Hawaii Loa Ridge Trail

Great trail, great view. The fog rolled in as we got close to the top but the views on the ways up were amazing the whole time!!!! Roots, rocky, muddy, big steps are included in this hike. You hike in and out of forested shaded areas to hot open areas that give you the views you crave. Only 10 cars are able to be parked at a time. So make sure you get there early. As people leave others can go up. You must have a Hawaiian ID or Mil ID to hike and sign a waiver. Bring water and snacks!!! As this is a climb! You will get thirsty.

Amazing hike above Hawaii Kai.The trailhead is in a gated community and you must stop at security show your Hawaii license and sign a wavier. They hand you a map to parking area and trail. There is limited parking, if hiking on weekend I'd start early.This trail is rated Hard and has an elevation gain of more than 1550 feet. Do not hike if raining or rained a few days before, can be slippery. Our conditions were perfect.The first half of trail takes you through variety of landscape and foliage. Some ares are more shaded. Like some ridge trails it can be exposed to the sun, and has some drop offs.We arrived at trailhead at 8am. During warmer times of year I'd start earlier.The second half becomes much steeper with multiple stairs, some are eroded and there higher step ups and down. The trail goes through narrow steep ditches some with high walls with ferns growing on sides. Very cool!We wear hiking boots and use poles. Had my crampons with me just incase.As we made it to the summit the clouds had settled in and we did not have a view of other side of island. However there were amazing views all the way up the trail. We ate our early lunch and hung out the top before heading back down.Although the hike up is a real workout, going back down requires taking your time and careful footing.Bring plenty of water and snacks.We loved this challenge!!!

I underestimated this trail due to it being shorter than Kuliouou Ridge and Wiliwilinui Ridge. In my opinion this trail difficulty is rank between the 2 with Kuliouou being the easiest of these bunch. It took me about 2 hours to get to the summit and another 2 hours going back. Also it started to rain a bit so I took my time along with my crampons and hiking sticks. The summit was covered in the clouds so there was no view. I will definitely go again to see it. The AllTrails app made it seem like you were 70%in the trail at the 45 minute mark. Don't be fooled as the last 10-15% of the trail is the hardest part as the ridge gets into a steep incline. Be ready to get on your butt and your hands dirty as it gets arduous. Theres areas that's sketchy with a hazardous cliffs. So be extra careful especially when it drizzles when you're close to the summit clouds. I will definitely go again to see the view at the summit. As always I bring hiking sticks to help with deceleration when going back down. Knee braces to keep your knees from hurting or slipping. Also bring enough water and snacks. I go on weekdays as the crowd is small and either go in early in the morning for the first batch or parking passes or around 11am - 12pm for the next batch. But you can always try your luck on weekends. Happy hiking!

Limited entry. We are so happy we were able to visit here again. Located at the end of a private community.

This was a challenging hike for me. Out of wiliwilinui, kuliouou, and hawaii loa ridge, this was the most difficult. We started at 7:30 am and ended almost at noon while taking our time and spending about 20 minutes at the top. Make sure to get there early to get a parking pass. The security guard will ask for your drivers license and have you and the people in your car sign a waiver.The trail itself is very beautiful but some parts are super eroded. I had to pull myself up a few times because my legs were too short to climb some of the stairs. There is also a narrow mud tunnel that was slippery in some parts. I would recommend doing this hike on a clear day and skip it if it's raining. Luckily the clouds cleared a bit at the top. Overall, I'd say the other two ridge hikes offer a similar view, are easier to access, and probably safer if you are a beginner or moderate hiker. Bring lots of water, a hiking stick, and gloves if you can. My hands were dirty and muddy after finishing this hike! I consider myself in decent shape but my legs and upper body hurt afterwards lol.

Awesome trail! You need to go past security to get access to the Hawaii Loa Ridge community. There is parking available up at the very top and a clear sign that tells you where the trail begins! The hike is a bit on the longer side. It took us a bit over 2.5 hours round trip. Slightly muddy, but the closer you get to the top, the more immersed you become in the clouds - at least that is the experience that we had on a cloudier/drizzly day. Soooo worth it - one of the more aesthetic hikes on island! On a scale of 1-5, the difficulty was about a 3.5-4 for me.

Having finally completed Wiliwilinui and Kuliouou Ridge Trails, I felt an urgency to complete Hawaii Loa Ridge Trail - the last ridge trail in the area. According to the All Trails app, Hawaii Loa Ridge is 4.5 miles out and back and rated as hard. When I hiked Wiliwilinui the week before, it was super muddy so when the hiking reports said the trails were dry I took off an afternoon off to explore Hawaii Loa Ridge. At the guard shack, you'll need to present your Hawaii state ID and sign a waiver to obtain a parking pass. I hear there are 10 parking passes available. That Thursday afternoon, I had pass #5. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow. Most of it is exposed so I was thankful for the cloud coverage that day. What I liked most about this trail is that there are beautiful views right away. I was pretty excited to be hiking a new trail so I started at a pretty fast pace and then I lost fuel 40 minutes in. That was when I reached the first steps. It took me another 50 minutes to reach the top as I struggled with the steep incline. I had read that when you reach the Hazardous Cliff sign you were steps away. I kept a look out for that sign and I was so happy and relieved when I finally saw it. There was no view at the summit as we were covered with clouds, but experiencing the same thing a week before at the Wiliwilinui summit just made me laugh. I met a couple of other hikers at the top and they were so nice to take my picture. I had to rush back home so I got back to my car in about an hour. It was a challenging hike, but totally possible, especially if you take it slow and steady. The least thing I liked about the trail were the narrow mud walls in some sections. As you can tell, I am not a fan of mud.

Tl;dr: come in dry season. Make sure you have a good couple of days of dry weather before you do it. Why? Because it's SO freaking muddy and slippery on the top 50% otherwise. Long pants are your friends to prevent bush poking. If rain hiking is your thing, wear hiking boots. First 50% of the trail is flat and damp (covered in leaves), and alternates between canopied and exposed. Once you get to the upper 50% it gradually becomes muddier and muddier. You have poorly maintained stairs with exposed nails. All fours are needed to get up certain parts without slipping. The trail also narrows significantly. As you go up the elevation it gets super windy too. When we were close to the top it was so rainy, windy, and muddy that we had to turn back (granted wearing tennis shoes didn't help in that situation).Trail wasn't hard but the muddiness + poorly maintained stairs at the end present real danger if you aren't geared up properly. A few guys we passed advised us to slide down on our butts and they weren't joking - the ass marks on the way down confirmed that LOL. Nice view but I've seen better. I'm all for strenuous hikes but mud just isn't my thing. Not on the top of my list to come back to. PS: the neighborhood surrounding these mountains is beautiful. If I can live anywhere on the island this would be on the top of my list.

I came here at the suggestion of my friend who was staying in the subdivision where the house is located on a house sitting gig. She told me about this amazing hike just up the road from where she's staying that we should check out. I was game, so on a Thursday after work, I picked her up and off we went.Full disclaimer: We did not hike the entire trail. We hiked about 30 minutes of the trail before the views stopped due to entering the bush.Yes, there is a security booth you check in at, but because I went on a Thursday afternoon, there was no issue getting in. All I had to do was show my I.D. and let them know I was picking up my friend. I didn't mention we were going hiking, so perhaps that's why I wasn't required to sign a waiver.Getting up to the park is easy - you just follow the winding road up and up until you get to the top. The park up there is gorgeous - it reminded me of Napali lookout on Kauai. It was really windy when we went, but we didn't let that deter us from exploring the area.There's a small loop trail around the parking area where you can grill out at various grills or sit and enjoy the spectacular view from one of the benches. Once you enter the hike, it's easy to see why it's rated so highly. There's no huge elevation gain to achieve to enjoy payoff views pretty much right away. After coming out on the other side of the first ironwoods forest patch, you're greeted with gorgeous Portlock and Diamond Head views. Picture opportunities are ample.I would love to come back and do more of the ridge sometime. Given our time constraint, this fast and easy stretch of hike we completed was more than worth the drive up the mountain.

One of my favorite Oahu hikes! I truly enjoy the diversity flora and the different ecosystems you pass through as you work your way to the summit.The hike is a tad technical with the need to use the ropes mounted at intervals to assist you with the ascent and descent. But as far as hikes go it's still very accessible even for hikers with average hiking abilities.Hike starts out in a small parking lot that barely accommodates 10 vehicles. The trail head is controlled by a guard shack located in an exclusive upper class neighborhood. In the past, other great hikes have been shut down due to the actions of a few irresponsible hikers transiting private neighborhoods without consideration, so it's crucial hikers on this trail obey the rules. Permits are obtainable by showing your HI drivers license. At least you know your vehicle will be watched. If the lot is full you'll need to wait for a spot to open up.I've done this hike as fast as 3.5 hours and as slow as 5 hours depending on the skill and stamina of hikers in my party. You'll pass through guava trees and Cook pines gaining elevation as you head up to the summit. When you get to the top, you'll be rewarded with a nearly 270 deg field of view starting with Waikiki and ending past the distinctive 1940's "A" shape airfield at Bellows AFS. The view out to sea towards the eastern horizon is equally inspiring.This is a must-hike outing for those who enjoy a challenge and appreciate a beautiful panoramic experience. Highly recommended.Mahalo for reading my review.