Hiking the Kuli'ou'ou Ridge Trail

I really wanted to do one of the hikes up into the Ko'olau Range while I was on Oahu but wasn't sure which one to do, as there are a lot. I ended up settling on this one because the elevation gain was less than some of the others (although still 1800 feet) but it still seemed to offer a great reward at the end.

I say this is a less crowded hike because we didn't encounter too many people on the trail, and only shared the scenic vista at the end with 3 others. We did this on a Friday in February after a rainy night before, but there were a ton of cars parked on the street near the trail head, so I'm not sure where all those people were.

To get to this trailhead, you'll start on Kalanianaole Highway (this is what the H1 turns into after you drive past Honolulu, going east) and then you'll make a left onto Kuliouou Road. Follow it around a few turns and then make a right on Kalalau Place. You'll likely see a ton of cars parked on either side of this street. Find a spot and park (don't forget to turn your wheels into the curb as it's a fairly steep street). Once parked, walk to the top of the street where there's a cul-de-sac and a gate (second picture above). Walk past the gate and go straight (don't veer right) and after a couple minutes you will see the trailhead on your right (third picture).

If it has rained the night before, be aware that this will be a very muddy hike. It not only rained the night before we did it, but it also started raining again about 20 minutes after we started, so our entire hike up was in the rain, and the ground was very wet and muddy and it was extremely foggy. We were slipping and covered in mud and couldn't see more than 30 feet in front of us. The stairs toward the end were especially challenging full of puddles and mud. If these conditions don't sound fun, avoid doing this after rain.

The hike starts out fairly flat, going over rocks and roots through forest. After a little while it starts to climb up a series of switchbacks. The switchbacks are long and not too strenuous and they are covered by trees so there shouldn't be much sun on you. After all of the switchbacks, you will reach a "shelter" (4th picture above) - This is about the halfway point of the hike. From here, you will begin hiking more directly upward. The next part of the hike will take you through a forested area full of trees with long pine needles that pad the ground (5th picture above). There are some steep uphill portions in here over tree roots and you'll have to hold on to some of the trees for balance.

After you come out of the pine forest, you'll see a bench on your left (6th picture above). From this point on, you'll be walking along the ridge, which includes walking up a LOT of stairs built into the dirt. Hope you brought your quads! You're close to the end but all the stairs make it feel far. You can do it!

The trail ends at a flat dirt area with an incredible view over a solid portion of the windward coast. When we got up here, it was 100% obscured in fog (in keeping with the theme of our whole hike up). We could not see a single thing, and were feeling pretty bummed that we'd done this tough hike through mud and rain for this. But after a few minutes, we suddenly noticed some faint blue in the middle of the fog, and then all of a sudden, the fog began to clear. Within 10 minutes, the fog totally cleared, revealing the amazing view. So if you get up here and it's foggy, don't despair! Just wait a little while and hopefully it'll clear.

Our hike back down was far more pleasant than our hike up since it had now stopped raining and the sun had come out, so I included some pictures from that part (you can tell which ones they are because they aren't mostly fog). With the fog gone, we could now see beautiful views all the way down the trail, including Koko Head, Koko Crater, and Diamond Head.

Total distance: I read 2.0mi each way online but my Fitbit said it was 6.0mi round trip

Total time: 4 hours, including a 30-minute break at the top