Last week I picked a glorious day to hike the Wiliwilinui Trail. Oftentimes the Ko’olau range is covered in a fog ensuring visibility will be limited, but this day was amazing. With few clouds in site I headed out around 9:30am. This being a holiday week, I knew there’d be other hikers, but was somewhat shocked to see so many out of town hikers; I heard both Portuguese and Danish languages as well as meeting two separate families from California.
To access this trail, you first will need to show your ID at the entrance to the private community so as to obtain a hiking permit. The drive up is steep and winding. At the end is a small parking lot with limited stalls, so an earlier arrival would’ve been better, for I took the last available stall. Once leaving the vehicle you head up a gravel road that is definitely very muddy. Unless your an expert hiker, plan to have #muddyfeet right away! You pass the water board facility and then will see the sign for Wiliwilinui Trail.
In a short distance up the trail you reap the benefits from the elevation gains with distant views of Honolulu and the South shores of Oahu. The trail is in length (one way) 3 mi / 4.83 km and has an elevation change of 1,600 ft / 487.68 m. You ascend through Koa trees and Cook pines to a utility pole area. As you continue to ascend the trail becomes steeper and you start climbing up muddy stairs and deep rutted sections; some have ropes for easier access. Please never rely solely upon ropes for hiking on any of the trails in Hawaii! You never know how old the ropes are and if they were installed correctly in the first place.
Although the trail was crowded initially, it seems that the bulk of the hikers became discouraged along the steepest part and turned back. Too bad for them, they were so close to the top and also completion of the trail. Closer to the summit the flora changes and Ohia trees and Uluhe fern’s dominate the landscape. As I neared the summit, passing the second utility power section, I noticed clouds and fog moving in, so quickened my step in hopes of reaching the summit for some Windward side views. Reaching the summit you see a radio tower at the first knob and a bench at the end with a glorious view of the Windward side from Rabbit Island to Kaneohe. You see the crests and ravines of the beautiful Ko’olau range. You see the clouds make dotted shadows on the landscape and experience the changing light show atop the mountains. If you are lucky you’ll be able to experience the quiet with only the wind and birds to serenade your senses.
On this particular day a family from California was practicing with their drone and the young man shared his video footage with me.
I enjoy this hike for it is relatively short with great payoff. It’s a descent workout and has great views! Also it is not too crowded, usually. A great way to spend 1/2 a day on Oahu!
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Shannon Ballentine