Mount Olympus via Kolowalu

I somehow ended up on this trail, after I initially wanted to do the Pu’u’ pia which starts in the same area. Talks to a guy walking his dog about street parking and where the trailhead was, he said something like: you want to take the right one (trail). Later on I figured that he must have said: you do NOT want to take the right one *lol*
It’s been raining when I got there, everything was very slippery, roots and leaves everywhere.
The incline kicked my ass!!! I did not know what I was in for! I think I made it almost to the top (from there on you’d have to go long the ridge), but decided to turn around at some point. I was by myself and had no hiking stick (man, I would have paid money for a hiking stick up there!!) plus I didn’t really know where I was going, and how long his would take me. AND: I’d have to go all the way back down! I ended up doing so partly sliding down on my butt and hands. Too bad I never made it to the «end» :(the views were already pretty sweet anyways, and I’ve been to Wa’ahila before, so I kinda did the whole thing. Sometimes you have to decide between being smart and being adventurous, and I –for once — chose being smart.
So if you go I recommend a hiking stick if it’s been raining, water (I brought 24 oz) and repellant.

Our favorite hike of all time. you get a 360 view including the Lanikai pillboxes and the city skyline.

This is the steeper approach to the summit of Mount Olympus. The easier (longer) approach is Wa’ahila trail. You will be winded by the time you hit the intercept with Wa’ahila and begin walking the ridge line to Mount Olympus. It’s a steep climb up mostly exposed roots so it is hazardous if it’s rained recently. The rest of the climb is fairly easy, with a small amount of climbing involved. The ridge line tends to be very muddy and wet, but also exceedingly narrow in parts. I attempted to avoid the mud and nearly plunged off the side off the mountain. I recommend you just tromp through the mud. Also, it will take around 120 – 150 minutes to reach the summit, so bring lots of water. The first time I hiked this trail, I turned back after running out of water early. If you make it to the top, and the clouds aren’t in the way, the summit will provide you stunning views of the entire eastern side of the island. You can see from Pearl Harbor, to Waikiki, down inside of Diamond Head, into Hanamau bay, Koko head, Makapuu Light house, Kailua and Kaneohe Bay. Definitely worth doing.

Update: been up to Mt. Olympus several times now. I’ll update based on going up Kolowalu then up to Mt. Olympus. Wa’ahila is the easier trail getting to Olympus but it’s long and on the return trip it is taxing. Kolowalu will kick your ass going up. It is a 1700 foot elevation gain over 1 mile. BUT, the return trip is so much easier and worth the initial pain. My roundtrip to Mt. Olympus via Kolowalu was 4 hours with rest and picture times. On the return, you’re just going down Kolowalu (just 1 mile!) vs the constant up and down of 2+ miles of Wa’ahila.
To Kolowalu: Take E. Manoa road to the fork by the Chinese cemetery, keep right. At Alani, take a left. Keep your eye out for the Na Ala Hele hiking sign (inconspicuously going into a private driveway). It’ll be around the sharp right on Alani. Street parking where allowed. Walk to the Na Ala Hele sign, go up the driveway, follow signs for KOLOWALU (as there is also the Pu’u Pia trail here). Once there, Kolowalu is a jungle covered trail. Can’t get lost. Just follow the trail up. Once you hit the portion with the tree roots, good luck to you! This is for buns of steel. Your leg day! Yes, it’ll keep going up and up. Once you get to the grassy clearing, you’re almost done. Once you hit the signs that say end of trail, you’ve made it to the Mt. Olympus trailhead. Take a break. Collect your legs. Trust me, after what you just did, the Olympus trail is not bad.
From here to reach Olympus, take the trail on the left that goes up and just go to the summit of the Ko’olaus. The true summit of Olympus is one hump Diamond Head side from the Ko’olau summit. There is no marker. It’s just a boggy area under some trees. Return the same way you came.

My favorite hike of all time. Sea, mountains, partial shade, trade winds, at the top of mount Olympus, you get a 360 view including the Lanikai pillboxes and the city skyline. It was so surreal.
The hike is intermediate since it goes up and down for the most part at the beginning, letting you rest between those switches. Gets harder once you get pass the two signs and have to start using the ropes to climb up, but still very manageable! So worth the work. Must do!

I got to Mt. Olympus via Wa’ahila Ridge, so there’s no information about Kolowalu in this review, sorry!
PARKING: Hopefully you go at a good time when the parking lot isn’t full. I went at 8AM and found parking, but by the time I finished around noon, the lot was full. I suppose alternate parking is available in the neighborhood, but the walk is pretty far and uphill.
WA’AHILA was straightforward. It took me 30 minutes to get to the Kolowalu-​Mt. Olympus intersection. Initially, you’re walking through a forest of fir and pine, then you pass through groves of guava trees. The trail is clearly marked and it’s definitely safe. Some parts are rocky and steep, but I saw people of all ages getting it done, so this part is doable by all. As previous Unilocalers have noted, the end of Wa’ahila is marked by trail signs, It’s not hard to figure out where the Mt. Olympus trail begins because it’s a well-​worn path.
MT. OLYMPUS is mostly uphill, but not dangerous at all. When the trail is fairly wet (as it was on the day I went), the going is slower in some parts, and you have to avoid slick tree roots and try to jump over muddy patches. The last stretch to the top is comprised of muddy sections, loose dirt hills and ropes. Just hold on to the ropes and go slowly if you need to, but there’s no chance you’ll fall off the mountain or something. You’ll probably slip and get muddy, if anything. I would actually say going down those section is worse than going up because of the lack of footholds. The last part of the hike is along the ridge. You can stop at any point, but I continued on to the «end» (there was a faint trail going downwards, but to where I have no desire to find out). From there you can see Lanipo, Ka’au Crater, the East Side of the island and Diamond Head. It’s pretty peaceful, but there isn’t much shade and the whipping wind can cool you down quickly.
SUPPLIES: Water, duh. 2 liters was enough for me. I brought along an electrolyte drink and a couple energy bars just in case, but didn’t need them. I applied sunscreen before the hike, but didn’t feel I needed to reapply on the trail because it was shaded on Wa’ahila and overcast on Mt. Olympus.
Overall, it’s totally doable for anyone mildly outdoorsy, it’s just a matter of how long it will take you. It took me 4 hours, including half an hour rest (aka selfie time) at the top and a couple of picture breaks in between. Difficulty: ⁵⁄₁₀.

On a dry day Amazing, 2hrs up and 1.5hrs down. Plenty of stops for photos. Bring water 1L min. And snacks !

Challenging hike w/​beautiful views. Also the sign «more trees less asshole» is not all true… a dude tried to push his gf/​wife off the side of the cliff so she said. Not cool dude.

I have done this hike twice, once it was clear skies and hot with that came incredible views, the second time it was cold and misty, with that came, no views muddy trails, dirty shoes, lots of challenge and fun! Either way bring lots of water, no food is necessary it’s only a 4 hour hike, we tracked it with map my run and got 8 miles in and turned around. Coming back was tough on my knees, it’s mostly downhill for the entire way back, hehe you know what that means on the way there :) it’s 8 miles from the parking lot, so that includes Waahila Trail. This is either not very popular or too hard for people, but it’s so beautiful up there if you push yourself, peaceful and quiet. The parking lot is usually full of people doing recreational activities which I love, because as you ascend the first part it winds and slowly cuts of the noise, and you begin to realize that your 10 mins out of Waikiki and your in the forest and away from all the chaos. The top point has no flat obvious ending point, other than the view of both sides of the island :) which is incredible. There are some great resting points on the way that would work well for picnics.

I did the hike up from Wa’ahila ridge to Mount Olympus.
Here’s the directions:
Turn L on Sierra Dr.
Turn L on Peter St.
Turn L on Ruth St.
Park in the lot.
I got there at 10 am. The first part of the hike Wa’ahila was a breeze. Strangely, I found the first bit (roots) the most challenging. There’s some rocky spots where you’ll have to climb down but most have ropes. This trail was interesting because it goes up/​down, up/​down, up/​down, etc.
I got to the trailhead where Mount Olympus starts & felt confident I could do it. Conditions were gorgeous– absolutely no wind, no rain, no clouds. Some spots were muddy but you could hop over them. I can’t imagine anyone trying to do this in the rain! Some of the spots of the trail are narrow. Like 1 – 2 ft wide & you have to keep your feet single file at some points. Beware!
About halfway up, I ran out of water & food. I only planned to do Wa’ahila, so I didn’t bring enough. BIG MISTAKE. I kept going because it seemed like I was almost there. The ropes were ok even though they were steep. I told myself not to think about how I was gonna go back down.
I got up to the top in ~2 hours w multiple stops & photos. I only saw maybe 5 people when I went on a Thursday morning. The view was gorgeous. Views from Ko’olina to Hawaii Kai on one side & Kailua to Waimanalo on the other.
On the way back down, I started to” bonk out”. Keep in mind all my water & food was gone. I suggest at least 2 granola bars & water bottles. It was also 12 noon (stomach howling) when I got to the top. I told myself food was at the bottom, so only one way to go– down.
Normally, I have no shame. I grab tree branches to steady myself & it always takes me longer going down a hike than going up. My energy level was low from the start, like at the bottom of the ocean. But I pushed on. I got super, super muddy going downhill because I had to literally slide down the mountain, even with the ropes! I nearly 127 hours’d myself! I made it through, BUT ended up straining my ankle halfway down. YA I KNOW. I was in pain. I finally got to the bottom hours later. Oy.
So total time up: 2 hours. Total time down with strained ankle, no water, & no food: 3 hours. If my ankle was ok, probably down in 2 hours.
I recommend going with someone elSe (I went alone), bringing extra supplies (gloves optional), & good hiking shoes.

Another great hike on Oahu. I went up via the Wa’ahila trail and got a good workout out of it. There was plenty of parking at the trail head. Not counting the two guys smoking weed before they went to work this morning, there were only 3 or 4 other cars there. Seems like a good amount of people hike the Wa’ahila trail as its a beginner to intermediate trail. One thing I did notice about this trail is about a quarter mile up you will come up to a sign that tells you to take a left. Someone drew some arrows to go straight. Go straight if you want a view, go left if you just want to do your hike. This part of the hike is good for kids over 7.
Once you finish your hike up Wa’ahila there is a trail to the right take that trail and enjoy the false summits and the rope climbing. I would consider this an advanced trail due to the steep drops, hidden roots that can cause you to trip and become the following day news story, and due to the climbing that you will have to do. Be prepared for some ropes and negotiating some rocks. Also, the trail is not too well groomed so if you wear shorts your legs will get scratched up. Not good for kids under 15.
As with any and all hikes make sure that you bring plenty of water, pack down what you pack up, and bring a camera!

One line summary: 6.6 miles, 4 hour hike roundtrip (not including rest at the peak).
We actually went up to Mt. Olympus from the Wa’ahila Ridge Trail, but whichever way you get here BE PREPARED.
This hike will kick your butt, at least it did for us. We were not prepared for this one. Countless times we were going to throw in the towel but pushed to the end. Unlike most of the major ridge peak hikes (Kuliouou, Mariner’s Ridge and Hawaii Loa Ridge) the finish point at Mt. Olympus doesn’t have a large area to relax and take in the view. Still, you won’t find many people up here because this hike is pretty tough. At least for us.
The total hike was 6.6 miles (according to Mapmyhike app). It took us about 2 hours and 15 mins to get from the Wa’ahila Ridge Trail head to the top of Mt. Olympus.
It took us about 1 hour and 45 mins to get back down. Part of the problem was that we were just so exhausted that climbing out of Wa’ahila Ridge Trail took us much longer than it should have.
There are A LOT of ropes on this trail, A LOT of going up/​down, up/​down, up/​down… so that when you’re going back down (finished) the trail you still are working out after being exhausted.
There is a section of ropes that I would say is about 50 feet up a pretty steep incline, a part of this has small footholds and another part is just hillside you can scale (with ropes). Either way, pretty wicked for someone that isn’t prepared.
Once you hit that section of ropes you’re close to the end but still not quite there, you’ll want to give up but push a little more. The views are pretty amazing at the top and you’ll have some great panoramic shots from Hawaii Kai to Diamond Head all the way to Ewa Beach from the last ½ mile as you’re ascending.
The views of Manoa get even more dramatic but the views of Waikiki and Kakaako are pretty fantastic too.
I know we’ll be back to do this one again but it will definitely be awhile, this was truly one of the harder hikes we’ve been on.

Best view I’ve seen so far. It’s a long hike so be sure to bring snacks and a lot of water.

Yesterday, Cathie and I climbed up the Wa’ahila Ridge Trail to the top of Mount Olympus. By now, We’ve done a good number of hikes on Oahu, including Haiku Stairs, Kuli’ou’ou Ridge, Manawili Falls, among others. I have to say, this one is now one of my favorites. If you go all the way to Mount Olympus you end up right on the ridge of the Ko’olau range and get terrific views of a big chunk of the Island. Swinging from East to South you can see Waimanalo, Rabbit Island, Koko Head, Ka’au Crater, Diamond Head, Manoa Valley and Honolulu. Continuing West and North you see the Ko’olau Range, the Manawili Basin, to Kailua and around again to Waimanalo. Fantastic views.
pic are here:
We started out by driving up through St. Louis Heights to Peter Street, pretty much as far as the road would take us. At the corner of Peter and Ruth we took a left onto Ruth and followed it into the Wa’ahila Ridge State Recreation Area.
When we started out, our plan was to do the Wa’ahila Ridge Trail only, having heard that the upper trail was more advanced and technically closed. The main hike is about 3.5 miles round trip and is supposed to take an 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Once we hit the ‘end of the trail’ marker we were feeling good, so we decided to push on. As we proceeded, we felt OK, so we cautiously continued. Before we knew it, we were there.
The hike was a challenge in places, but overall, pretty safe and manageable. At times the trail was steep and slippery. This was disconcerting and a little tense, but somehow we got by. Also, it was windy and in places, the wind absolutely roared over the ridge. At these points we hunkered down and scooch along the trail. In the end, our leisurely hike took a little more than 4 hours. We were tired, but very satisfied.
The lower part of the hike is easy-​to-​moderate. The upper section (beyond the official end of the trail) is more challenging and potentially dangerous in bad weather.
If you go, I recommend that you:
— Bring the following:
Water — we had water and stopped a few times to hydrate.
Food/​Snacks — While the Strawberry Guava gave us a burst of energy, don’t count on them being available. We also had Spam musubi and fruit to munch on.
Gloves (optional): Some folks might want gloves to protect your hands from the ropes. Personally though, I probably prefer to go without.
Leg coverings (optional): As you saw, your legs can get scratched by all the brush along the trail. You may prefer to wear long socks or pants to protect your legs. Me? Nah.
— Watch the Weather: We had good conditions, but the trail was still damp and quite slippery in places. Don’t let a rainstorm move in on you while your up top. You might just get stuck, as the trail could become quite dangerous when soaked. Also, if it’s cloudy the view may suck.
— Have fun. :)

I have to admit that I really enjoyed this hike. Its the love it and hate it feeling sort of way. There is a state park up at St Louis Heights. Anyway I love it because of the breathtaking view of the south Honolulu and to just sit and watch the horizon. The wind blowing on your face is awesome. There were many obstacles up and down and up and down. It was really challenging. I would recommend you to wear long pants and perhaps gloves if you don’t want to callouses. Bring snacks and lots of water. Start early it’s lot cooler and less busier. Keep in mind if it gets crowded you might have to share the narrow pathways. Need to finish it someday, that’s if I don’t chicken out.

Great intermediate high intensity hike, you won’t be disappointed, one should have no fear on this hike! Loved it!

At the «end of the trail» sign on Waahila Ridge Trail, when the trail is dry and when we feel strong, we head up to Mt. Olympus. Unfortunately we never had been to the top. It is always too muddy for us. We had a little more to go.
Further you go, the view gets prettier.
Cardiovascular pump up –high.
Goal: Some dry day, I will be at the top!
Unilocal 365 — ³²⁹⁄₃₆₅

I never knew there was a state park at the top of St Louis heights. your driving along and all of a sudden you drive into the park, its pretty cool. there are picnis tables and bathroom. lots of open parking. then you start your hike, its a bit of a workout, be careful lots of hills to go up and down. While hiking you will come to a warning sign that says end of trail, the rest of trail is not maintained. We went anyway, it was well worth the hike, nice view and it wasn’t too difficult.

After my first failed attempt at a hike last week I was all about «maintained» hikes this week. Mount Olympus had been on my list for some time but I had been avoiding it because its known for being a cloud magnet and it had been cloudy all week.
I woke up to cloudy skies but I was in need of a hike so we decided to attempt hiking up to the top of Mount Olympus via the Kolowalu Trail. The Kolowalu trail shares a trailhead with Pu’u pia but is a steeper and shorter alternative route to get up to Wa’ahila Ridge. Most of Kolowalu was covered and cool which was a nice change from most of the hot exposed ridge hikes I had been doing but it was definitely no easy walk in the park. The trail is steep and never really plateaus out, so don’t plan on having a picnic or anything. I think it took us about an hour till we got to the junction of Kolowalu and Wa’ahila Ridge.
At the junction you will see a sign warning you that upper Wa’ahila Ridge is unmaintained, don’t let that scare you away. There a couple narrow, sketchy spots at the end but nothing that can’t be done if you stay on the trail and don’t try anything stupid. :-) From the beginning of the junction, to the top expect to go over at least 4 or 5 hills. Make sure you have shoes with good traction because you’ll be doing a lot of climbing up red dirt stairs that you see on most of the other Ko’olau trails. You’ll think you’re close, but your not. I think we came across a couple of open grassy areas to take a break, but unfortunately those are not the summit.
Once we actually got to the top, we walked along the ridge with Olomana, Kaneohe on our left and Ka’au crater on the right. It was my first time seeing Ka’au crater from the left side, since Lanipo gives you a good view from the right. We finally made it and were all smiles when we saw the stake with a few pink ribbons tied on it. It was pretty windy so we didn’t hang out for too long. It rained on our way down so I cannot emphasize the importance of good shoes. Thank god for my vibrams because I think I could have gotten seriously hurt if I had been in old sneakers.
Make sure to bring water, snacks, and a extra t-​shirt for after. Both of my friends were shivering at dinner after because they were still in their sweat and rain soaked shirts.
*Going up to Mt. Olympus from the beginning of the Wa’ahila Ridge is an easier route that starts from the top of St. Louis Heights.
Unilocal 365: ¹²⁵⁄₃₆₅