Nice hike with shade for the most part, trail becomes steep but has ropes to help. Lots of roots and uneven footing so watch your step. The California grass is tall and sharp, needs to be cut back. My friends and I have lots of little cuts on our arms from it. Also beware of bees! Bring you Benadryl or epo pen if you need, they sting one of us in the face as we were walking through the tall grass. This might not be a long hike but due to incline and climb up it is a good hike to get a good workout in. The view also did not disappoint, AMAZING!!!! As you go up of course they just get better and better. We are all so glad we finally made it to this hike!!! Parking is tight! And you are in a neighborhood, where you do not want to block there parking, only room for 3-5 cars smaller cars at one time. Love the friendship garden part of the hike with the gorgeous plants and trees that have species placards. read more

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Not my favorite...kind of strenuous, with nice, but not necessarily breathtaking views. I had this hike on my list for a while now, so when friends suggested we go, I was up for it. Parking seemed limited, but I drove past the trailhead down to a section of the neighborhood that had a number of spaces. It was probably about an 8 minute walk back up to the trailhead. It starts easy, with much forest greenery, and several routes, that will take you on the Oneawa path. I guess I hadn't mentally prepared, but was surprised by the incline and the ropes. Perhaps my lack of uppers that morning was to blame, as I not expecting this to be difficult, but I was struggling to keep up with my friends as the hike continued. It took us about an hour to see the quarry waters, which were interesting, but only needed a few minutes to take in. You do get some nice views of the bay and it's not a very long hike, so there is that, but I honestly don't think I'd come back. It felt like more effort than it was worth and there are so many other hikes on Oahu that unless I lived RIGHT there, I don't think it warrants another go. read more

Amazing hike with beautiful views, lots of different vegetation and challenging portions to mix things up. We started the hike at the Friendship Gardens at around 7am and finished around 9:30; total time included water breaks and lots of picture taking. This hike is definitely moderate-hard as there is a lot of incline (hiking over ridges) including some areas that require ropes. Luckily, we came on a day after a week of no rain and did not experience the messy mud. One of my favorite hikes ever!! Highly recommend if you are looking for an adventure. Tips: - bring water; these hills are no joke - wear long pants and sleeves; the vegetation in some areas were taller than me and crossed over the trail and there are bugs - wear gloves if you have soft hands; the ropes burn after a while - enjoy! read more

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This link gives fantastic directions for this hike. Please read it if you plan to try this hike out. http://www.explorationhawaii.com/2012/05/10/you-can-call-it-oneawa-hills-kokokahi-ridge-or-kawaewae/ You have a couple choices when doing this hike. You can start the hike either on Kokokahi Place or on Lipalu Street side. You can choose to hike it to a certain point and turn around. Or you can hike it all the way through to the other side. We decided to go all the way through and started on Kokokahi side. Since we were planning on hiking one way, we made sure to park cars on both sides. Since we started on Kokokahi side, we began the hike through Friendship Garden. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/oneawa-hills-kaneohe#15kYUwSAaJZ6kxtud5OBJQ Friendship Garden was really nice to go through and the smell was wonderful. I also really liked how they had signs indicating what the different plants were. The Oneawa Hills trail is relatively straightforward. There are pink ribbons throughout the hike indicating that you are on the correct path. The view of the Kapaa Quarry is definitely the highlight of the hike! I honestly have no idea why the water is that color, but it looks super cool in person. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/oneawa-hills-kaneohe#nBN-fOo97njmXY-2DXwT2g Unfortunately for us, We chose a bad day to go hiking :( It was overcast and ended up raining on us after about 1/2 way through the hike. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/oneawa-hills-kaneohe#80qw3LPTh4KpsZfuCqeyHQ This made the hike much more dangerous because there was a lot of steep areas (going up and down). The rain made the ground muddy and super slippery. I wont lie, everybody in our group fell and got all muddy. Some more than others of course. Overall: This was a decent hike. It took us about 3 hours to do the entire hike. I would recommend to not do this when its raining or if it rained the night before. I also recommend to wear good shoes with grip and to bring sunscreen and mosquito repellent. read more

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Oneawa Hills is actually a 7mi loop, but most people ONLY do a 3mi round trip hike: 1.5mi from Friendship Garden Trail head to The Kapaa Quarry lookout and back. As much as I'm a distant hiker, we had kids to pick up from school so we jumped on the bandwagon and did the short 3miler. As everybody else said, parking is limited but simply drive a little down the road and walk up to the Trail head; Consider it your warm up LOL. Many Yelpers complained of the steep hills, ropes and mud. Well, we went in with sun and came out with rain. Yes, there's some rope sections and Hills and we slid in a few places, but I would still rate the it as a novice trail. Shoes with good traction and being in decent shape will obviously be to your advantage. Active fearless kids with good adult support can also easily conquer this trail. I've heard of people oddly getting lost on this Trail, but simply follow the Friendship Garden Trail to the lookout point then keep going up the hill following the path to the left. Shortly after that you'll see your first hill and rope section. Proceed to follow the Trail and pink ribbons. There's no turns or junctions to confuse you. Views of the Quarry are amazingly and mysteriously green and gets better as you move on. Your first view will be slightly obscured so keep walking for another 10minuted to the better viewpoint! Trek On Yelpers! read more

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Overall, it was a fun workout but probably not one of my favorite hikes. We didn't do the entire loop, but we went to the Kapa'a Quarry lookout and turned back. The water appeared to be drained (or not as vibrantly blue) today, so that was slightly disappointing. But we did have several beautiful lookout points over Kaneohe Bay, and it was a lovely day! I would say this hike is INTERMEDIATE -- there is no real risk of you falling off the mountain, but there are some steep bits that get your heart pumping on the way up (and be careful for the slippery dust/ soil and loose rocks on the way down). Make sure you bring a bottle of water! We started the hike at Friendship Garden around 10:30am and ended around 12:40pm. It had not rained, so there was no mud and the trail was dry. Parking is tricky -- there's a notice that says if any part of your car is on the road, it's illegal. We were lucky and found a spot right at the base of the stairs off the road. I was pleasantly surprised at how unpopulated this hike was -- once we got up to the steeper bits, we had the entire trail to ourselves. The steep parts are excellent cardio. On the way up there were enough footholds that I didn't have to use the ropes, but we were definitely pouring sweat. When we finally reached the lookout at the quarry, it was just noisy machinery and trucks instead of the beautiful blue water I've seen in the photos. It was still a nice hike though -- plenty of friendly butterflies and dragonflies around. The way down was a bit trickier because the dry dirt and loose rocks were very slidey, but the ropes really helped. Remember to always CHECK THE ROPES before you rely on them, just to be safe. Even after checking them, I prefer not to put my whole weight and trust on them. There are plenty of trees around that were great to hold on to. All in all, I had a fun morning. We celebrated with an acai bowl in Kailua afterwards -- yum! read more

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Great hike in Kaneohe with unique views! We started at Friendship Garden and parked on that street. It is a neighborhood so please be quiet and considerate by not parking on people's property. This hike can be pretty long and some parts are steep. I was on my hands and knees climbing up at some parts! The views when you get to the top are great though.... The aqua water of the Quarry is truly a unique sight. You can either keep going and exit about a 40 min walk away from where you parked or you can turn back once you get the see the quarry. Ideally, if you are with someone else, you can stage a car at the end of the hike before you start. We decided to just turn back once we saw the quarry. It is about a 2.5- 3 hour hike. We took our dogs on this hike but kept them leashed the entire time. At one point, hunting dogs burst onto the path. Luckily they were nice and just curious about our dogs but this is something you don't want to take chances with! Make sure to bring lots of water and sunscreen as it is partially in the sun. Have a great hike! read more

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I went to this hike a few months ago and waited till now to write a review for it. I've been seeing pictures of the quarry on social media. I decided to go on an adventure with my friends to search for this quarry. I did my research to find this hike, located in Kaneohe. There isn't much parking spots here. There are 2 space in the front of Friendship Garden where the hike begins. If you drive a little more in toward the dead end, you can sort of park by the side near the bushes and trees at the left. Make sure you don't block the road. This hike is pretty popular already. Parking can get filled quickly. As you walk up and explore friendship garden, there's a trail toward the right. You continue walking up hill and eventually will get to the point where you'll see views of the ocean and mountains of Kaneohe. I don't remember too well of the trail, since it's been awhile. When you actually see rope climbing and a tree stump you're going the right way. Along the trail, there was a lot of dirt and overgrown grasses/weed. There are tons of bees and bugs. You have to beware and be careful. There seemed to be 2 quarry. The first one looks small. When my friends and I saw it, we were like...that's it?! Omg, we thought we wasted our energy climbing here. Then we realized you have to keep walking and the second quarry is much nicer. It was pretty taking pictures of it. People call it the mini grand canyon. The hike took about 4 hours or so for us round trip. Depends how fast you go. We stopped for pictures so it took us a little longer. It's a nice hike if you're up for adventures. Definitely worth it for an experience. It was fun..once is all I needed. Hahaha~ read more

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Awesome views of K town and Kailua. It's harder than it looks from the road. Parking isn't the best but if you be cool with the residents then they don't mind. Good thing is that the trail is usually empty. Few hidden gems in Hawaii read more

Oneawa Hills - Hiking Near Me - Kaneohe, Hawaii

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Fantastic hike - one of my very favorites. Starts at Friendship Gardens, which is very cute and pretty. Then it breaks out into gorgeous views and leads up to a really amazing unique view of Kapaa Quarry. The terrain and views change frequently to keep things interesting. If you park a car at both ends and go one-way, it takes about 2-3 hours. read more

Oneawa Hills - Me at Kapaa Quarry - Hiking Near Me - Kaneohe, Hawaii

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Pretty good hike in Kaneohe. Like others we started at Friendship Garden where there are only a few spots to park but luckily for us there was only 1 other car in the area. This hike is not a loop so you can either finish it and turn around, stage cars, or do what we did and just walk through the neighborhood back to where we parked. Total hike took about 2 hours with a couple spots to take pictures + an extra 30 min for the 1.7 miles back to the car which was not bad at all. Okay so to the actual hike itself. I would say it's advanced beginner to intermediate in difficulty. Overall it's pretty easy but it does have a few steep spots and can be pretty slippery. There's a map at the beginning of Friendship Garden, pretty much you just take every left after that towards the ridge lookout. You'll know you're headed the right way when you reach the bamboo grove. The ridge lookout offers a beautiful view over Kaneohe Bay. Continue onward where there'll be an area with ropes, although they aren't really necessary but there if you need em. The rest of the way is pretty straightforward but if you ever get lost just remember to follow the pink flags. You'll make your way up and down and eventually end up on Lipalu Street. The trail has a diversity of foliage from bamboo, to ferns, a few flowers here and there, mac nut tree, and octopus tree just to name a few. Saw some strawberry guava but none were ripe yet. Almost forgot about the quarry. The Kapaa quarry was pretty interesting although not quite as picturesque as some of the pictures posted. Definitely not turquoise but a cool spot nonetheless. Last thing, I believe there is a Heiau at the end towards Lipalu but we ended up just taking the left out to the street. Bring water and sunscreen, and shoes with traction. read more

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This hike was a good challenge. There are two options to start: Lipahu Street or Kokokahi Place (friendship garden). I would recommend starting at Kokokahi because Lipahu Side will be a struggle with the slippery uphill and it also says no trespassing. I didn't know that until we finished the hike and saw it. From Friendship Garden to the end of Oneawa took about 2.5 hours. Follow the pink ribbons! The trail gets less maintained after you see the Kapaa Quarry. It will get steep and slippery; tough on your joints. Close by bus routes on both ends! read more

Completed this hike on 10/30 and it was a great workout! There was quite a few rope sections but they weren't too difficult. I would recommend wearing long pants/long sleeves because there is a lot of elephant grass along the trail (or just bring a machete ;-) ) . Also wear hiking boots for good traction because there are lots of inclines and declines and can get slippery. Overall it took my husband and I 3 hours to complete starting and ending at the Friendship Gardens and we stopped for lunch and to take pictures. Probably would have taken 2 hours 20 mins approximately without stopping. read more

Oneawa Hills - Hiking Near Me - Kaneohe, Hawaii

How can this be? A bad rating for a hike? Sorry but yes... I did this hike a couple days ago expecting it to be worth while. The friendship garden was cute and at the overlook was a pretty view of the ocean. Thats where we should have stopped and just turned back. We continued on to the quarry view. There are lots of ups and downs which makes for a great sweaty workout :) I was wondering if we were ever going to get to the view of the quarry...and when we did it was quite the disappointment. It was loud because there were lots of trucks doing work, and the water was dark brown. Was not pretty. The best view is of the ocean and the mountains before you see the quarry. I say stick to the friendship garden. read more

Been seeing this hike well mostly the quarry all over Instagram, so I did my research and finally found where was this located. Went here today 6/27 around 0715 on a Monday. It was only me and my boyfriend doing the hike. It took us less than two hours to finish the hike (roundtrip) We parked on the street of Kokokahi Place. It is a neighborhood so please be respectful and don't block the road. We started at friendship garden and turned right until you pass the bulletin board. And just keep walking to your left. We stayed on the left side all the time .The hike has a lot of ups and downs. Much mahalo for those people who put the ropes. We wouldn't made it safe if the rope wasn't there. There were sturdy trees that you could hold on as well but dont destroy them. We turned back once we saw the quarry because it started raining and we were worried that we were gonna be stranded there. Be safe on the electric wires too. I thought that was the most scary part of the hike. To me personally it wasn't worth the hike, there was not much water on the quarry. But overall it was a good experience. This was the most intense hike I've ever done. Don't forget to bring lots of water. We brought two big hydro flasks and we almost finished both. Some parts can get really steep and slippery. I would recommend to wear leggings and long sleeves to avoid scratches and cuts from the shrubbery and branches. read more

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Very pretty, not the best views I've seen on Oahu, but a lot of beautiful lush greenery, a little ocean visibility, and mountain views. Was overcast some when we went, but it did keep us cool with some misting a couple times throughout. Recommend taking water. Took us about 2:15 including no stopping a few times and at the quarry for pictures. Steep parts; some parts have ropes I help you get down. May be tough if you have knee issues. Wear pants and you will really enjoy!! The quarry at the end is pretty cool looking, just looked green the day we went. We turned around at the lookout and headed back to our car at friendship garden. Enjoyed the greenery and workout aspect the most. read more

This hike is alright, I was wondering why it isn't such a popular hike with the cool blue water of Kapa'a quarry, but now I know after the 3 hour hike. You start at Friendship Garden and just keep on the path. It depends if you park on both ends of the hike, it's a pretty long hike. You end up at Lipalu St. When my friend and I came out of the hike, we actually had to cut through private property to get on the street. If you don't have cars on both ends, I suggest that when you hit the quarry, you turn around and go back. The rest of the hike wasn't really worth it and it was very muddy and slippery. When you feel like it's over, it's not. This hike isn't for those who don't want to get real dirty. Don't go when it rains or the day after it rains because it gets REALLY muddy. Make sure your shoes have good grips on them. There were ropes at some of the steep parts of the trail and markers lining the path (mahalo to those who put those in). There are parts where you have to go through tall grass, so be prepared for that. Also, tree branches are your best friend on this hike since it's the only stable thing going up and down the hills. I would suggest shoes with good grip, WATER, bug spray (there were a lot of bees at one point, but we didn't get stung, mosquitoes are a problem if you go after a rainy day), wipes to clean your hands, and a first aid kit because you walk through a lot of shrubbery and the branches can scratch you. Overall, this hike was good up to the quarry. Beautiful views. read more

Oneawa Hills - Kapa'a Quarry - Hiking Near Me - Kaneohe, Hawaii

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