Kalawahine Trail to Manoa Falls Trail

Wonderful forest trail in the mountains. One of the most enjoyable trials we have been. Actually, there are many trials on the Tantalus mountain interacting with each other.
We started at the at the Kalawaihine trial, then continued with the Pauoa flats trail (to the right side), and then finished at the Manoa cliff trail. It was too beautiful to not explore until the end.
We went through bamboo forests, saw the cliffs, passed the ginger fields. But didn’t see the waterfall. We will have to go again!
The trail is well maintained. Just a beautiful get away, even for us, who lives here. I never stop being amazed at what this island offered. So lucky to be here!

We went on a tour guide trail and it was a nice little water fall. And very lush area. Just make sure you don’t slip because it can get a bit muddy when it rains

Stumbled upon this hike with my family while simply going to Manoa falls! My wife’s mother and father were fresh in town (5 days) and very adventurous, so we decided to go ahead and do the hike since we were there. This hike was no joke! Terrain was rough in a couple spots, like most hikes, and slippery. Trail was definitely off the beaten path, but great once you got on it. Just be prepared for a long hike. Bring an abundance of water. Either bring snacks or plan to eat immediately afterwards.

A Jurassic Park/​Avatar wonderland! This is a short, and fairly easy trail that provides a sensory explosion! You must do this trail if you’re visiting. :)
Just a heads up, it can get pretty muddy. So take your time and if it’s really muddy put your camera away so you have both hands free. Just be safe and use your best judgement!

This Trail was a beginner trail but when it’s blasting down rain it becomes more of an advanced trail due to it being crazy muddy and slippery.
The hike has great views and scenery. On the hike up there are tons of rocks and boulders. Best thing to do is wear hiking shoes or boots. We saw so many people in sandals and board shorts. I was like seriously are you stupid. You wouldn’t wear those clothes for regular hiking so why would you do it here?
We happen to be hiking in the pouring ass rain. I mean they don’t call it a rain Forrest for nothing. My wife had a great idea since we didn’t have hats or an umbrella. In the Forrest they have huge leaves so i broke off 2 huge plant leaves and we used them as umbrellas which was really cool and works perfectly. It’s about 1 mile up hill through a bunch of rocky muddy muggy areas but finally you reach the top where the waterfall is and it was pretty cool to see but when your clothes are soaking wet and your socks are drenched you don’t want to stand around enjoying the view for too long. We snapped a few photos and headed back down. I was amazed on how hard it was raining. Literally the second we left the Forrest it was blue sky’s and nice weather again.
Over all it was a nice hike but it would have been better if it wasn’t raining so damn hard.

Great sinple hike. Wished it was more open because of the amount of people that come. Try going in the earl AM maybe ull get some picture ops without the rest of the tourist groups around you.
Bring water and shoes you can clean. It could get muddy.
Pay your $ 5 parking and feel safe with your belongings.

Great hike for people who loves walks in rain and muddy trail for 8 miles and more.

Short hike but don’t pack a swimsuit you cannot get close

Hiking shoes. CHECK.
Beef jerky and water. CHECK.
Toilet paper and matches. CHECK.
A good nights rest, so you don’t feel like your gonna die on an 8 mile beast-​of-​a-​trail. NO CHECK.
I woke up at 5 am with three hours of sleep and makapiapia crusting my eyes while putting together my back pack (with the «Suvivorman» essentials) for the Kalawahine to Manoa Falls Trail. My dad tells me the night before, «It’s a short trail, pretty easy, about 2.5 miles».
Lies, I tell you. All lies.
So the GF, my two brothers and «the liar» head to Tantalus Drive where we get dropped off by our non-​participant mother… the journey starts at 6:45 am.
The entrance to the trail is an obscure pathway with two signs flanking it
. I immediately notice that the path is soaked and muddy… I thought, to myself, «This will clear up, no way can it be this muddy for 2.5 miles». Betrayed by my thoughts, the entire trail, all friggin’ 8 miles of it, was a Monster Trucks dream… puddles of mud ankle deep, unmercifully slick rocks and asthma-​inducing inclines. Running on fumes from the previous nights toss-​and-​turn fest I was less than «normal» as far as hand-​eye coordination and stamina were concerned. Only a mile in, huffing and puffing like a fat ass, I grab onto a tree and attempt to swing down a tight and steep bend.
Swing. Speed. «Uh-​Oh». Mountain. «OW». Butt. Mud. FAIL.
It was hard to explain what happened, so I figure I best illustrate it with key points and save about 100 words in this review.
After the humiliating literal faux pas, I regained the shred of confidence and energy I had left to finish the trail… falling three more times along the way, in similar sleep deprived zombie fashion. We finished the trail at Manoa Falls @ 10:45 am.
The scenery and views from the trail were movie-​like and had my imagination running with hobbits, wizards and giant blue humanoids… certain parts reminded me of the Shire from LOTR
. some reminded me of the Tree of Souls from Avatar
… some even looked like the Forbidden Forest from HP
.
Regardless of muddy sinkholes and my epic fail meter being maxed out, this trail was a blast… but, those 8 miles left a scar on my soul and drained every last drip of willpower out of me.
*I don’t even know how I’m writing this three hours after completion. I think I’m typing via «automatic writing»…sometimes my mind has a mind of it’s own.
So the moral of the story is don’t ever trust your dad (well my dad at least) if he asks you to go on a «short 2.5 mile hike» and get a full nights rest before this hellish trek because your gonna need it… and then some.
*if this review doesn’t make sense, read this (*) part again.
P. S. this is a one way trail, so unless your willing to turn around and walk 8 more miles back to your car, I would make neccessary transportation arrangements.
#Yelp 365 — ⁰⁰⁷⁄₃₆₅