
    Cameron Park, CA59 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    It is a very chill and scenic hike with great trails. There are two ways to access this hike. One, there are about ten spots as you head up to Hanaua Bay on the opposite side of the road. Two, park at Koko Crater Trailhead (ton of parking) and walk up the closed (to traffic) road.
    Once on the trail, you will see mongoose pop out here and there. The trail is paved, unless you want to make a loop.
    Simply amazing views of the Hananua and Waikiki area, all at once.
    If you go before snorkeling in the Bay, you get to scout out the areas you want to go. I advise the left side.
    Written 30 December 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • MichiganBy7
    28 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We were looking for a "good" hike to do. My daughter wanted to hike from the Hilton Hawaiian Village up to the top of Diamond Head. Nice, but a little vanilla. I challenged her to do something a little more challenging. We agreed on the Pali Puka Hike. Problem was we got confused with directions and ended up at the parking lot for the start of the Moanalua Valley Trail Hike. This hike is the "legal" way to gain access to the Stairway to Heaven (Otherwise know as the Haiku Stairs).

    We thought that the hike we were attempting (Paki Palu) was an easy 2.2 miles out and 2.2 miles back. WRONG.

    We were there, so not realizing what lay before us, we started the hike. Very little water, no food, a little candy, cameras and fortunately GOOD hiking boots.

    (Note - If you do this trail, the whole thing is 10-12 miles in length, start no later than 0830 am, have plenty of water, food, good boots and gloves for climbing the last sections).

    The first 2.8 miles is a nice little hike, ANYONE can do it. At the 2.8 mile point you come to a fork in the road, go LEFT. Do NOT go right like we did initially. We went 30 minutes the wrong way, had to double back, this ate up a lot of our daylight.

    Once back at the sign, we went left and immediately all hell breaks loose. The entire climb ascends some 2,600', most of it after the split at 2.8 miles. If it's muddy, it's really tough. Intermittent cloud cover, and rain makes its even more challenging. Since we started out so late, we did not see any other people until we were well into the hike and they were returning. Most being successful, a few tapped out at the rope sections. Every single group however started that from whatever point we met them at, it got a lot steeper from that point on. And it did. It is ABSOLUTELY CRAZY, but exhilarating. People have died on this trail. A lot of the time you have 1.000' vertical drops on both the left and the right of you and the path is only 2' wide. If you don't like heights, don't do this hike.

    Up and up and up we went. our pace slowed dramatically as a result and with 0.9 miles to go, while not having reached any of the most challenging rope sections, my daughter (27), wife (55) and myself (60), decided that we did not have enough daylight left to complete the hike and return down the mountain safely (like it was even safe in the first place). We turned back.

    Phenomenally beautiful photos. Absolutely 10 out of 10 in regards to challenge, adventure, craziness, confidence building etc.

    I am amazed that one of the three of us did not get seriously injured at sometime in our adventure.

    Although we failed, I sort of understand how people must feel, not being able to complete a venture like Everest etc.. initially stating that they would never attempt it again and then the next year, there they are.

    So I guess we'll see.

    There was a 75 year old, purple haired hippy looking dude who supposedly does the thing 5 times a week and completed it over 800 times. He's in great shape and I guess acts as a guide for hire. So there's hope for me I guess.
    Written 15 February 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Eddy
    124 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Bus#23 towards Sea Life Park(bus will pass by Kaiwi Shoreline parking lot but won’t stop there), walk back 20-30 mins from Sea Life Park bus stop towards Kaiwi Shoreline Trail.
    Written 29 November 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • AngelitaK
    Inver Grove Heights, MN152 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    We enjoyed this hike, it was a good moderate level hike. Very muddy and you end up walking through the water a few times to get to the falls at the end. It takes a good 75 minutes plus to make it to the falls with the mud, the walk up, and all the tree roots you had to navigate through. If it had just rained, I don't know if we would have done it or continued on. It was dry for a few days so we decided to go and it was still muddy, so we knew if it had rained there def could be some issues with deeper standing water and mud spots that would cover your entire shoe up your leg! All in all, good hike, def recommend it, and bring water! We did bring bug spray and used it, had no issues with bugs at all, not sure if it was the bug spray or not, but we had zero issues with bugs. Good luck and enjoy!
    Written 29 January 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • graemeandjanet
    Hornsby, Australia74 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Our guide was Brandon, a friendly and well-presented guy who was obviously
    Enthusiastic about his job.
    Pickup and return to the hotel was smooth and the day went well.
    Ours was a 50 seater bus so we could only go to places with suitable parking...places where you buy things.
    In hindsight, we might have gone with a smaller operator that went off the beaten track a bit - no parking at the surf beaches so we didnt stop nor even slow down.
    But that's not Brandon's fault.
    If you want a generic and straight forward tour then Roberts are the people to go with. But if your looking for something smaller and a bit folksey then try elsewhere.
    Written 11 May 2017
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Netty
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    What a fabulous program for the Kieki! My so has gained a wealth of knowledge on how to take care of the planet and I can tell he feels very empowered from this wisdom! The staff are super great and the location is just magical. Memories to last a lifetime for sure!!!
    Written 30 December 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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