Definitely one for the books! You start by entering from the West gate and drive along the path until you reach a parking lot on your left. The entrance is across from the parking lot on a gravel pathway. As you walk, you will come across a couple forks in the road, always keep to your left. There will eventually be a fenced gate with a Kealia Trail sign. This trail zig-zags upward with a moderate incline that will definitely give you a good leg and cardio workout. You should stop at the areas with open view to take in the amazing ocean scenery. There are spots throughout the trail with shade so you will not be constantly scorched by the sun. I only go on hikes once in a blue moon so it took us about 45min-1hr to reach the picnic table with a few short couple minute water breaks in between. We did continue past the picnic table onto the car access road for about another 1hr 15min- 1hr 30min and it was definitely not worth it. Your view is constantly blocked by trees so there was not much to see. Although, there was a good amount of shade so that made it more bearable. This pathway after the picnic table is more for those who are hunting for wild boars, not those who are seeking scenery so I do not recommend continuing after the picnic table. read more

So where is this place? What's the name of it? It's Kealia trail...You never heard of it? Not surprised...many don't know about it...Tourists don't, that's for sure. This is a fantastic hike for families and their four legged friends. Best thing about it...it's EASY and FUN for the entire family! Across from where you park at the Dillingham Field the hike takes you down a stoned road. You will see the Yellow and brown trail sign. Go around the chain and keep that concrete hanger on your right with the old downed planes and vehicals. In a few mins you should make it to the TRAILHEAD. At the base of the ridge follow the trail up the switchbacks, This entire hike is one big switchback. The views are great the entire way up and at the top is a covered picnic bench to chill and eat lunch. At the picnic table, however, there is no view as you are in a small pine forest but you are under cover from the heat. If you choose you can continue up the large road to reach the ridge summit, but it will increase you hike by a mile or more and many don't do it. Summer this place can be brutal so bring plenty of fluids. The trail is VERY DRY and ROCKY. I have been on many trails and this is one of the rockiest I have been on. This also tells me something else...all these loose rocks are coming from somewhere on this trail, ABOVE! What this tells me and from the look of the trail is the clear signs of rock falls. Some VERY BIG ONES, luckily off trail. So what I am telling you is to be very aware of your surroundings and if you have children stay close to them. The trail of this hike is very safe but there is major erosion. It can be seen clearly around you so have those ears and eyes wide open and always stop and look up along the switchback ridge so you can see any rock over hangs just to be safe. Your children or dogs if you bring them are your major concern here so be safe. This hike is about 3 miles total time to the Picnic Tables and back. Put a side 3 hours for the entire family to chill out, take pictures and eat a lunch. It is best to go early on this hike if in the summer months because of the heat/sun and exposure to those on this trail. There is cover at the start and at the end of the trail but the rest is in the sun. You can continue upward to the access road and PEACOCK FLATS, but it does get harder. If you want to hike this trail it can get a little confusing to those who don't live here so I am giving you the exact directions to the North Shore. From Waikiki take H1 west. Go north on H2 North until highway ends, turning into route 99 North. Pass Schofield Barracks on the left. The road narrows and dips, then forks. Take the left fork at light (Route 803). Now the road becomes VERY WINDY. Continue through flashing yellow light (Thompson's Corner) now Route 930. At a small traffic circle go left under the overpass, bridge. Pass Waialua Intermediate School on left. Dillingham Field and Glider port will be on left. Take the second entrance at the end of the airport (open 7AM to 6PM daily). Go around the end of the runway, following road to a small airfield tower and park in the adjacent parking lot. The hike starts across from your Parking lot. You will walk a short distance down a stone roadway for about 10 mins until the trailhead starts. This is the first trail I have given 3 stars to mainly because I love BIG PAYOFF HIKES and this Hike doesn't deliver what I personally look for in an overall Hike, but the views are beautiful on the way up so PLEASE stop and smell the flowers...It's BEST for Families and for their pets...this is a 5 Star Hike for them because the entire family can do it. It's a great Hike for families starting out to do activities together. read more

We did this hike today and I will say I do not agree with many previous reviews; this was not my favorite hike. It did offer some good views but nothing as remarkable as I've seen on other trails such as Ka'au crater, haiku stairs, or Makapu'u ridge Tom Tom, just to name a few. Plus, the trail was pretty monotonous for most of the way. So let's back up a bit, we started at dillingham airfield and the trail was well marked, as long as u follow the signs. After about 19 switchbacks, which I loathe switchbacks, we reached the picnic table. From the picnic table all the views are basically blocked by trees. We initially thought we were just in for a short hike, but after reaching the picnic table we didn't see the views we were expecting (the views of Makua valley) so we continued further. You basically follow the dirt path, which was marked by red arrows. After a few minutes up long dirt inclines, you will pass a water tank on ur left- your going the right way. After about another mile you will reach a sign saying Kuaokala hunting area, which has nice bullet holes in it, from here you continue up the curved dirt path. Once you reach a sign saying Kealia Trail and a T in the road you go to the left up another dirt incline. This part of the trail was very monotonous and u very rarely saw anything but dying trees. After this incline and about 10 more minutes you will see a small white sign saying 'Unit A No dog hunting' from here you take another left. After this I believe you go up one more long hill and slightly down and you will see the another Kuaokala Sign and about 2 minutes past this sign you will see a metal gate that you enter and you are finally at the lookout point for Makua Valley. the Kuaokala trail continues about 2.5 miles past this point but we decided the lookout point was fine with us. This,honestly, was the best view we had seen on the entire trail. In all it took us about 45 minutes to reach the picnic table and another hour past the picnic table to reach Makua valley. Ultimately, I believe this version of the hike was about 8miles round trip. I also don't agree with other reviewers, the trail past the picnic table was well maintained and very easy, it just called for a great cardio workout since your mostly walking up a decent incline for the majority of the 2 miles. The way back, you follow the same trail, was much easier since it was all down hill and only took us about an hour. read more

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This trail is nice, its a steady incline all the way up and has some good views. If you only do this trail and don't follow the Kuaokala loop around it is a good hike and quick. Probably around 2.5-3 hrs if you plan on stopping to rest every once in awhile. We followed the loop which wraps around the ridge lines. Some of the best views I've seen here on the island so far and the terrain is constantly changing and interesting. You'll want to be in decent shape because its a pretty long ways, close to 10 miles of uphill and downhill hiking. We only saw 1 other person on the trail which made it nice and peaceful. The ridge eventually ends at the Air Force tracking station and thats where the trail signs end as well. I would suggest turning around and returning the way you came because there's really nothing more to see and you risk getting a little lost like we did. The trail turns into muddy tire tracks and its easy to take the wrong trail like we did and add another 3 or 4 miles to your hike of boring dirt roads. If you do the loop allow yourself ample time to get out before dark. After hiking for 7 hours non stop we finally made it back to Kealia Trail and made it down to the bottom just in time. read more

All 3 of my little ones was able to hike this trail and our family dog. But bring sneaks because it can be long for the little ones.

If it wasn't so hot it would be a great hike! Not much shade. Go before the sun is totally out. Bring lots of water and plan breaks.

This hike is a pretty long one. I didn't realize how long it was gonna be, but there was a big group of us so it was pretty fun! You basically park at the parking lot and make your way up the mountain. Don't under estimate it though, the mountain looks short and easy to get up to, but it takes a long time. The trail pretty much scales the mountain, so it's like you're going up and around, up and around. Make sure you wear good shoes. It took us about... 45 min- an hour to get to the top. There's benches at up there where you can rest. You can either stay there or continue going. If you continue going, you'll come across hills. Your legs will get a work out. The trail can get confusing at times too, because there's some points where you come across another trail that leads you some where else. Just follow the signs. Or, I recommend you look at a few videos online of people who already did the trail. The hike took us four hours, round trip. read more

Kealia Trail - View going up the mountain - Hiking Near Me

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Not too challenging of a hike for our group of guys. It was slightly drizzling when we went. Kealia Trail is not as steep as Lanikai Pillboxes, and there is more trees than Diamond Head. We just stopped at the Pavilion before heading back. I would like to continue on past that because I heard it's gorgeous, but our time constraint meant it would have to be another time! It took about an hour to head up and half that to go down. read more

Small, medium, large - rocks EVERYWHERE - and gravel, so PLEASE be careful. You can work up a sweat from the bottom to the picnic table (yes, ONE picnic table). The view is beautiful if you're standing in the right clearing or can catch a glimpse between the trees. We had other plans this time, so we stopped for a snack at the picnic table and headed back down, but there are miles more of trails to be hiked if that's your goal. Intermediate fun for the whole family (5-6yrs and up). read more

This is an amazing trail. Not recommended for the faint of heart, but those who skip leg day are especially forewarned. But if you want an excellent workout, a good sweat, and plenty of scenic spots for photos and selfies, I cannot tell you how much you will enjoy it. There is also picnic bench with an awning provided by a local Boy Scout troop at the peak. read more

Bring lots of water..the views are gorgeous..well worth it

Pretty hardcore hike. Started at the trailhead on Farrington Hwy and ended at the airport. Suggest starting at the airport so your legs are fresh for the steep climb. Beautiful views and lush canopy kept me in the shade most of the walk. I started early so the first part was before sunup anyway. Make sure to study the topos before heading out since there are a few decisions along the way. Posted trail markers are pretty clear, but a few intersections gave me pause. Some reviews claim this is family friendly, I can't see taking young kids on this pretty demanding hike. Lots of water and a snack is definitely recommended. There are some extremely steep dirt roads that would be near impassible in the rain. Watch the weather if you plan to make the whole circuit. read more

This trail was one of the more boring I've been on in Oahu. There isn't much of a change in scenery or views, either. I will not be hiking this trail again. read more

First hike in over 15 years. It was hot and sticky, thank goodness for shady areas along the trail. Although I do workout, I don't do much cardio, which is bad if you want to hike this trail! I was huffing and puffing most of the way up. Nice views but for me, not worth the suffering, lol! I was thrilled when I saw the picnic table at the end of switchbacks! There was a good number of people doing the trail. Most of our group continued on to the Makua Valley side. A couple of us went back down. Going down can be tricky as there are slippery areas of loose rocks and dirt so be careful. Would I do it again? Not unless I was in great cardio condition! read more

This is my favorite hike on Oahu! Any time of day is perfect as there's shade and sun throughout the hike. Great elevation at a steady incline; the best look out is about 1/4 from the top (about 35 min in). An excellent spot to look for whales from at the right time of year! Just make sure you keep the trail clean! read more

My friend and I and our dogs did this hike recently because we loved the idea that it was dog friendly as well as being supposedly easy. I can say it is dog friendly; but ... It sure was NOT an easy hike for us, as it's classified. To be fair, the beginning part was easy and even relaxing. The path was cooled and shaded by the trees. However, mid-way the trees disappear while the path suddenly becomes more rocky and slippery and even in some places the path was very steep. The rocks, the steepness, and the sun's heat, especially the heat made this trail hard for us. We were really tired about 3/4ths of the way, as were our dogs. Plus, we were almost out of water as we gone through several bottles already. That's how hot the sun was that we needed more water than we thought. So be prepared for the heat. I think that was our biggest hurdle. Next time we'll start earlier (we started at 8:30AM). Luckily there is a beach right across the street, which is rarely used that we brought our dogs and even off-leased them to play. Parking is safe and abundant for the trail head, next to the tower at Dillingham Airfield. And, as an added bonus, there are many little planes that land and take-off to watch at the airfield - so fascinating to watch, at least for us. read more

This trail is well maintained and beautiful! Amazing work out! Very good hike safety wise. No easy steep drops to accidentally fall off of unless you're an idiot. My iphone tracker said I walked 9.62 miles round trip. The scenic look out was truly beautiful. Trail is marked however there are parts if you've never been you don't know which way to go. I was following a hiking club thankfully. There are A LOT of up and down hills!! Bring plenty of water i ran out of my 40oz before the last 2 miles and i'm usually not one to take a lot of water breaks but IT's needed for this trail. The weather was perfect I wore my Vibram Spyridon and it was perfect on this trail. You can also do this trail as a good short work out just to the picnic table and turn around or you can stop whenever you want and turn around. I just wanted to make it to the end and not give up! Me being vegan is how I made it. I would say i'm in shape but I have a long ways to go on my journey. I can handle a bit of distance walking/jogging. If you don't work out at all you're probably going to struggle. It's worth it though. It was fun and I was pretty damn proud of myself for the accomplishment. read more

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This hike was extremely difficult and long a good 15 miles all together. We had a gps so we didn't get lost. We did it with mountain bikes. We started at the Dillingham switchbacks carried our bikes up that is about 2 miles, stopped at the gazebo up there and then started the trail. Many many hills and it's about a good 7 miles of going up and down (mainly up) until you get to the peacock flats campground. We went through the green gate and that was about 3.5 miles ( there's more green gates just continue going through them) but you're mainly going downhill which is a huge blessing from the uphill battle but 2-3 steep hills as well until you back out to farringtonhwy and drove our bikes back to the parking lot which was 3.2 miles. Bring plenty of snacks and water. It's doable. My boyfriend and I did it within 4 and a half hours but both in good shape. There's other trails as well so it's easier to take the wrong fork in the road. Good luck! read more

I went on this hike with my best friend a couple months back and I gotta say that it was a lot more fun than I expected. Not a lot of people know about it because it's not in the most touristy places on the island but it's a great place to get away from all the norms and enjoy a nice and chill hike with a pretty good view of the North Shore. read more