Such a beautiful hike to do with friends, acquaintances, and even people you don't really like but…read moreyou went to hawaii together because the plane tickets were cheap ! We met the most wonderful dog (a true native Hawaiian!!!!) who lead us around the ridge . In today's world of late-capitalism, climate change, and the invasion of AI, it is so rare to have someone take a break from doomscrolling and look at you with such beautiful cataract eyes! I've had worse tour guides, give that man a raise! We only saw one other group of hikers so the trail was pretty secluded for a mid-hike leak. I was also pleasantly surprised by the accessibility features of this hike! Since the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Haaula Forest has been growing leaves with braille on them (see image 3). As an anti-ablest and someone who had friends with glasses growing up, I am really delighted to see that the jungle is woke and on the cutting edge of social liberalism. If you or your family are thinking of coming on this hike, I highly recommend that you leave your water bottle in the car. Besides the fact that humans can survive without water for three days, sometimes your friend who offers to carry it will change his mind and you will yell at each other on the top of the mountain and then your friendship will never be the same and you will never go hiking together again. Some areas of improvement that I recommend for the next time the tectonic plates collide is that they add a waterfall to this hike and maybe some chickens because it makes no sense that there's no chickens.

Oahu has its share of hikes that every tourist knows (e.g. Diamond Head, Moana Falls), its share of…read morehikes that avid hikers seem to frequent (e.g. Kuliouou Ridge Trail, Lulumahu Falls), and then a whole lot of hikes that are best described as under the radar. Ma'akua Ridge Trail falls into this last category. With the same starting point as the more popular but also under-the-radar Hau'ula Loop Trail, Ma'akua Ridge Trail gets none of the love. As I entered the path leading to the trailhead a young man was exiting, hoodie encasing his head, hollow darting eyes, and a skittish demeanor which seemed to imply recent meth use. After passing, the young man began running and I momentarily grew concerned for what I might encounter on the trail. Next up, a big, graffiti-covered retaining wall without any cute Menehune characters like those I'd seen amongst the graffiti leading to Lulumahu Falls. And all of this was after the sign near the small parking area, alerting hikers that this is a high theft area. So, yes, this hike started off in what I hoped was not a foreshadowing of anything. The hike itself is 2.5 miles with an elevation of 800 feet, almost exactly the same length and elevation as the Hau'ula Loop Trail but apparently this one takes longer to navigate, is steeper, and more unstable. That's what I was told by the homeowner with neck tattoos and herb boxes, who lives down the street from the trail entrance, as he mentioned how people sometimes need to be rescued from this one. I didn't need rescue. On a weekday, the trail was empty and not another soul was seen in a hike which ran 2 hours 15 minutes. The hike is a loop which I took in a counter-clockwise direction per the instructions in the hiking book I consulted. Beautiful ocean views occur early on and again, later. The ridge is reached after about 1-mile and it's on the ridge-top where the trail can be most unsteady. I remained on two feet the whole time but there were a few places where the unsteady trail required some consideration before moving forward. Nearing the end, and down off the ridge, you will have to cross a rock gulch which, on this visit, contained no water. It looked to be long dry, so no problem. An enormous black lava overhang tells you you're almost back to where you began. This is a great trail to work out on, with lots of ups and downs. If you like being on a seldom-traveled trail, with little evidence of others give this one a try. It's worthy of your love. * The hike is #52 in Susanne Swedy's excellent book, "Hiking the Hawaiian Islands". * The parking area is very small, only enough for a few cars, and a sign announces it as a high theft area. You might consider parking down the street or even out at Hau'ula Beach Park, and walking from there. * Take the Kamehameha Highway to Hau'ula and turn mauka (toward the mountain) at Hau'ula Homesteads Road (just across from Hau'ula Beach Park). This road winds around and back out to the highway but you should not. Take it only to where the road turns (about 1/2 mile from the beach), and park. The well-marked path leading to the trailhead begins there. * After the initial signs announcing the trailhead, there are no further signs, only little pieces of orange tape which you will occasionally notice in the trees, alerting you to the fact that you're on the right path. Having the book to guide you helps, but I don't think it's necessary. * I had cell service the whole way, something I can't even claim from my home in Cali.

After spending $72 for a family of 3 to enter the Koloa Fall I was not happy with the trail it was…read morevery over priced and a waste of a hike. It was a small pond and the bottom of a small waterfall that wasn't worth a picture.

This hike isn't for everyone. It's a long and tedious trek, going in and out of water the entire…read moretime. Very easy to slip and fall on huge stream rocks. I agree that this is for experienced hikers only. Shoe spikes and trekking poles saved me as I maneuvered through the mud, rocks, and water. It's about 7.5 miles rt. We did it in 5 hours, but I heard it can take 8+ if the weather is bad. The end is pretty, but not spectacular. I enjoyed it for the workout and solitude. I went through 4 liters of water and ran out about mile 6.5. So bring a lot of water!! You must get a free hiking permit from Hawaii Reserves to be on this property. E-mail them and they'll assist you, or go to their office. http://www.hawaiireserves.com/community_hikecamp.htm

First off, you will need to obtain a permit from Hawaii Reserves, Inc prior to hiking the Laie…read moreFalls Trail, and you can easily do so by stopping by their offices, located in the Laie Shopping Center (near the Foodland) at 55-510 Kamehameha Highway, Laie, HI 96762. They are open Monday-Friday from 9 AM-5 PM. More info on them is available at http://www.hawaiireserves.com/about_location.htm. The reason is that it really is private property and you don't want to get into any legal problems with the residents in the area (No Trespassing signs throughout the immediate area). Now on to the hike. You should park at the football field as there is no parking right at the main entrance to the trail. Make sure you have sunscreen and mosquito repellant on you at all times and wear good running/hiking shoes that you're willing to get muddy and dirty. Oh yes, and don't forget about water! Parts of the trail can be a bit muddy and wet. Also look for pink markers on tree branches throughout the trail, as they can really save you from getting lost or overwhelmed. It's about a 3-4 hour hike overall (round trip) and not one of those easy ones either. Along the way, you'll encounter gorgeous views of the valley and even parts of the ocean from a distance. A lot of work and effort to be put in to reach the waterfall. When you get to the part right after all the tall pine trees and that long winding narrow stretch of guava trees, you might be thinking to yourself, "Is this ever going to end!?" It's about another 1-1/2 miles from the pine trees through the guava trees to the falls. And admittedly, I was about ready to turn back thinking I had gone in the wrong direction, but lo and behold, finally came to the sign that directs you to the waterfall. But be really careful when you make your way down to the waterfall and grab onto any ropes available so you don't go tumbling down to the bottom, as it is really steep and dangerous. You will eventually be rewarded with lovely views of Laie Falls.

I read a lot of reviews before trying this hike out for myself. A few of them said to get a…read morepermit, so I sent in my application by fax to the office and within a week I got an email from them with the permit and it is good for one year. The beginning part of the hike up to the falls is a nice hike - I think it can be considered medium/intermediate. You start by walking from the park on a dirt/gravel road. You pass through two gates and from there it is a walk steadily up through trees and open areas with hard packed dirt and some loose gravel. One of my friends described one of the sections as the pathway for the rock in Indiana Jones (I hope that didn't date me too much) lol. There are great views throughout this whole hike!!! This section can be hot!! After the Indiana Jones part of this hike you come to the pine trees...and they are magnificent!!! So tall and majestic, they sometimes block out the sun. After this you come to the muddy section of this hike and when I say muddy, I mean MUDDY. My friends and I looked like ballerina monkeys trying to balance on roots, hold onto the trees along the side of the trail, and tiptoe our way up. It stays this way until you reach the sign for the falls. By the time we got back to our cars all of our shoes were caked in mud and some of it got into shoes as well. The sign at the falls says it is 2 hours more to the summit. This part of the hike I would consider intermediate/hard. You meander around the two mountains - no real inclines, just a whole bunch of zigzags. However, the trail has a lot of sections where you feel like you're walking on a balance beam and it can be quite muddy if it's been raining. There are a couple sections where there are ropes to assist you, and we only used them on the way down. It is a ridge trail, parts there is just cliff on either side of you, and some there are ferns to one side but when I tested if they were stable enough to lean on, I couldn't figure out where the ground was without feeling like I was going to fall. It took my friend and I three and a half hours to reach the "summit". It looks like it is an intersection for five other trails, which they are I have no idea. If you are going to do this hike, I recommend that you bring snacks, at least 2 liters of water (to the falls), 3 or more liters of water if you're going to the summit. To the falls and back it took my friends and I six and a half hours. We did take our time throughout this hike, so if you're one of those go-go-go hikers it may take you four to five hours round trip. When my friend and I went back to do the summit, it was a 9 1/2 hour round trip hike for us. It was raining the night before and an on and off drizzle while we were hiking so we did not rush. I would definitely do the hike to the falls again, but it would take some serious bribing for me to go back to the summit.

Many non-island dwelling friends often ask me if I ever get "island fever" or feel isolated living…read morehere on Oahu. Truth is I've never felt that way ever. So much to see and do here. I do however, get occasional "teleworking fever" brought on by the current work-at-home mandate. This weekend we tried to do something about it by seeking out some alternative hiking locations. While Turtle Bay resort is still closed, the myriad of hiking paths are still open. We chose to avail ourselves of the Kahuku point trail and some other ancillary loop trails that stretch across the resort grounds. The day was a perfect one with brisk trades and plenty sun. The 1.5 mile loop and back took us about 3 hours including some time spent gazing out at the point at all the breakers and exploring tide pools. Even spied small fish and found some very interesting geological history--such as micro perforated rocks showing how the volcanic gases escaped. In the end we left the resort feeling decently exercised and ready to face Monday morning! Highly recommend a visit. Mahalo for reading my review.

A two-mile coastal trail that has a peninsula as the final destination. The path is a simple walk…read moreacross flat land, although the sand may make it a bit more difficult. We only explored a short section from the beginning as it was too sunny and hot for us to go any further. The scenery is relaxing and the beaches were not that crowded despite being next to a hotel. Little critters can be discovered and we had an entertaining time watching all the crabs scurry away from the waves. A variety of birds can be spotted in the vicinity too. We parked at the lot right before Turtle Bay Resort that is accessible via Kuilima Drive. From there, you can walk to the starting point of Turtle Beach and then head east.

Snorkeling with Tim was one of the highlights of our trip. Tim is very communicative and attentive,…read morewalking us through safety procedures and trip protocols. He is super knowledgeable and really catered to us (my wife is 20 weeks pregnant for example). I highly recommend Tim!!!

From the owner: Aloha! For all of our tours, whether on land or water; safety & customer satisfaction are our top…read morepriorities. We will do everything we can to meet or exceed your expectations. Tim's Tours Hawai'i provides custom tours of everything the beautiful Hawaiian landscapes have to offer. With a variety of tours to choose from, we're sure you'll be happy spending your weekend or vacation kayaking, snorkeling, hiking & diving with us. Your authentic adventure awaits! Tim Underwood, Owner, Tim's Tours Hawai'i EFR/CPR/First Aide Certified PADI Dive Master #368159

Had a great adventure with Salty Kayaks Oahu. We were running a bit late due to traffic on H1, we…read morecalled in and he said it would be no issue and met us at Kualoa regional park. Super nice and gave us directions for how to get out to Mokoli'i. We left at about 8:20 and were the first to arrive at the island at around 8:50 . We hiked about half way up, to the point with the rope. Bring hiking shoes if you want to go up! It's steep. We made our way back down, there was 3 groups paddling in by that time, + we saw a group spear fishing in front of the island! We headed back and we're able to turn our kayak in super quickly. Overall an amazing experience and I would highly recommend them + maybe an early start so you can have the island all to yourself for a while!

From the owner: Aloha! Explore Oahu with convenient beach gear rentals with delivery to you with a minimum…read morepurchase. Experience Hawaii life with Kayaking, paddle boarding, biking, and snorkeling gear rentals. North East and North Shore areas of Oahu are our recommended areas for faster delivery service. Plan your next island adventures now!

What an amazing tour and tour guides! Jon and Leilani were absolutely wonderful! They were very…read morenice, knowledgeable, and fun! We were a group of 11 with one person with special accommodations and they made the trip perfect for everyone! We went on the circle island tour and went all over Honolulu from north shore to turtle bay to pipeline. I highly recommend this tour to anyone coming to the island!

This was such an Amazing Tour. We went to Manoah Falls and everything there was beautiful. We even…read morehad it pouring down rain on the way back down, which made it more awesome! The Best part was John and Leilani, our tour guides. They are wonderful people. John gave us great tips on where to eat and where to snorkel, and we did them all. We would have missed out if it wasn't for him!! Thanks so much to you both Joseph and Lilah