Hiking Makiki Valley Loop Trail
What you should know before hiking Makiki Valley Loop Trail.
The 2.5-mile Makiki Valley Loop Trail begins at the Hawaii Nature Center in Honolulu, Oʻahu. The loop consists of three trails. Facing the trailhead, the Kanealole Trail is on the left and Maunalaha Trail is on the right — both named after the streams that run alongside them. These parallel trails are connected at the far end by the Makiki Valley Trail, which strung together form a loop.
Kanealole Trail is a leisurely stroll past a bridge and bubbling brook with sheets of vines draped from the valley’s highest trees. Maunalaha Trail is a beastly incline full of knotted roots and rocks. Still beautiful, but more difficult to traverse. We recommend starting with Kanealole Trail.
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Hikers will hear chirps and warbles coming from the forest canopy overhead. Parrots and other exotic birds are known to live here. As local lore has it, they’re a vestige of Paradise Park — a former bird park in nearby Mānoa Valley.
Along the path, tree branches form tunnels that provide ample shade. You can feel a nice breeze, even on a hot day. Banyan roots clamber over each other, twisting at strange angles as they grip the ground, their aerial roots dangling overhead. Youʻll also find mountain apple trees, heavily laden with fruit in the summer. As you climb higher, a view of the valley to the sea awaits.
The most important junction pops up midway through the trail, just as you pass the ocean view and scramble up some makeshift steps. At the top, a rest bench sits on the right. To the left is ʻUalakaʻa Trail which leads upward into an endless maze of trails where a person could literally get lost for days. Be sure to continue straight, veering downward onto Maunalaha.
TRAIL: Makiki Valley Loop Trail
LENGTH: 2.5 miles
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Moderate (can be slippery after it rains)
HOW TO GET THERE: From Waikīkī, take Ala Wai Boulevard to Kalakaua Avenue and turn right. Go right again at South King Street, and immediately turn left onto Punahou Street. Go left at Nehoa Street, and take the second right onto Makiki Street, veering left onto Makiki Heights Drive. Just before the road curves sharply left, go strait into the Makiki Valley State Recreation Area. You'll reach a designated gravel parking lot on the left. Proceed up the road on foot to the Hawaii Nature Center, then follow the signs to the trail.