Aihualama Trail

It was raining in Manoa Valley when I got there. I’m sure on a dry day the hike is way more fun, but I got rained on for almost two solid hours. That made the trail super muddy and slippery. I thought it was quite strenuous going up that incline, wither that or blame the humidity, I was drenched in my own sweat and rain when I finally made it up there. Unfortunately the views were shitty (again: it was still raining) and the way down was way faster yet partly also kind of dangerous due to the mud and the tree roots… like I said: could be a fun hike if you go on a dry day, or even if you
wanna connect to another trail from there. I just picked a not so good day, I guess. Took me 3 hours round trip. You should bring water and a snack, wear sturdy shoes. I would not recommend bringing kids on this hike.

Manoa Falls trail became more like a walk in a park. Not as adventurous as it used to be. On the top of the waterfall, found this trail, «Aihualama Trail». Wanted to do something exciting. Surrounded by beautiful black bamboo trees and scenery during the walk. Walked up the trail and it was very fun running back down.

This trail is grossly misunderstood. The last time I hiked Manoa Falls, a bunch of military guys exiting ‘Aihualama were like ‘we should just post that it’s a huge waste of time because it goes nowhere!’. Actually, quite the opposite.
‘Aihualama IMO is best used as a connector trail between the valleys. I recommend starting from one of the many Makiki trails or from Judd Trail (because it’s nice to be able to finish at Manoa Falls with an easy walk out and a water spigot to wash the mud off of you, and ‘Aihualama is all down hill in this direction). You have to make transportation arrangements because you are only going one way. Some sections on these routes are way muddier than ‘Aihualama and probably more challenging, but there are many more native plants to see, vistas, and you can observe the vegetation cover types changing as you go.
You can get from Nuuanu to Manoa in roughly 3 hours (allow 4 or more if it’s your first time), however, the Makiki trails are a maze, and if you take the wrong turn at a junction you can end up somewhere else entirely so do your research first and pay attention out there.
This network of trails is very well maintained thanks to volunteers. Watch for hunters. Stay on the trail. Pack out what you pack in (wayyy too much opala out there).
If you think Manoa Falls is an adventure or do not like mud, but are in that area, check out Lyon Arboretum.

Absolutely love this hike, but be prepared for a LONG one! After hiking to the Manoa Falls, look for a trial on your right (going back). This will be what says a 1.3 mile hike, but it seems so much further and I believe it may be. Very few people notice this trail and I am thankful for that. It’s peaceful and very quiet. You will hear birds, water, and bamboo in the wind. Be careful with your footing and be prepared for mud! It’s Hawaii… it rains. Wash yourself off in the falls when you make it back down. The water is soon soothing, but I digress. You will make it through the bamboo trails, past 3 glorious banyan trees, through more bamboo, to an old land slide, and eventually to the mountain for a winding way up. There will come a point where there is a fork, take the right (the way going UP the mountain.) You’re 5 minutes away now. You will make it to the top with a view and a bench. You’re already here so I suggest continuing through the brush trail (to the right) to the next peak. This climb requires the use of ropes (already there), but the view is worth the ENTIRE hike. You can see everything, the city, the Marine base. wow!
All and all, this is a hike for those who don’t mind spending 4 hours hiking through vegetation and nature, muddy shoes, and tired legs! Bring water and a snack. I read some really crappy reviews on here… I don’t know what to say. Those people obviously don’t understand what a hike is and should have turned back at Manoa Falls. Beautiful view! The way back down is fun! You can almost run the entire thing!

We found this by accident and seriously loved it!!! It was not too difficult my 8 and 10 year couldn’t do it but it wasn’t a walk in the park either. It was wet and muddy and we all slipped and fell at least once. We didn’t make it all the way to the end because it was late in the day and we wanted to make sure we weren’t on the trail after dark but we loved it all. The bamboo forest is fabulous and there are tons of switchbacks that keep you climbing. It is a great adventure for sure. WEAR GOOD SHOES!!! This is not a flip flop kind of hike!

Holy crap. Just stick to the Manoa Falls trail. My husband and I thought we’d be adventurous and like Johanna mentioned, this muddy and treacherous trail is not worth the view at the top. Of course it was raining when we took this narrow and steep walk up the side of a mountain, so that didn’t help matters, but even if it had been a sunny day, I don’t recommend it. There’s squishy mud that will engulf your shoes, slippery rocks that could send you sailing to your death, and twisted tree roots probably exposed by the landslide of 2013. It wasn’t just the fact that this was difficult, that every step required a conscious effort to stay upright, it was the fact that this trail repeated the same views and terrain for all 3.5 hours we were on it. No ocean views, no lush valleys to encourage your forward momentum. Just the same muddy slopes, loose rocks, and bamboo trees the. entire. morning. We finally made it to the top and it is nice, but I’ve experienced more awe inspiring views with way less effort. We took a few photos and then I got a giant mosquito bite right on my forehead. Sigh. Somehow we made it back to the falls in one piece, and we stared in jealousy at the clean and energetic tourists we passed who only wanted to catch a glimpse of a mighty waterfall. In hindsight, I’d have to say they had the right idea. Stick to Manoa Falls, and read Unilocal before thinking your spontaneous adventures will be an adorable story to add to the honeymoon tale.

Holy crap.
Steep, winding, muddy trails. It took 45 mins to get to the top– mind you this is AFTER you hike to the waterfall! The view from the top is beautiful of course, but be prepared for a HIKE!

As Gob Bluth would say «I’ve made a huge mistake.» This trail is… meh. It was a huge mistake because my husband and I originally planned to just hike Manoa Falls, but we felt adventurous and thought… Aihualama Trail should not be so bad… we were so wrong. It was long and pretty boring most of the time. It is not very scenic as you go for long periods without seeing anything outside the forest surrounding you. When you do reach the scenic points, they are nice, but not really worth all of the muddy trek it takes to get there.
We went all the way up to the scenic point at the end of the hike and decided, let’s keep going. This was very adventurous of us and kind of dangerous. The «trail» is not really a trail. You are essentially walking on a cliff along the side of the mountain and at many points, there are holes that if you miss them, you will fall off the side of the mountain. It probably would not be a fun ride down… it’s steep.
Looking back at the photos, the few views that we observed were beautiful, but it was just so long and boring, that I can’t overlook the boring trek to appreciate the views.
Again, I did not enjoy this hike very much. The only hike that I have done around the same length of time is three peaks and that one is much cooler, more dangerous and has more beautiful views. Aihualama Trail is pretty boring much of the time. We likely won’t do it again.

The disturbing fact about a treacherous hike to a peak is that you eventually have to come back down. In the case of the Aihualama Trail that probably means trekking back down the the path from whence you came. This explains why I didn’t announce my joy for this hike upon reaching the peak. Getting back down safely, hell, getting back down alive, wasn’t a given.
To reach this trail you begin at the same place you would if you were going to Manoa Falls (pay parking lot or hike in from below). You then follow the trail to Manoa Falls and nearby, to your left as you approach the falls, is a small sign indicating the start of this trail. Most people won’t see the sign unless actively searching for it and that’s probably a good thing.
A hike to Manoa Falls is relatively quick and relatively easy depending upon how wet it is. You’re in a rain forest and the rocks on which you’ll ascend or descend are made much more slippery if it’s recently rained. You might be able to handle this for the brief time you’re on the Manoa Falls Trail but once you get onto Aihualama, all bets are off.
The hiking book I referenced («Hiking the Hawaiian Islands» by Suzanne Swedo) describes this trek as 4.2 miles round trip (beginning at the Manoa Falls parking lot) and 2 — 3 hours in duration. My hike clocked in at 4 hours including time for photos, time for trekking through shoe-​eating mud, and time for screaming bloody murder as I slid and grabbed for the life-​saving bamboo on the downside of the trail. The bamboo can truly be a lifesaver as can a sturdy piece of bamboo, when used as your walking stick.
At the trail’s peak (Nu’uanu Valley Overlook), before you turn around and retrace your steps, there’s a small bench and a view through the valley all the way to Kailua. It’s not as spectacular a view as you can get from many other trails and lookouts but it’s a nice and satisfying thing to look out upon, gather your wits, and pray for no rain before attempting your descent.
Leave plenty of time and daylight for the descent, as it’s far more treacherous than the climb and your bamboo walking stick will become your best friend. Particularly unsettling to me was navigating the part of the path affected by a sizable landslide in 2013. After the slippery rocks and man-​eating mud I thought I was inured to this trail but hiking this small section while envisioning giant boulders barrelling down the mountain towards me brought new levels of terror.
Eventually, God willing, you’ll return to the Manoa Falls trail. All those clean hikers in their day clothes will look at you and your filthy self and say «I didn’t know there was another trail» and give you a wide berth for passing. It’s an adventure, this Aihualama Trail. Don’t attempt it without a walking stick or if there’s a forecast of rain. If it sounds like your kind of thing it likely is. Put on your grubbiest hiking shoes and have at it. For me, once was enough, but I’m actually happy to have had the experience and to have gotten out in one piece.

I was happy when this trail was reopened on Christmas Day. I’ve done Manoa Falls before and read about this trail and had wanted to do it.
There really are a lot of switchbacks to get up to the top. I was very surprised that the trail was very dry. The area that was cleared by the landslide makes a perfect scenic look out now. The trees are all cleared out of the way creating a good view across the valley and down to town. Some might be bothered by the rocks though. The whole time I was there, large grains of rocks kept coming down from the top. There are actually a couple piles of sand where it’s been collecting.

Seems to take forever. its quite a lot more hiking then the initial manoa falls hike. be prepared for a long trek ahead. it probally took us over an hour and half to get up so bring water and food. and dont take shortcuts. found some that didnt work so well and dove out of the way of a rock slide that threw me down a steep hill that i had to be pulled back onto the trail from. shortcuters beware: D

Good workout. Pretty much zig zags all the way. There are shortcuts between most (steep mini trail straight up) but on the third or fourth zig zag we tried a shirt cut which ultimately led to a intense rock climb up a land slide. Would not recommend doing that. Follow the trail to the top!

I absolutely love this trail so… kind of biased I guess. It is absolutely not for everyone. It took me two tries to find the look out point which made me love it all the more for the challenge. You do not do this trail because it’s easy.
The first half is a relatively simple walk up and down through more beautiful bamboo forest. There are a couple nice views of the southern (I think it’s the southern) side of the mountain. Then you get to the grind. Around a dozen steep switchbacks zigzag up the mountain. This is absolutely the hardest part and I always end up taking a rest part way through somewhere on this section. Once you push through here you’re all good though as it’s relatively level terrain through a beautiful bamboo forest.
For the awesome viewpoint, if I remember right, it’s the first trail that splits off on the right. It leads to an amazing vista of the northern (I, again, think?) portion and even has a nice memorial bench to take a break on.
Also as an aside, I’ve seen some people suggesting to avoid this trail in the rain. I agree that if you want to avoid getting too dirty that this should be the case. HOWEVER, if you don’t mind your hiking shoes getting caked in mud and coming down covered in sweat and dirt ABSOLUTELY check out this trail in a light rain if you can. I did by accident one day and it completely changes the surroundings with multiple little streams popping up. I also love a hike that I come back from LOOKING like I had a rough hike.
Certainly not for the faint of heart but certainly manageable if you’re in decent shape. Definitely a formidable workout. Bring a couple big bottles of water and something to snack on. It takes me personally about three hours overall.

I’ve been super lazy and haven’t hiked in a while so instead of sitting my lazy ass in front of my computer on my day off I attempted Aihulama Trail with a friend…
The reason I say attempted is since we were so afraid our phones would get damaged from the pouring ran halfway up, we decided to turn around. Don’t judge us. 1. I have a backpack from Walmart so its definitely NOT waterproof 2. My iphone is my baby, and if I lost it I’d be sad, really sad.
The trailhead starts at the end of the Manoa Falls trail and you can see a sign for Aihulama Trail as you get to the falls. As far as scenery, the trail was nothing special but it was quiet and soothing. The coolest part of the trail were all the bamboo trees. Definitely made for some sweet pictures, since its not something you see everywhere. And as you got higher up you could see Manoa through the treetops which were pretty even through the pouring rain…
I wish we could have made it to the top to see the beautiful views but I guess we’ll just have to wait for a less rainy day.
Unilocal 365: ²⁰⁷⁄₃₆₅

After doing Manoa falls we decided to venture onto this path knowing next to nothing (really, actually nothing. Couldn’t even remember the name of the trail — had to look at the sign when we got back down!) about this hike. Just went for it. As we started up we ran into about three other groups that asked «Are you going to the top?» We answered of course! They just looked at us and said good luck. Greatttttt. What could that possibly mean? They kept saying it seemed like the hike never ended. It does indeed though.
Prepare to get muddy. What fun is it without a little mud? I mean seriously! When we went it was quite muddy, which made things a bit slick at times. Be careful!
One of the coolest things about this trail is the bamboo forests. It is so cool walking through them! Lots of different scenery too as you walk the trail which is super neat!
Lots of switchbacks. Yay!
All around, nice hike!

If you read Thomas O.‘s review and scroll down where he says not to get separated from the majority … yeah, he’s talking about me.
I decided to be little miss Dora the Explorer and go gallavanting off by myself all the way to the top. Got lost. Thought I was going to get eaten by a wild boar/​pig/​wolf/​bear/​moose. Hiked around for a couple of hours (by myself mind you) and it’s a surprise I didn’t wet myself.
But I do like this trail. It’s about a 2-​hour hike up to the flat, and the view is totally worth it. I think my shoes will kill me because they’re all brown from the mud that just won’t seem to wash off. My legs are also quite upset with me as I had been wandering for about 4 hours.
It was quite funny that I read in the paper today that 3 HPU students got stranded there. That totally could have been me. Thankfully I wandered down the right trail and met up with Thomas O. and David C.
The trail going up isn’t too muscle-​strenuous … it’s definitely a cardio workout. I take that back, if you’re like me and David C. who were trying to avoid the mud, it takes a toll on your legs. Stretching over the mud, jumping to avoid the mud, and pulling on bamboo branches to avoid the mud. Make sure you grab a sturdy bamboo branch (unlike me who grabbed a not sturdy one, which snapped and sent me into the mud).
It’s a pretty hike, definitely humid, definitely a lot of bugs. I’m pretty sure I swallowed a bunch as I was swearing after getting mud on my shoes multiple times. That’s karma I guess.
I think the bamboo forest was my favorite part. It’s really cool and it provides a lot of shade. It does get kind of creepy because when the wind blows, it makes the bamboo rub against each other creating a pretty chilling sound.
As for the dropped calls, explicit content, and sore legs … I’ve already been up there once, so I won’t need to go off on my own again.
Unilocal 365: 037 of 365

HOLY SHITBALLS!
Literally! This trail is a sick and twisted idea of a leisurely detour off the well beaten path.
We arrived at the head of the Manoa Falls trail to damp conditions and expected that some places would be muddy. That’s fine, we thought we were prepared to endure some dirt, NBD really.
We completed the hike in about 30 minutes and stayed at the falls for a few minutes to take a water break (and no, not from the falls… do you want LEPTOSPIROSIS? I don’t think so!). Then we decided, oh let’s continue on to the Aihualama Trail! It doesn’t look so bad… the reviews said it was nice and woodsy!
Mother of God Almighty just had to decide it was the perfect opportunity to rain. So what used to be a few puddles of red mud, became a swamp of pure shit.
Shoes get stuck, sunglasses fly off, then you slip and nearly die hanging on to bamboo as your ass is screaming like no body’s business. Is that fun? You bet it’s not.
I’m sure there are people who would enjoy this hike, but if you care about what your shoes look like afterwards and if you don’t have the best balance, save yourself the trouble (and HFD a trip up the valley) by just staying on Manoa Falls. Please.
Also, be wise and don’t separate from the majority of your pack. You could get lost. Hurt. Confused. and even experience hallucinations in this dense forrest. Our troop was lucky today that we were able to regroup while still on the trail. Many expletives said. Many calls dropped. Many fights to be had. But in the end, we’re all safe.
Apparently 3 students from HPU were lost on just the Manoa Falls trail itself last night. They spent the night in the wilderness and were picked up early this morning. Thank Jesus it was NOT us three HPU students that had to endure that.
Still though. Kids. Stay on the FUCKING trail and you’ll be fine. Somewhat.
Review #036/​365

If you are going to do this trail, bring a snack!
We originally set out to do Manoa Falls, but we decided to be adventurous and do the Aihualama Trail. This trail just keeps winding around and we never did find a lookout point (but perhaps we just didn’t take the right path). After about 2 hours of hiking, we decided to turn back around.
Really amazing and diverse scenery. Very muddy and slippery at points. I love this trail because not many people are on it, and you get in an amazing workout!

This is a trail that you can access towards the end of the Manoa Falls Trail and is perfect if you’re already familiar with Manoa Falls but want a bigger challenge. It’s an additional hour to an hour and a half long trail that ultimately leads you to a small clearing that overlooks Nu’uanu Pali. It’s a spectacular view! And although technically the trail ends there, another small trail exists past it that you can climb through to get to where you can actually see Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, and Kaneohe Bay all from one spot. It’s a pretty amazing experience, and if you have a camera or phone app that’s capable of a panoramic shot, be sure to bring it with you.
The first time I found out about this trail, it was totally by accident. My friend and I only intended on seeing Manoa Falls, but when I noticed someone coming out of the barely noticeable ‘Aihualama Trail, I was instantly lured in. In this 1.3 mile hike, you will encounter a few patches of bamboo forestry, awe-​inspiring banyan trees, and even some native birds, if you’re lucky.
The first half of the trail is pretty smooth and actually easier than the Manoa Falls trail before it. It’s not as rocky, it’s usually nice and breezy, and in fact, there are parts where the path is mostly flat.
The latter half of the trail is a different story. There are rocks and muddy puddles you have to maneuver yourself around, and before it gets any better, you have to make your way through a windy, zig-​zag trail that is extremely repetitive and at times dizzying. I love this trail in general, but honestly, the zig-​zag part is the only part of it I don’t look forward to. It’s long, it’s boring, and as if climbing it wasn’t bad enough, going down it is a total nightmare on the knees. If you’ve been there, you’d know what I’m talking about. There are some forced «shortcuts» that cut across this part of the trail (indication of how much of a b#tch it can be), but only a few are really worth considering, and for the sake of preservation, I don’t recommend them.
Should you choose to take on this challenge, be sure to bring plenty of water, snacks, definitely some bug-​repelant, and try to avoid days when it recently rained since the trail can get pretty slippery.
The ‘Aihualama Trail also connects to the Pauoa Flats Trail near the end, which in turn leads to other trails. If you can go another thirty minutes to a couple hours, you might enjoy an even greater challenge by following this trail.
Get a topographic map of ‘Aihualama and other trails here:

Wonderful trail!
1.) Located to the left of Manoa Falls Trail.
2.) First 5 minutes of the hikes is similar to the Manoa Falls Trail.
3.) Next 5 minutes you will enter a nicely paved trail that is surrounded by a lush bamboo forest.
4.) After the bamboo forest you will start to see the trail get rockier. Be careful where you step and be aware! 10 — 15 minutes into this section of the trail, you will come across an area where you will need to do a bit of rock climbing! (FUN! Be extra careful because it can be slippery!)
5.) After the short rock climb experience the path continues! You will eventually see a rock wall. The path is located to the left side of the wall. I did not get to climb that portion of the trail since I started later in the day.
The trail is breathtaking! Make sure to use mosquito repellent, have good hiking shoes with traction, water, and bring a phone (I had my iphone and was able to get great reception) and bring some friends on this trail!