Jason Kinomoto
If you are looking for outdoor activities that don’t involve the beach, try taking a hike. It’s great exercise, free, and provides unique views of Hawaii’s natural landscape. For an easy to moderate hike, try the Kuliouou ridge trail in Hawaii Kai.
To get there from town, take the Kalanianaole Highway heading east and left into Kuliouou Road. Head into the valley and take a right at Kalaau road, park as close to the cul-de-sac as legally possible. This is a residential area so be considerate to those who live in the neighborhood.
Traveling on foot now, follow the road until you see a path on your right going into the woods. There will be a sign warning hikers to be careful because the area is also used by hunters. From there, continue on for a few minutes until you see a fork in the road and a sign post that points the way to Kuliouou valley trail and the ridge trail. The valley trail simply goes into the valley a little bit until it dead-ends at a streambed. It’s not particularly exciting, so follow ridge trail.
The ridge trail winds through several different climate zones and takes about ninety minutes to reach the summit. If it has been raining recently, the path may become muddy and slippery so take the appropriate precautions. Usually though, the only tricky part comes towards the end when the path narrows and becomes steep. Fortunately, there are ropes to assist hikers wherever it becomes difficult.
After sweating and plodding your way through the forest, the reward is a panoramic view of Waimanalo and the east side of Oahu. You will know when you have reached the approximately 1,900 foot high summit thanks to a large sing that says “End of Trail.”
Feel free to take some pictures, drink some water, and enjoy the cooling wind. Because when you are at the top, the only place left to go is back down.