Mt. Kaʻala Hiking Trail - Waianae, Hawaii

William Boyd

Es una zona muy insegura. En el parking hay vidrios rotos de autos que han robado. A nosotros nos intentaron forzar la puerta para abrirla.
Hay zonas donde el camino no está bien señalizado y zonas del trail muy deteriorados.
La visa es preciosa pero no es un lugar que invita a disfrutarlo. No es un lugar donde uno es bien recibido.

Titan Storm

Dec 15 2024. Very difficult trail. Not the hardest I've personally done but probably the most dangerous. Usually people are being dramatic, but no this trail is genuinely sketchy. First two thirds of the trail I was making really good progress. Last third took a long time, because it was vertical. Most of the last third you'll be scrambling and climbing ropes through mud as the summit is a bog. Regardless, it's a very cool hike. Just decide if it's really that important for you hike before hand because it's a beast. Also, my car got broken into. Left 5 bucks in it to test if it actually would. It did. Keep doors unlocked and window down to ensure windows aren't broken.

Also yeah the actual summit is closed off but it's pretty trivial. It's like two feet higher behind the fence.

One more note: At least two ropes you use to climb up the mountain are severely frayed. A couple more months and they'll probably snap. Be careful

Took me a bit over 4 hours to complete

Sara Scheuerman

Even on a cloudy-ish day, this was amazing. Gloves really helped for the ropes coming down, so did dedicated hiking shoes. Trail is pretty accurate to other reviews, but more ropes than I expected. Most were in good shape. We chose to go slow, so it was 3 hours up and 4 down including stops, snacks and pictures. The views are stunning midway up, but we had full clouds and COLD wind at the top. Three liters of water was perfect.

Also, parking is even sketchier than I thought. So glad we took an uber.

Stephen Rogers

Interesting part of the island, starts with a 1.2 miles uphill asphalt walk, if you can’t do this with relative ease, it’s going to be a rough day🤣no really this is an awesome trek, the best views are on the way up. the summit is kind of cool with a view of the city after you walk around the fence on top. but the best mountain and coast views are as you climb the ridge. probably .5-.75 of rope sections close to the top. if you think you have enough water, you don’t. bring more. i finished it in 4 hours 5 minutes with a 20 minute break of top. most of that is running down the bottom part. safe travels!

Ashley Planz

Please be advised that if you want to make it to the top of the mountain, it’ll require quite a bit of maneuvering and free hands. The higher you get, the steeper and more challenging the trail gets! The trail is easy to find and follow because it has some markers, however I wish there were distance markers to track progress. The views are stunner and it’s nice to feel accomplished in being on the highest point in Oahu🤍

Side note that doesn’t really pertain to the trail, but my car did get broken into while I hiked. Nothing of major value was taken, but be aware of not leaving valuables behind.

mark harden

Wow! This hike is definitely for the more experienced hikers and not anyone with children as you will be spending a large amount of time on narrow muddy ridges with little to hold onto. The total hike took me 4 and a half hours to complete. You WILL need to be able to pull yourself up muddy climbs using a combination of ropes, roots, wires, and rocks. There is no water on the trail so bring plenty. Also the parking lot is a known theft hotspot so remove any valuables from your vehicle to help avoid coming back to a broken window. And prepare yourself the descent is worse than the way up especially in the top half of the trail. The beginning of the trail starts out with a steady paved incline that will continue for a while until turning to dirt/mud, the incline will continue the entire hike and never stop. As you reach the end of the wide section of trail you will veer left and go downhill and across a stream briefly before continuing back uphill at our usual rate, this is about the point the easy trail ends and it starts to get much steeper, ropes will start appearing and you will need to use them for support since much of your time from here on out will be spent on ridges you do not want to slide off. The climb will continue and will eventually reach a ladder and rocky climb after which is almost entirely rope assisted until you reach the garden at the summit. PLEASE use the brushes for your shoes at the gates when you are nearing the top and protect the natural habitat so that future generations can enjoy it too!

Mayur Harsha

Great hike with lots of rope climbing and slippery surface. If you can’t do the first mile(just the road) in less than 45 mins. I would advise to go back. The last mile or so takes a lot out of you. Coming from an intermediate level hiker. Don’t miss the small waterfall off the trail close to midway. Great place to drink water. I washed up on my way back.

Hudson Hanson

This is a beautiful hike that features the best scenic views on the island. The top of the mountain doesn’t have the greatest views as it is pretty flat and there is some sort of satellite/military facility there or something. However, the views on the way up are out of this world. I lt took me about 7 hours to complete with some time to stop and take in the views. It’s a great way to see the island.