Hi y'all! This is my first blog attempt, so please bare with me. Today, I finished my last hike of my trip to Oahu.
I set out a few years ago to visit all 50 states by the time I turned 30. I arrived on the island of Oahu last Tuesday (February 21) with about 5 months left to finsih this travel goal. Hawaii was the last state to complete my travel.(Now to compete my new goal of visiting all the islands)
One of my favorite things to do is to take hikes when I'm on vacation. I hardly ever take the time to do this back home in Texas. But I feel as though hiking is a great way to really see a place, you get to see the natural beauty.
What you need for any of these hikes is sunscreen, good pair of shoes ( I wore my Lululemon Blissfeel Runninh Shoes) and water.
Lanikai Pillbox Trail
This hike is located in Lanikai on the windward side of the ocean. This was one of my stops on my North Loop drive (I'll talk about this in a future post). Unfortunately, this hike I did not complete to the top.
The views that I did see from the halfway point were incredible. The trail overlooks the Lanikai Beach.
To get to this trail head up Kaʻelepulu Dr. The entrance is located between to residences. What I enjoyed about this hike was the ropes already set up for areas that are facing erosion. It helped ensure that I didn't misstep early into the hike.
With my time constraints I was not able to compete the entire hike. Next time I'm on the island this will be the priority hike for me.
Distance: 1.7 miles roundup
Cost: Free
Directions: 265 Kaʻelepulu Dr
Kailua, HI 96734
United States
If you don't have a car you can also take The Bus to get there.
Diamond Head Creater
This hike is located within Honolulu. Easily accessible from Waikiki. This hike does require advance reservations.
This hike is an easy one for those who are not hikers. It is paved and there are stairs at the top of the trail. This is a Hawaii State Park which helps to add to the history of the island.
As a person who holds a bachelors in history, any place that gives me any historical information makes me happy.
Early history is said that Hi'iaka (Pele's sister) gave Le'ahi it's name because the summit resembles the forehead (lae) of the 'ahi fish.
For some military history the trail to the summit was built in 1908 by the U.S. Army Coastal Defense Artillery. By 1910 Fire Control Station was constructed. From 1906-1950 Fort Ruger Military Reservation encompassed the crater. During this time batteries were built to house the artillery which are still seen today around the summit. During WWII Diamond Head was prepared to defend the island, fortunately shots were not fired during the war.
The views from this hike are incredible. From the top of the summit you are able to see beautiful coast lines below of Honolulu. This hike and the history about the area are fantastic. I can say that Hawaii and the people who live here try to showcase their history and culture with nature, and they do it well.
Hike: 1.6 miles round trip
Cost: $5
Reservations needed: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/parks/oahu/diamond-head-state-monument/
Directions: The entrance is off Diamond Head Road between Makapu’u Avenue and 18th Avenue, Honolulu
Manoa Falls Trail
The last of my hikes took me to Manoa Falls. When planning my trip to Hawaii this was the first thing on my list. I always love looking at water falls.
This trail was so much more to this hike than I imagined. I honestly didn't do much research on this hike before going. I just saw that it had a water fall and I was sold.
This trail is located in the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve. Manoa Falls is located near the Mountains of Koola in the Rainforest. (I honestly never connected that there was a rainforest in Hawaii). I did not expect to see so much greenery and bamboo on the hike.
I did get to experience a heavy rainfall during my hike. This did make the train a little more slippery. And made for some not so cute photos of myself for instagram.
Due to this being located in a rainforest the ground is typically wet and muddy. So keep that in mind when you go on this hike, you will get dirty. I do suggest tennis shoes or hiking shoes parts of the hike are still rocky. However they do sell water shoes at a shop by the parking lot.
Hike: 1.6 miles round trip
Cost: Free
Directions: Stay on Manoa road. Manoa Road continues into the back of Manoa Valley and ends at Paradise Park. (From The Bus or Car)
All of these hikes show the beauty of the island of Oahu. These hikes allow you to see Honolulu, the Windward side of the island and the Rainforest of Oahu. Take the time within your trip to see what the island has to offer!