Likeke Falls

The Likeke Trail to Pali Falls is a great hike for kids. It’s 1.4 miles roundtrip if you start from the Ko’olau Golf course. This is a section of a 4 mile hike from Nu’uanu Pali Lookout. You can start at the lookout and end at the falls if you have a shuttle car to take you back. Do apply insect repellant…

Treachery: some slippery roots and rocks, but no more so than any windward hike. The falls were very tame (it’s August so less rainfall) on our hike today but during winter and spring there could be much greater flow. The pool could be a bit deeper and the footing trickier.
Lunchspot: a good stopping point is at the falls - there are some rocks to sit on.
Sun exposure: It’s shady the whole way!
Exertion: Easy incline. Our group of hiking kids included 3 3yr olds and a 2 yr old (oh, and my infant). The kids could hike the whole trail on their own with helping hands along the way.

Trailhead directions: Park in the back parking lot of Ko’olau Golf Course (45-550 Kionaole Road, also the home of First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu, which now owns the club and course) - keep going straight as far as you can past the main entrance and park in the last lot on the right. The trailhead is a road that goes uphill behind the treeline. You’ll see a water tank in about 100 yards. Go left just before the water tank - the trail enters a dense forest. Follow the trail as it turns into a very old road - this is the ancient Pali. At 0.3 miles go right at a large tree (you’ll see a picture of the junction in the album for this hike). This trail takes you to the falls.

Pu’u Pia

Pu’u Pia is a great trail for kids! We hiked it yesterday for the first time. It is shady almost all the way, not too steep, not too many roots, no treachery, and not very slippery. Residents living near the trailhead say that you can hardly feel rain coming through the thick canopy, so the trail doesn’t get too wet.

We also tried our hand at geocaching yesterday. There are a few hidden on this trail - we chose Pu’u Pia Toy Box. The kids (and moms!) had a blast finally finding the hidden treasure!

Treachery: none! (other than the usual slippery roots)
Lunch spot: Beautiful summit that has a fairly large area for kids to sit in a circle and eat. Didn’t notice any ants trying to bite us or get to our food - a bonus
Sun exposure: shady except for the last 0.1 mile to the summit on a ridge
Exercise: moderate - it’s perfect for beginners and a good confidence-booster to reach the summit. Total distance is ~2.4 roundtrip (from truck to top since you have to park about 0.1 from trailhead).

Directions to trailhead: Take E Manoa road mauka, turn left on Alani Dr. Travel 0.75 mi to sharp bend in road to right - notice brown and yellow sign on left marking trailhead. Park on road.

Makiki Valley Trail

This is a shady, pleasant loop hike of about 3.5 miles total, including about 1/2 mile roundtrip from the parking area to the trailhead (the trail itself is about 2.5 miles total). There was over 1000′ elevation gain with a few peekaboo views of Waikiki. Expect a long, steady uphill if you go clockwise. The descent from the second trail junction is a rapid 1000′ drop over about 3/4 miles. The Hawaii Nature Center is at the trailhead where you will also find bathrooms and a water fountain. Kids will enjoy the bridges at the start of the trail (again if you go clockwise). There are many birds and plenty of foliage. No treacherous sections, but also no specific “destination” like a summit. There are two benches along the way, but they’re very small. Be prepared to sit on logs or rocks for your lunch/snack break.

Maunawili Demonstration Trail

This 9.3 mile one-way trail extends from the Pali to Waimanalo. The trail is relatively level and contours the Ko’olau mountains. We hiked about 2 miles roundtrip with the kids today. The hike is relatively level and shady with a few little bridges and dry stream crossings to add interest. The kids loved the old water tower, including the tiny mud pit that somehow trapped everyone. It was only about the size of a melon but the mud covered each of our feet! How we managed to get sucked in is still a mystery. Black hole?

Afterwards we had smoothies at Lanikai Juice. Great time!

A beautiful extension to this hike is the connector trail to Maunawili Falls. From the Pali side of the demonstration trail, hike 3 miles to the connector trail, which leads down a ridge 0.7 miles to Maunawili Falls (which will be down some stairs to your right - you can’t miss the stream and sound of the falls). If you hike straight through (with a car shuttle) from Pali trailhead to Maunawili Falls trailhead it is 5.7 miles.

Mariner’s Ridge

We tackled Mariner’s Ridge again yesterday - this time with enough time, food and water to make it to the top! The kids did great on the 1.4 mile one-way hike with 800′ elevation gain. We took breaks on the way up and the way down (about 15 min each) and about 30 minutes for lunch at the top. In all we were on the trail from 9am-1:30pm. The weather was warm and breezy and there was shade about 75% of the way. No bug swarms this time, either Kathy brought Nutella for our graham crackers - a big hit!

Bellows Loop Trail

This is a great trail for families! It’s stroller/runner/hiker/biker friendly and only 2.8 miles long. It’s also flat and shady for about 50% of the trail. There are many options to dive back to the main road if you find that you can’t do the whole loop. After hiking, enjoy the enormous playground and beautiful beach with panoramic views of the Ko’olau Range. There is also a Keneke’s snack bar on site - what could be better? Note: the Bellows Air Force Station is a military base, closed to the general public. For more information on the base, visit the Bellows AFS website.

Trailhead: Bellows Loop Trail starts just opposite the Registration building. Follow signs to “Registration” and “Beach,” park in the lot and ask for a map at the front desk. When you exit the building, look just left down the main road and you’ll see a map at the start of the trailhead.

Treachery: none (wow!)
Shade: about half the trail is shady and there are nice groves of ironwoods with soft sand trails.
Lunch spot: The playground or snack bar at the start of the trail. Or the beach, of course!
Exercise: Great for trail-running (or walking) with a jogging stroller (beware of some sandy parts - if you want to jog, bring a dedicated jogging stroller or all-terrain type stroller with larger wheels). The kids will get good exercise on the trail and the playground. There is no climbing, though, for those kids who enjoy a good, steep hike.

Manoa Falls

We had a great hike today in this lush rainforest. The upper Manoa valley gets over 150″ of rain each year, so the forest is very dense and the plants seem to grow in mammoth sizes.

Trail description: about 2 miles roundtrip (from street parking to falls and back). Shady the whole way, gravel part of the way then rootbound and rocky for the last quarter mile.
Lunch spot: At the end of the trail by the falls is a small clearing with large boulders to sit on and a few benches. Safe for kids. Not much room to play, but they will enjoy watching the falls.
Treachery: Other than slippery rocks to climb over, this is a very safe hike. There is a stream crossing, but the trail crews have a grate down so you can navigate it easily. Only the smallest hiker’s feet might poke through the holes (<18 month olds).
Exertion: GPS data pending, but my estimate for the climb is no more than about 300′ elevation gain in just over a mile, one way.
Other: It’s wet here year-round, so expect lots of mosquitoes! In the Gear Up! section I provide some links to proven insect repellents safe for the youngest hikers.

Trailhead directions: H1 to University Ave exit. Head mauka (toward the mountains). Continue on Oahu Ave, then at five-way intersection continue essentially straight through on Manoa Rd. (Beware there is an E Manoa Rd that parallels the one you want.). Follow this to the end. You can park in a lot for $5/day or on the street about .4 mi from the trail start. Do lock your car and remove valuables. This is a high-traffic and high-theft area.

Friendship Garden

January 11, 2008
We hiked with our intrepid hiking buddies again - Kathy, Anneliese and Calleigh This is a great hike for kids and an easy one on all of us. Plenty of shade and fun things to look at (like letters in the roots, moss, etc.). We enjoyed a great view of Kaneohe Bay from the little summit.

Makapu’u Lighthouse

Jan 17, 2008
We started out at 9:30am and reached the top about an hour and a half later (1.4 miles and 560′ elevation gain). We had lunch in a shady area and headed back down. We were at the trucks by noon. It was a good hike but a bit on the boring side because it is all paved and there is no shade cover. We THINK we saw some whales spouting but we’re not sure! The kids did great and only got tired about 100 yards from the trucks.

Mariner’s Ridge

The hiking buddies hit the trail again today to climb the Ko’olau Ridge via the Mariner’s Ridge trail in Hawaii Kai. Gramma joined us as well! We started out at 10am, climbed about 500 ft and .8 mi then took a break for lunch to assess our progress. After lunch the kids were rejuvenated and we set out again, gaining another 300′ and .4 mi. Our turnaround point was around 1400′ elevation - it was noon by then and the kids were pretty tired. We knew it’d be at least an hour back down to the trucks so we had to turn back without tagging the summit this time.

The trail is an excellent one for kids but it may be a bit long to complete unless you plan to start out earlier and take more frequent breaks. I am still unsure how long it actually is, but at least I had my GPS with me to record our progress. When we go with the daddies in the future we can be sure of mapping the entire route. There is a Coldstone and a Kona Brewing Company in Hawaii Kai for after-hike refreshment…

Trail conditions: Uncrowded on this sunny weekday. It was quite warm for the first .25mi because there is little shade as you climb out of the development. Once we hit the ironwood groves it cooled off quite a bit. There was a HUGE swarm of small bugs at one point, just hovering around a bush. The first person through made it past them unscathed, but the follow-on hikers had to keep their lips sealed or risk eating a few. They did not bite or chase us but their presence really unnerved one of us because they were right at head height.