I only did the shorter path past the river with the beautiful rock view. Didn't go all the way to the waterfall because it started pouring rain a mile in, and I had to do the whole way back slipping and sliding in mud but the view of the river was nice and I even got to dip my feet in the water and it was real peaceful surrounding myself with the sound of the wind and river! Only rating 4/5 cause the whole mud and rain situation. I slipped at some point, not fun! Oh yeah, I started at the lower trail! read more

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Fun great little trail, 2 walk through caves/tunnels along the upper trail. Kids loved it, would do it again. Views are amazing as always. Muddy spots for sure, lots of roots, and the reason I only gave 4 stars is the Poop!! make sure you watch out for dog POOP! But we really enjoyed the trail! read more

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Love introducing this hike to friends who have not discovered it yet. It is a moderate hike, good one for someone who doesn't hike much and wants a short morning hike with variety. I always do the lower loop first, which takes you down to a valley with a creek running through it. This area can be muddy, under a dense canopy of trees. You'll see some beautiful old growth trees through this part. The trail does take you right by the creek, so be mindful if raining hard in mountains above for flash floods. The trail starts to climb until you reach the Upper Loop. If you want do 3 of the old abandoned irrigation tunnels turn left on the trail and a very short walk look to your right for the opening of the tunnel. Of the 3 this is the longest. Pull out your phone to use as flashlight. This tunnel had at 3 inches of water in the bottom because of recent rain. Watch the ceiling and don't bump your head. The tunnel will connect you with the Upper Loop. The next 2 tunnels are on your left and shorter than the first and had no standing water. Love this little side adventure on the trail. The trail starts to climb up until you reach a lookout with a bench. At this point you go down a steep hill that takes you a trail that takes you back to where you started. Use AllTrail to keep you going the right direction. Bring water, bug spray for lower loop section, hiking boots and snacks. Trail is only about 2 1/2 miles with 465 elevation gain. A great quick morning hike. read more

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Very cool and interesting hike with tunnels! Definitely an experience for me. Parking is alongside the road near Pearl City High school. Do not go past the gate with the security guard. I 100% recommend starting with the upper trail first because the incline coming from the lower trail to upper trail will be a lot more tiring and steeper. Unless you prefer a great leg workout but for families I recommend upper first. It had rained a day before but was clear and sunny skies today. Lower trail is very muddy, nearly slipped a few times. My shoes were covered in wet mud and water but that's the fun part. Some of the trees branches were broken off and blocked the path so you'll have to duck under them and climb over several large tree trunks. There is a nice river along the bank of the lower trail, you can wash off if you're super muddy or just enjoy seeing the river. The upper trail has cool tunnels you can traverse through or you can just stay along the dirt ground path. Both ways leads to the same trail. There is a bench for photos looking out at the view. read more

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Weather was great for our early morning hike. Ample amount of street parking. No crowds. We decided to start by taking the Lower Trail and looped around being able to explore 3 short caves along the way as we ended at the beginning of the Upper Trail. We hiked at a comfortable pace and completed it in about 2 hours. read more

First a note to my future self: don't do it. I am mixed on what to rate this as I enjoyed the lower trail but the upper trail is horrible. It was not marked well, has trees cut blocking the trail, and again for emphasis there are no real signs of where to go. First sign of issue is none of the Yelp reviews I read mentioned distance of upper half or how dangerous it can be. The only thing I read was a few tunnels. Second warning was the GPS had me going through the state owned property for a mile (of course I noticed when there was a gate with a guard) instead of parking in front of the school. We started out ok on the lower trail and it started to rain as anyone who lived here for longer than a month knows it always rains here. We got to the intersection of lower and upper half and no real sign of which way goes where or to turn around if you only wanted to do lower half for 2 mile round trip. We went left and our adventure got crazy. Then we were about 3 and a half hours into a nice hike turned nightmare when we looked at our phones with no cell service and unable to get satellite on GPS when it did come on briefly. We noticed the trail we were on was 3.3 miles north of our parked car. So we decided to turn around and of course it was raining and there are very dangerous curves/cliffs/muddy areas. Even though we backtracked our steps we somehow ended up at a covered area put up by the Boy Scouts. We followed the very obvious trail to see that it was blocked off by cut trees. We had to go around it for about thirty feet to get back on the path. With all of this craziness I sprained my knee. I would not recommend the upper half for any older or young kids. If you do dare read a map first to see how far it goes because I still have no idea. Also of note beware those who are taller as the tunnels on the upper half you'll have to duck walk parts of them. read more

Waimano Loop Trail - Hiking Near Me - Pearl City, Hawaii

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This is a wonderful hike, just bring shoes that you won't mind getting dirty. We did this hike back in December so it was a bit wet but didn't stop us from enjoying it. Slippery at times but the caves are really exciting for kids. It's a much quieter hike than the other more popular ones we have visited. The parking is just on the street, unless there is a spot I don't know about. There might be multiple entries. If you are thinking about something to do and wanna just do a chill hike with some small caves check it out. Look for the caves, might miss them. A lot of different bugs in there so just be aware lol makes it more exciting! Enjoy and be mindful of trash and where you are parking. read more

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One of leeward Oahu's best hikes for those who like viewing the diversity of rain forest flora. Rivals Mt Ka'ala except that this hike is much less strenuous. This makes it quite enjoyable and very easy to navigate especially for novice hikers or ohana with keiki. Trailhead starts at the very end of Waimano Home Road (past the elementary school and Our Lady of Good Counsel Church). Just keep going through the residential neighborhood and you'll see the Pearl City Cultural Center on your right. Across the road on the left is plenty of parking. Please be quiet when exiting and re entering your vehicle as this is a residential area. So many wonderful hikes are closed now because of selfish-inconsiderate people who created noise disturbances in neighborhoods near the trailheads. Trail starts next to the twin guard shacks. You'll see the signs giving you the option to take the upper or lower trail. We wanted to do the upper and experience traversing the irrigation tunnels with headlamps but the weekend we hiked it, we found the entire upper trail closed due to maintenance. When something forces your hand, go with it! We did the lower trail and returned the same way. We were not disappointed. The trail is easy and fun. Yes there are choke rocks and roots throughout the lower trail but these actually make it easy to find good footing. We hiked it a week after torrential downpours and found the way 90% dry with just a few areas muddy but easily gone around. I read during my research that this trail was part of an ancient trail used by Hawaiians before the unification. It was begun as part of park's system in the late 1940s when some of the residential buildings were added and new real estate projects were underway. We saw evidence of this by coming across 80 year old thick walled glazed concrete drainage pipes used to prevent trailhead erosion. Sometimes it's cool (only if you're a nerd like me) to pinpoint a place in time by analyzing the construction methods. Eventually the trail dips down to run past Waimano stream. This was a joy to hike with the sound of trickling water off to your left. The stream we found was beautiful in reflecting the blue of the overhead sky and was full of tiny fry and other small fish. Again I must echo the words of previous Yelpers who also reviewed this trail and repeat to please pack out your opala and garbage. Trash here only hurts the environment which in turn hurts all of us. The trail continues through some pretty gigantic trees that are amazing to see and marvel at. The entire hike is such a joy as everywhere is lush foliage, flowering plants and in the fall and summer (as I read) full of guava, strawberry guava, and lilikoi. We saw lots of Blue Vervain and I couldn't help picking and eating some of the very dark blue/purple flowers. The darker the color the sweeter the taste! I have some that grow near where I live and I like to use the leaves, roots, and stems to make a calming tea. Towards the end where the lower trail rises again in altitude, it again joins the upper trail. Further on there are picnic tables where you can view the entire ridge line. Our return trip was uneventful and no hurdles except we were bit tired, hungry, and got "hikers fatigue" trying to guess how far the car was. We met many people and nice families along the way but it was never crowded and most of the hike we were just by ourselves. Truly a very enjoyable excursion very conveniently located in Pearl City. Perfect for getting out and stretching both limb and mind during these stressful times. Perfect mental health break and decent lower body workout too. Mahalo Pearl City and mahalo to you all for reading my review. read more

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Waimano Valley Ridge Trail is a dog friendly (on leash, this is also a hunting ground), easy (for upper) to moderate (for lower) nature hike in Pearl City. Street parking was plentiful, and I only ended up seeing a few other people in my 1 hour 15 minutes on the trail. Another hiker told me the trail is much more difficult if you do the lower trail first then up to the upper trail due to the slope. There are also mini tunnel/caves on this trail, and it was fairly shaded most of the way. Upper trail is flat and follows the fence line of State of Hawaii Department of Health, with nice views of the ridge peeking through the greenery. Could very easily do this as an out and back with my elderly parents. For the lower trail, weather will highly affect how difficult this trail is. Lots of bugs and muddy slippery conditions when I went this weekend, but tons of flowers and fungi to look at. The trek down to the lower trail was fairly steep, although nothing ever felt treacherous or was overlooking any cliffs or drops. More than a few downed trees on the lower trail, but nothing my 17lb beagle couldn't handle. No trash cans anywhere near the trail, so make sure to pack out whatever you pack in. I had a few near miss slips on this one, and my shoes were nice and muddy (but not wet inside or soaked) by the time I was done with this short hike. read more

Do you need something to do during this covid-19? Well, look no further. Waimano loop trail is a perfect choice. It's free, you can bring your family, and you can be with nature for at least 1 hour. We all can use fresh air these days being cooped up at home. I'm not sure why this is called loop trail because it's one way in and one way out. The total time for one way is about 3 hours and some minutes as I research. If you want to do this trail completely you're going to need food, lots of water, mosquito repellent, and all day I imagine. Me and my husband on the other hand walked in for about 1 hour and turned back. You can see the running stream about 30 minutes into the hike. You'll see some guppies and other small fish in there. I've been here before when it was dry and trust me this stream does dry up almost to no water. I recommend not coming here after lots of rain because it can get muddy as well. Another caution is that tree branches are low in certain area so be aware. I saw many little people on the hike so it's kid friendly. It was only 4 stars because there's no public bathroom available. read more

Waimano Loop Trail - Hiking Near Me - Pearl City, Hawaii

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This was so fun! There is plenty of parking on the side of the road and the entrance is to the left of the security gate. Be sure to check the weather before coming because the path can get pretty muddy. I would also recommend sunscreen and bug spray. The hike is beautiful and well maintained with clear paths. Hike does have ropes at points but it isn't too difficult. You can do the Upper or Lower Falls trail, they do eventually connect and you can do it as a loop. We decided to only do the Lower Falls and it was really cool to see the caves that are along the trail. I want to try the Upper Falls trail next! read more

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I love this loop trail as it's located at the end of my main road in Pearl City. The trail starts near Pearl City High School. There is a lot of street parking, and usually this place is packed since it's also a hunting ground. There is also a longer trail called Waimano Ridge Trail, that will take you to the ridge overlooking the East Side of Oahu. I have yet to complete that trail. When you first start there will be a fork in the road with signs labeling both trails. There is an Upper Trail and Lower Trail. Both trails connect to the loop, however the Lower Trail will take you down in the valley then you make your way back up to the view point. This trail will be a bit more tough with all the incline. The Upper Trail will get you faster to the View Point and then you descend down to the valley. This will be an easier route since you will be going down instead of the harsh incline. I have done both ways and on days I feel like taking a nice stroll I'll start with the Upper Trail and days I need the workout I'll start with the the Lower Trail. The trail itself is very shaded. so it's okay to go on a hot sunny day. There are a lot of birds so you will hear a lot of chirping. After rainy days there is a stream that builds up and makes for really nice pictures. The view you get is of the West Side of Oahu. The trees are slowly taking over the view but still a great view point. You'll also see the ridge next over, so much greenery. You can also hike to the view point and head back starting at the Upper Trail, it takes about 20 Mins. to get to the view point. Perfect trail for the family or just a nice quick stroll. Overall great trail, and the parking area is safe from all my experiences. read more

Three and a half. It was a lot of work for nothing at the end. Wished for some nice water and a waterfall but got nice muddy water. Was nice and hard but it's fun if you like the hard work!!! The weather was great and not rainy so it wasn't hard. If and when the ground is wet, it's super slick and be careful but it's fun to do with friends read more

Parking on the street next to the school. When we went there were many available spaces. It's a pretty mild hike. There are some sections are narrow walkways and one part where you need to repel down a bit. Other than that it's a smooth walk. Cool tunnel to check out if it's not flooded with water. Definitely a nice hike to check out read more

We aren't a hiking outdoorsy family. I got a 3, 6, 8, & 10 year old. My 6 yr been begging to go hiking (thanks YouTube) so after some quick googling I found this close by. First day we didn't see the tunnels or stream because of our lack of exploration & not really knowing where to go. We still had fun. I watched this video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c28PE1pk7pA ( waimano loop trail and tunnels by PhotoLukeHawaii) & got a better sense of the trail. Per my 6yr request we returned the next day, made friends & did the whole upper & lower trail. My tips: Start with the lower trail if with kids so you can see the stream & tunnels when you connect with upper trail. Wear big spray! choke! Carry it with you too. It's VERY muddy on lower trail. Not sure if that's the norm but plan in case. Signs seem to be minimal but they got markers on trees sporadically. Just keep eyes open. WATCH https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c28PE1pk7pA ( waimano loop trail and tunnels by PhotoLukeHawaii .. not affiliated in anyway) Will we return? YES! My 6yr wants to go tomorrow. Thankful they have school so mama bear can prep for the next trip. read more

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#115 of 2017 At the end of Waimano Home Rd is the trail head. Park outside the gate. Trail head starts on the left of the gated compound. It has been raining off and on. It poured last night. However, felt it was still safe to go. Based on what I read, it is a well cleared, maintained trail. There are a few touchy areas but can be overcomed easily without much concern. Lots of mushrooms to see. Many strawberry guavas. Several mango trees too. Saw several trails, almost hidden, hunters used. There is a bench at the top of the ridge affording a nice view of the Waianae range. High above you see the forest canopy below making you feel displaced into another world. Went into 3 tunnels that were amazing to go thhrough all though man made. Easy hike to do for 2.5 hours. Might be able to cut it down to 1.45 hours without so many stops. When the water is flowing need to be careful when crossing. If it is raining hard best to turn back and get out. Will try to come back when the water level recedes a bit to explore the bottom. read more

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Waimano loop trail is a fun and interesting trail. Part of the trail runs on the ridge halfway so you can either head to the upper ridge trail or the lower Waimano Valley trail. Conditions can be wet and slippery throughout. I prefer starting with the lower portion which starts a downhill descent into a rainforest area and runs along the waimano stream, far down the stream is the waimano Falls which is accessed from the manana ridge trail on the opposite side of the valley. I've seen the waimano stream completely dry to raging rapids which covers part of the trail where you have to climb on the rocks as pictured. The trail is pretty easy except the short perpendicular run that connects the upper and lower trails, nothing too serious it's just a steep heavily rooted hill that can be muddy. I find it easier to go up than go down because visually you can see where to step better. Once you reach the upper trail you'll enjoy the expansive view and will head back in the direct where you started. There are three irrigation tunnels along the path that are spooky and fun to explore so bring a flashlight. Some of the cliffs areas can be slippery mud and and it's straight down. So take your time. Just before the end of the trail they'll be a bench on a cliff with a tree which has great views and is a perfect selfie spot! After that they'll be a small hill, you can head down the short steep slope or right before it to the left is a gradual trail. The easiest way to get here is just head towards to GPS the pearl city cultural center, parking is right across the street, trail head is to the left of the security gate down the street. read more

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This trail can be very muddy when it rains. When we went up to this trail it rained 2 days prior so I would not recommend going when it recently rained. You can park on the strets across Pearl City High School. Just keep going straight and follow the signs. There are pink ribbons tied around the trees so just follow them too. Continue to follow the path. I recommend bringing water and please do not litter!! Hate people who disrespect our environment. You are a visitor and must respect any lives that live here. Found tangerine peel at the parking area. Shame on you!! Good hike and fairly manageable for the keiki. Have fun and enjoy nature! read more

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Nice easy hike but can be a bit muddy on the lower trail. Parking is easy and the hike can be extended or shortened for your preference.

As many have stated, Waimano loop trail is NOT Waimano Falls. Why so many posts for the falls are here makes me wonder about people... I'm reviewing the tunnels trail -- haven't done the loop up to the ridgeline. I've done the tunnels 4 times now. Fun and easy hiking! There's eight tunnels; went through 6 of them last weekend. Two were just too wet to get into the tunnel without getting our hiking shoes completely soaked. We did the upper loop trail until the bench, then headed down to the ditch trail. Hit four of the six short tunnels on this section. Fun. Our friends, virgins to the tunnels, really enjoyed this. Then we crossed the little stream and headed into the two longggg tunnels (at least 200 yards each, I think longer actually). Bring headlights and hats with a towel under the hat to protect your head WHEN you bump it in the tunnels. Our virgin friends did a lot of head bumping but my advance warning to use the hat/towel, and to keep down, minimized their headaches :-). Once out of the final long tunnel, turn LEFT and head up the trail to the picnic bench under a gazebo. Get some water/snacks, then veer left down the trail/roots. You'll see a pink ribboned trail going straight. Avoid that and continue down to the left. In about 5 minutes you'll be back at the entrance area to the first long tunnel you went through 20 minutes ago. Re-cross the stream and then just follow the ditch back the way you came. We brought ziplocks these last two hikes to collect strawberry guavas. Filled 'em both times! And this last time we lucked out to see a Jackson's chameleon in one of the trees. Way cool! If you just do the tunnels out and back, figure 3 hours. With guava picking, add an hour to your hiking time. This is a really easy hike on an easy-to-follow trail. Very shaded and not many bugs (avoid the lower trail which is pretty buggy) and lots of strawberry guava to pick in Oct and Nov. read more

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The Waimano Loop has several things going for it: 1. A guard station right beside where cars are parked lessens the chance of break-ins. 2. Three irrigation tunnels on the trail provide an opportunity to scare yourself sh*tless. 3. Leashed dogs are permitted. 4. It's a big,easy loop that takes only about 75 minutes start to finish. A little more about each of the above: * To reach the trail, take Waimano Home Road north to its end then park by the side of the road close to the guard stations. The entrance to the trail is to the left of the chain link fence. Stay on the path closest to that fence (Upper Waimano Trail) to begin your counterclockwise hike. When that splits, remain on the upper trail. Past the first irrigation tunnel you'll turn left and begin dropping downhill to the Lower Waimano Trail. Pink plastic strips tied to trees will show you the path to follow but even if you don't see them it'd be hard to go too far astray. * If you're going to hunch over and make your way through a long, dark irrigation tunnel do so at the first one you come to. I was halfway through that one before my hiking partner yelled "I hope there's no bats in here!". There weren't, but the other tunnels looked far more overgrown and foreboding and I'm betting they housed their share. But do go through that first tunnel just to scare yourself silly. * I saw only four people on the trail, all on the Upper Waimano. I saw zero people on the Lower Waimano Trail. If you let your dog off-leash I won't tell. * 2 miles total, with an elevation change of 200 feet means that this is an extremely easy hike and I'm surprised more people don't know about it. It's well-shaded and quick but somehow makes you feel like you've traveled a bit of a distance. This is a good little trail to know about when you've only got a short amount of time in which to hike. (This hike is #37 in Suzanne Swedo's book, "Hiking the Hawaiian Islands"). read more

Waimano Loop Trail - To hike counterclockwise start on the upper trail and descend to the lower. It's s 2 mile loop that returns you to your starting place. - Hiking Near Me - Pearl City, Hawaii

This hike is tricky - make sure to keep an eye out for the posted signs. If you go before daylight hours, bring a source of light. Preferably a head lamp so your hands are free to break your fall. There are a lot of tree roots along the trail watch your step. Also make sure you are wearing proper shoes, and if it muddy you might want to bring a bag to put the shoes in after the hike. The trail is a loop, but like I mentioned be sure to keep an Eye out for the signs. The trail can lead you far into the tree line and there is no telling where you'll end up. The hike isn't difficult but the hills can put some strain on the legs. There are some lava tunnels or aka caves that you can go through but be sure to watch your head. Fun hike roughly 2.2 miles and at a steady pace is less then an hour long. Have fun! read more

Waimano Loop Trail - Hiking Near Me - Pearl City, Hawaii

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Lots of fun, great for kiddos and dogs. Neat little caves and a beautiful river with giant rocks that are perfect for a picnic or a mini cooling off break. read more

Great hike! Easy enough for kids and animals. There is a lower loop and an upper loop. But they connect so regardless of which one you start at you'll end up at the same connection point. We took the lower loop and once it connected to the upper loop we turned right and went back to our car that way. There were three caves along the way on the upper loop, well two of them were more like tunnels that you can walk through but it connects to the original trail. We walked the full loop in about an hour and it was a little over two miles. The vegetation is beautiful, there are lots of different trees and plants to look at. It's very jungly and the sun light gets filtered through the trees so it stays a little wet and muddy along the trail. Parking is just some dirt next to the fence and trail head. It has room for maybe 6 cars? We went on a Monday afternoon and it was not busy at all there were only two cars and a couple people on the trail. read more

Waimano Loop Trail - Place where the upper and lower loops meet - Hiking Near Me - Pearl City, Hawaii

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This Waimano Ridge Trail was fun to explore with lots of vegetation, lots of trees, and a nice view of the valley below from a couple viewpoints. There is an upper and lower trail to choose from. I chose the upper trail, which runs along the fence enclosing the Hawaii Department of Health campus. The upper trail also passes by a small cemetery and two large fuel drums that are enclosed with fencing and barbed wire. Once you pass the fuel drums, the trail goes on for a mile or two. However, the trail becomes very overgrown after the first mile so I recommend wearing long pants and long sleeves if you plan to go bushwhacking. I ended up stopping at the last scenic spot before the trail starts disappearing with the overgrowth. I recommend the Waimano Ridge Trail if you are looking for a nice workout in the Aiea area, but expect to navigate lots of vegetation and be prepared to turn around if you don't want to sift through overgrown trails. read more

Request: Please be respectful of the people that live in the neighborhood where you park - do not block driveways, do not litter, and do not make a lot of noise if you are there in the early morning. The start of this hike is quite enjoyable - paved road, dirt trail. Then you come to the real nature part of the trail and it's all roots and rocks. If it has been raining, please make sure you have hiking boots or at least good sneakers. Remember...what goes down must come up!!! Yes, I know it's usually the other way around, but this hike has you going down more than up to get to the waterfalls at the end. There are ropes in certain parts when you need them, but there are side trails that meet up with the main trail to avoid the ropes if you want. When we were hiking we saw slippers, and shoes left on the side of the trail - I guess other hikers decided it was easier to go barefoot. The first waterfall has a nice pool at its base and then the water trickles down. If you don't feel like going into the water - and if the water isn't flowing freely I would think about going in (stagnant water is not good to swim in) - you can cruise a little ways away from the pool and still rinse off the mud from you. The trail is well covered by trees so it can be quite cool - or hot if there are no tradewinds. What to bring/wear: Shoes - hiking boots or good sneakers Water Phone/camera/GoPro - the foliage is amazing and so are the waterfalls Snacks - if you want - you can replenish your energy when you stop at the waterfalls I hope you enjoy this hike! read more

Waimano Loop Trail - Hiking Near Me - Pearl City, Hawaii

Medium ranked hike. There's nothing sketchy about this trail. Initially, a flat trail which begins to steadily go down hill. This same area becomes the most difficult portion of the hike when returning. The majority of the trail is shaded by trees so it doesn't get too hot. There are two pools. The lower pool has a rope swing attached and the upper pool has a larger waterfall. The lower pool is deep enough to jump. On this day the water was about 7 feet deep in the center. Make sure to check the depth before jumping into anything. Fun trail to do with friends and safe enough to do alone. It's a highly trafficked trail so you will be able to find others to tag along with. Remember to pick up after yourself and don't leave any trash behind. Keep it clean. Aloha read more

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I'm not much of an outdoor person bugs.. mosquitoes not my things! But I do enjoy a good challenge/exercise which I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to do with me and my boyfriend and nephew and two little cousins. Took us about an hour to get in, following pink tapes around trees as marks for were on the right path and when we got to a rocky place with a river flowing we knew we had to be close to the waterfall! I'm also not a big fan of not being able to see what's beneath me so I was panicking in the water lol but my boyfriend them had so much fun! I just got out the water and watched the hike was really fun more or less! read more

Easy trail to walk. We took 3 kids (14, 8 and 4) - the youngest walked this with no issues. As one yelper suggested, start with the lower trail and it'll loop to the upper side, ending with a couple of tunnels - (a highlight for the kids.) It was drizzly today but not enough to ruin our walk since there's so many trees to shield the rain. Idk that this makes my list of favorite hikes but it's worth checking out if you want to get out the house for a couple of hours. :) read more

Waimano Loop Trail - Hiking Near Me - Pearl City, Hawaii

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Waimano Loop Trail is Waimano Loop Trail. Many Yelpers wrote reviews for the Manana Trail on this page so please note that Waimano Loop Trail does NOT have a waterfall or a swimming hole, but it does have fun caves to explore. Waimano Loop Trail does connect to the ridge but that part is illegal, not well maintained, and not family friendly. Waimano Loop Trail is approximately 2 miles and is mostly shaded making it a solid 5 start trail for families! There is an upper and a lower trail; both can be taken without doing the other. If you want to do just the view point and cave, simply take the upper trail then turn around to follow the same path you came in. We easily did the whole 2 mile loop-starting with the lower trail-with 6 kids ages 3 years to 12 years old. The hill between the two trails is a little steep, but I easily climbed it wearing my 3 year old and all the other kids handled it without difficulty. The kids were beyond stoked when we finally found the tunnels.....but that quickly turned to fear once they entered it and we found out the hard way that the first tunnel from the lower loop is the longest and darkest one. With a little nudge, flashlights, and maybe peer pressure we made it through. Once the fear of the unknown subsided, the kids LOVED exploring the other tunnels. Trek on Yelpers! read more

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This is for the full 14+ mile ridge hike (not the 3 mile loop). Both hikes are at the very end of Waimano Home Rd in Pearl City. Plenty of parking, no restrooms available. You can start with the Upper or Lower trailhead (clearly marked at the beginning). These two connect after about 1.5 miles on each side, hence makin the "loop". The loop hike is kid and dog friendly. For the ridge hike, I took the Upper trailhead. The trail is well marked throughout. I crossed 2 heavy streams within the first few miles. After mile 3 the trail isn't very well maintained. After mile 5 it's not really maintained at all. The last 2 miles are very narrow... putting one foot directly in front of the other, winding the mountain-sides. Then it happens... you turn a corner at reach the end. AMAZING view!! Worth every muddy, tiring, draining step. The hike down was challenging because a small storm hit. I was soaked. I ran out of water at mile 9 (I started with 110 ounces). By the time I got back to my car, a whole day had passed. Worth every second though. There were few people on the trail. Also, there were boar hunters and their dogs. I did have Verizon reception for most of the trail. You can get a camping permit from DLNR for this trail, but it says you must stay within 10 feet of the pathway. However, after mile 2 (where there's the one and only shelter), there's no place off the trail... its extremely narrow. Even at the top, it's a small, steep, area, overlooking a 2,000 ft. ledge. So I don't see how anyone camps along this trail. Here's a map of the trail: http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/recreation/files/2013/09/Oahu-Hiking-Map_Manana-WaimanoArea.pdf I suggest you bring things like an emergency blanket, plenty of water and food, a knife, etc., just in case the weather were to trap you out there for the night. The full ridge hike is NOT a hike for children. Dogs, sure! But be prepared to carry them up/down/over the climbing parts. read more

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This trail is a little difficult to get too. When using either a GPS or Yelp, i couldn't find the address. Search "Pearl City Cultural Center" and it should come up for you guys. Otherwise, keep driving on Waimano Home Road until you reach a gate where you cannot go any further. Park on the left side of the road as there is no space to the right, be careful of the ledge off the road as it is pretty steep which can cause problems for smaller cars! Gate to the trail is on the left of the security booth. After you get, the trail becomes very shaded which is one of my favorite parts about the trail. All around you, there are different kinds of trees with different fruit, mostly mountain guava. Watch out for the seeds! The road forks into two different paths along the fence, lower and higher. I haven't tried the lower but the higher was fairly easy with some areas of heavy incline. There are some rooted areas and a pretty large cliff so be careful and watch where you are going. Other than that,be sure to check out the tunnels which are pretty awesome. I don't know what the origin of them are, but I walked trough a couple and came out unscathed. This trail is pretty long so make sure to pack water and necessary supplies. Have fun and be safe kids!! read more

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Got there around 10:15 on a Thursday, lots of parking on the side of the road. Took the lower trail as suggested. This is a pretty easy hike but very muddy so wear a pair of shoes that you wouldn't mind getting dirty. The trail is a bit tricky in some areas and because of the mud you need to watch your step or you could slip. The caves are cool (we went through 2) and once you start heading up the views are spectacular. Took us about 2 hours with a few stops along the way to take a few photos. Overall great hike, would do again. read more

OMG. This was a really cool trail, but you really need to study and research and plan out what parts you want to go to before heading out there. We thought we could just rely on signs when we got there, and that was not the case. We thought we would be on an easy 2 mile loop, but our hike ended up being 6 miles! At a certain point, when we still weren't looping back, we realized we had to just walk back and that it wouldn't circle back without much more time and intensity!!! read more

Lower Waimano Trail (AKA Waimano Valley): short, easy, and relaxing. 2 mile loop, elevation gain 400 feet, good for beginners and kids. Highlights are the tunnel (quite unique!), view of Wai'anae Range, and lots of strawberry guava trees. Directions: There's a small dirt parking area across the Pearl City Cultural Center. The trail splits early on into Lower Waimano Trail on the left or Upper Waimano Trail on the right. I took the Lower Waimano Trail. The trail is pretty straight forward. At one point you will get to a junction with the Upper Waimano Trail and you will need to turn right to continue on the loop (left goes to the Ko'olau summit). read more

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First off I wanted to state for the record, nature or hiking is really not my thing but I've been hiking about once every other week with my gal pal to try and be "healthy". I do not exercise regularly and I have asthma that doesn't require me to use an inhaler everyday. So my hiking level would be novice/ newb/ in the negatives/ aka, much struggles. Some suggestions: Bring water, you will be thirsty. Have proper footwear, when we were done with the hike we saw a group of high-schoolers with slippers on about to embark on the hike... Like what? I don't think this is that kind of hike kids. I highly do not suggest hiking this during the rain (unless you're expert level or fearless) or when it has been raining and the ground is saturated. In such case, there will be a lot of mud that will cake your shoes and minus all traction abilities. And if yall plan to swim, bring clothes and stuff to change into. We started at around 9AM and it was not raining but on the hike, the ground was mushy. It was like I was ice skating, but these were not skates and the ground was not ice :( I had to periodically scrape out the mud with sticks. When we were coming back from the hike, the ground dried up a whole lot more and it was way easier to walk. I remember having to maneuver through about 5 places where there was no where to walk on, it was a vertical slide down the ground while holding on to a piece of rope/ tree branch. There were many points in the hike I where I wanted to give up and turn back but I persevered. Oh yeah, there's something nicknamed "Cardiac Hill", there's a reason for that x___x people with heart palpitations probably shouldn't do this hike... because this hill will give you tactycardia like nobody's business. Thank God for us meeting a group of military people who helped us through this. I don't know any of their names but there was one guy in that group with a GoPro on his chest. He was super helpful, if you're reading this, THANK YOU BRADDAH MAN!!! YOU THE MVP! At around 11AM we made it all the way down the "pool". There were two shallow river areas before the pool at the end. We had packed clothes to change into after swimming but the water was brown from all the rain. We didn't want to chance it. We finished exited the hike at 12:44PM. read more

This was a fun hike for the whole family! The bottom trail is like walking through a rain forest along a creek and the upper part has a few dark tunnels or "lava tubes" to explore. My kids ages 6, 9, and 12 loved it. read more

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Took the lower trail where there's a sign with WF on a tree. I found if you want to get to the falls follow little pink ribbons tied on tress or after that right where the sign is veer left at all other forks. This was an awesome hike filled with steep root studded paths, ropes and rope swings!!! What a great to spend a couple of hours. My app said it was a little over 5 miles when we finished. We took our time and it took about 3 hours including pool time. I highly recommend jumping off the rope at least once!! By the way for this part of the trail I parked at the end of Komo mai street. The trail entrance is at the other side of turn around. When I dropped a pin on the map app it came up as 2566 Komo Mai Dr Pearl City, HI that got me there just fine! read more

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My favorite falls hike I've done so far. We took the lower trail heading for the falls, which was simple and not too muddy. The hardest part would be the hill covered in tree roots that almost feels like steep stairs. As long as you follow the pink ribbons marking the trail, you'll find the pools no problem. The falls themselves were amazing. There are two main pools with the lower pool having a rope swing across the top, and being plenty deep enough to jump and flip into. While we were there, it began to rain which made the pools and the trees even more lush, green, and tropical looking. read more

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Clarification: This review is not for the entire trail. We only did the beginning part. The entire trail if you do it is very long. Easy trail to start with a nice scenic spot. I noticed someone went thru and added ribbons. The trail was damp today from the rain earlier in the week. It was the first time for a number of people to go thru an irrigation tunnel. We did the trail clockwise. While it's a little harder this way, it ends with the nice view. read more

Waimano Loop Trail - Hiking Near Me - Pearl City, Hawaii

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