Went back with a friend and finished the loop. This trail is…read morea decent workout with some great views. Followed most of the loop trail on Alltrails, although we took slightly different route on the right side of loop which did add extra miles and elevation. We ended up hiking 7 miles. The weather was good and not too much mud. We did wear crampons the entire hike. The very long muddy hill down to the stream with ropes for aid is doable, however probably best not to do on rainy day. The stream was easy to cross with water running low in the crossings. Be prepared for long steep climbs up and down. There were a number of downed trees to go over or under. Alltrails rates the hike Hard. Glad I went back to experience the full loop.

One of my favorite hiking spots on the island with cooler temperatures and lush vegetation…read moreproviding shade on most of the trail. It's a nice half day hike taking anywhere from 5 to 6 and a half hours if you're with a group depending on how often your take breaks and if you decide to dip in the streams. We usually take the route with 3 stream crossings and a steep uphill cardio burning climb. It's a great workout overall, they don't call it hills for nothing. I don't recommend this hike unless you are with Someone familiar with this area. It is easy to get lost and disoriented with many side trails.

I try to hike new trails a couple times of month instead of always doing ones I know…read more This one is located on North Shore, starting high up in a residential community. A bit of a drive up fairly steep hills to get there. Parking is outside entrance on side of road. Only part of trail was actual single track, rest was road. Although my preference is actual hiking trail. The trail section was pretty, narrow in spots and may have small waterfalls crossing trail. Probably not the best trail with heavy rain The road section, although scenic it was too long. If I lived close by I'd go back.

Wow, it was 2pm on a Sunday and blazing hot! I couldn't see a cloud in the sky! I had planned on…read moreposting up by the beach with a good book in my hammock but something came over me. I felt like being active! I had my running shoes with me but it was too hot to hit the pavement. I could've gone on a trail traveled but instead took some time to look up a new trail close by. I found a trail with warnings of all the mud, "be careful, your shoes will get muddy!" Would the trail be muddy even on a day like this? It hasn't rained for a few days.. I was ready to stand the test! If anything a little mud would be reprieve from the fire I found myself in. So I drove all the way up Pupukea to the end of the road. Be watchful for all the signs indicating where not to park. You will find something close by! The trail starts off on a paved road and I recommend turning left onto the first chance at the trail and coming out at the top or second entrance. I really enjoyed the ease of the paved road back down to my vehicle. Especially after all the attention required along the trail. Even on a hot day the trail is in fact incredibly muddy. If you happen to have a walking stick or find one, it comes highly recommended! The trail is manageable without one but I thought at times it could be helpful. I was also wearing running shoes so hiking boots could've helped but would've been muddy nonetheless. Dodging the mud was fun and made it feel like the roots of the trees were on my team. Descending down the mountainside and then trotting up to the tippy top was cool operating and was just the right recipe for a refreshing afternoon. When I drove down Pupukea after my hike I caught the green light (driving the speed limit!) and drove straight into the parking lot of Shark's Cove. Trust, I took a sweet little dip at Three Tables and felt at home. Great way to recharge before the work week!

I've been on so many hikes that say "Bring Bug Spray," but I never do. All those hikes, no problem…read morewith bugs. Guess I was lucky. This trail is where my luck ran out. I had no business being anywhere near this trail. It's up Tantalus for Pete's sake. Consequently, I didn't make it very far into the trail. My wife and I were with a group of people. She continued with the group. I hiked back to the trailhead to wait for them to return. I noticed how many mosquitoes were landing on me but I wasn't the least bit concerned. Hawaiian mosquitoes seemed rather harmless to me. They're kind of small compared to mosquitoes I've encountered in the past. I mean, have you ever been to Yosemite? Those are some hairy ass mosquitoes. So, comparatively speaking, the Hawaiian mosquitoes seemed kinda mellow. They buzz around, yeah, but like at half speed. They're in no big hurry to go anywhere. Now I realize they were in no hurry because there was plenty of me to go around. And every god damn mosquito on that mountain got their share. It was an epic blood feast that will go down in mosquito history. I didn't realize how many times I had been bitten until the next day when the itching started. My legs were completely covered in bites. The itching was about enough to drive me insane. Well, further insane. So, my advice, either bring bug spray or stay the hell off this hill. Mikey C says: these mosquitoes ain't playin'

Hidden gem of a trail boasting lots of covered protection from the sun and a plethora of flora…read more Peaceful, easy, and pleasant hike to get away from the noise and bustle. Rediscovered much in the way of plants and trees that I had only seen in other more remote hikes. Chicken-of-the-woods fungus, orchids, kukui trees, Cook pines, guava, lilikoi, etc... This location is frequented by trail runners, so watch out. It is also very ohana/keiki friendly due to relative gentle inclines. Very muddy and buggy so bring mosquito repellent and be prepared to clean your boots afterwards (if you remember to bring a pair of slippahs to slip into for the drive home, you're golden). Plenty of parking although we went on a weekday so might not be like this on weekends when half of Oahu hikes. Truly enjoyable in so many respects. Mahalo for reading my review.

This trail was absolutely beautiful in one of my favorite areas of Oahu. It had numerous shady…read moreareas which is a bonus. My favorite part was driving into Space Force Station and having amazing views while driving. You will have to obtain a pass through DLNR and show a valid ID at the gate as well as wait for an escort along the top of the mountain road. I had no issues with wait times. Keep hiking!

Hiked this trail for the first time, it is located past Makaha. You turn in at the Space force sign…read morestopping at the guard shack. Must have identification for all hikers, car registration, safety doc. for car and print out of day pass permit acquired from trails.ehawaii.gov. Carry copy with you and one on dash of car. Once cleared you will drive up hill to gate where you will be escorted by Military Security to another gate to trailhead. The trail starts through very tall thick grass opening up to pine needle covered trail. In this section the trail can be a little narrow with a cliff drop off on one side. There are many gorgeous ocean and Mountain View's throughout most of the hike. The trail comes out on a dirt roads that can be steep as you climb higher. The trail becomes a single track again with area of loose dirt, steep areas and narrow with drop offs. You come up on rock formations that are shaped by erosion. This is a great area for pictures. Do not take your dog, there are signs by a gate warning you there may be hunting dogs and do not leave trail because there are snares to catch feral goats and pigs. We enjoyed this beautiful interesting hike. I'd start early as this hike can be warm in some areas.

Very cool hike. Unexpected difficult hike I would guess 2 miles round trip with some steep…read moreclimbing. I wouldn't bring kids unless they experienced hikers and no small dogs. But very rewarding hike with a beautiful 360 view at the top. Bring extra water and snacks and can have a nice picnic at the top.

This west side Pink Pillbox Trail isn't as famous as the east side's Lanikai Pillbox Trail, but…read moreit's only about a 15-minute drive from Aulani and way less crowded -- definitely a nice bonus. Just set your GPS to Puʻu O Hulu (Pink Pillbox) Trailhead, and you'll find plenty of street parking along that stretch. Still, I'd recommend parking closer to the entrance for safety because we noticed broken glass scattered on the ground further down the road, probably from past break-ins. We actually parked once, saw the glass right by our car, and quickly moved closer to the entrance instead. Right after we parked, it started raining. The forecast said it would last about 30 minutes, so we just waited it out in the car before starting our hike. The trailhead is right between a yellow "Falling Rocks" warning sign and a white "Speed Limit 25" sign on a utility pole. The hike starts with a steep incline, but overall it's not too hard and just a bit narrow at parts. There are three pillboxes total. It took us around 30 minutes to reach the first one at a relaxed pace, stopping for photos along the way. The first pillbox is painted in blue graffiti inside, and from there you can continue up to the famous pink one. When we got to the pink pillbox, there were surprisingly tons of flies swarming around the entrance for some reason, so we didn't stay too close. The wind was really strong up there -- strong enough that I had trouble keeping my balance! It looked like reaching the third pillbox would require climbing over quite a few rocks, so we decided to turn back instead. On the drive back, we passed Ulehawa Beach Park, where we saw a whole row of homeless encampments right by the ocean -- literally parked and camped along the beachfront. We even saw a few people running across the road and one guy riding his motorcycle the wrong way, yelling at drivers passing by. If that's a regular thing, really sad to see this.

This is a hard hike lol. I did the Puu pia trail which is same start point and nice and easy. This…read moreis all uphill super steep parts (there's rope i guess). But yeah I also hate kokohead. Its nice and shaded though..

Really enjoyed this trail. The parking is on a narrow…read moreresidential street, so you may have park down the road and walk up. The entrance of the trail is down a private looking road. You will see sign for trail start. Start on the Pu'u Pia trailhead, you will see the sign for the Kolowalu trail after a short walk in. Don't let the Moderate rating on Alltrails fool you into thinking it's a cake walk. It's a 1,243 elevation change in a little over a mile so you will be going up the whole trail. First half was very shaded with tropical foliage, this section was a little slick in areas. The trail is dryer as we climb higher, reaching a ridge area and foliage changes. Lots of roots, few downed trees, trail is narrow in some areas and can be muddy. We hiked up to the cross trail of Wa'ahila trail. At this point you could choose to go left and go up to mt Olympus or go right to the park where Wa'ahila trail starts. We turned around at this point because we had plans to do the Pu'u Pia trail. When you go up you must go down. Although we made better time going down, have to be careful with your footing. I wore crampons for the damp areas that were slippery. There are some narrow areas on the trail with serious drop offs. The conditions were pretty humid, brought plenty of water. Don't let the over 2 mile trail fool you it will give you a work out. The travel offers some beautiful views of mountains and Honolulu.

Nice trail. It's pretty good for trail running and exercise. It's well maintained with lots of…read moresignage throughout. Bathroom facilities right at the beginning. The loop is 3.8 miles and is rated moderate probably because of the length. The trail isn't that difficult but will get your heart rate up. It's shaped like a heart and the loop is comprised of three trails - Maunalaha, makiki loop trail, and kanealoe. I started outgoing counter clockwise first going up Maunalaha which is the most challenging part hiking straight up a gradual ascent uphill a bit more than a mile. There are lots of roots and interesting rock formations. There's a junction that connects to several different trails. This loop heads downhill and west at this junction on makiki loop. This portion winds through a forested jungle portion with some nice banyans and along a stream. There's a some light bouldering and moist spots. You can hear but not really see waterfalls. After hiking over the top park of the heart shaped loop, you'll start to head back to the trailhead via kanealoe. This section runs along the hill and you get a few peak-a-boss at some water falls downhill. I didn't feel comfortable for most of them but found one treaded path to one on a man made structure. This portion of the trail is easy but wetter, lusher and there was a lot of fruits on the trail, hence more bugs, so bring spray. There's not a lot of direct sun on the trail and the for the most part it was pretty dry. One hiker on the way out told me after rain it gets to be three inches of mud throughout. It's a fun hike, more of a local exercise route. Wouldn't really recommend for tourist. Although pretty doesn't give you some of the more breathtaking sights and a nice variety of mild ones to keep it interesting. Nice workout though.

This is one of my favorite hikes because it's shady and you can get what feels like a decent…read moreworkout in a relatively short amount of time. You're climbing partway up a mountain, so I would compare it to being on a stairmaster made of rock and tree roots instead of steps. The main reason I'm taking off 1 star is because unlike many other hikes out there, there's nothing remarkable about the view except that there isn't one. The trail is .7 miles long with an elevation gain of 500 feet. From the parking lot, it takes about 25-35 minutes to go up, and then the same amount of time to come down. Just depends how fast you're going. The top of the trail meets up with a bunch of other trails, and there are benches and a helpful trail map there as well. They should really post more of those around. There are a lot of rocky and tree rooty patches, so this may not be a good hike for you if you're clumsy - lots to trip on. It can also get muddy after it rains (in the non-rocky, non-tree rooty parts). I've also found that the wetter it is, the more mosquitos and ants there are around, so just look out for them if you need to stop moving. When I have more time, I like to complete the Makiki Valley Loop Trail that starts (or ends) with this trail, and includes the Kanealole Trail via the middle portion of the Makiki Valley Trail. Since many of the hikes in this area are interconnected, it wouldn't hurt to consult a trail map before attempting the loop.

Find this trail on Alltrails with more detailed information on finding trailhead. I would rate it…read moreas Intermediate hike. This hike is on private land and requires that you register to hike there, do this in advance because it takes a little time for a response. Park at the beach park near by and walk to trailhead, you will have to walk along road at the beginning and end of trail. This a loop trail between 5 to 6 miles longs. We went counter clockwise. Some of the hills have very long climbs that can have you huffing and puffing for air, so make sure you are in good cardio condition. I wore crampons going up the longest, steepest hill and for going down some very steep inclines because of slick pine needles. I saw some people in our party slip who did not have them on. The trail takes you through a variety of terrain as gain elevation. There is some shade and sun exposed ridges. Few drop offs by the trail. We took a side trail 3/4 the way in to three World WWII pillboxes for some great views. This is not on the Alltrails map. Bring plenty of water, snacks and start early. Enjoyed the challenge, the views and got a great workout.