After my first trip to Hawaii staying on O’ahu, I obviously couldn’t not go back to O’ahu it when I returned in Spring 2023. On my first trip I was really able to get familiar with the island and all it had to offer. This time around my friend was more familiar with all the hiking options, so we picked Maunawili Falls for what was supposed to be a quick 6.3 mile hike with 2500 ft of elevation. Oh and after a night of heavy drinking. AND a goal of finishing if 3 hours. A recipe for hiking success. For reference, AllTrails estimates 4 hours to complete this hike.
Maunawili Falls Hike
The hike to Maunawili Falls starts out super easy, hiking along the side of the ridgeline and the mountain. There are a few streams to cross, and of course plenty of signs for unexploded ordinances and leprosy bacteria. YAY!
There were also some overgrown and washed out sections along the initial two miles. But overall the hike out to the falls is really shaded for the first two miles. The last mile you drop straight down a ridgeline that is completely exposed into the valley. The thought of hiking back up this at the time was not fun.
Then you get to the last 0.25 mile and are literally walking up the creek. In most cases I would not really mind this type of addition to the adventure. However today I was recovering from several scratches and wounds I had acquired while scuba diving on the big island and had no interest in getting a strange infection from the water in Hawaii. This made this section of the hike particularly fun trying to jump from slippery rock to slippery rock. BUT we made it to Maunawili Falls and I managed to stay dry! It was definitely worth the effort. I mean just see for yourself.
The way back was not as easy. We had to climb the 2,500 feet we had just descended into the valley to get back up to the main trail and the car. This part of the hike was not fun to say the least. And we had not brought enough water for the humidity levels. The simple out and back hike got a little sketch when I got dizzy and nearly fainted. From what? I am honestly still not 100% certain. But we were able to push through and get back to the car safely.
Before you go
Like many hikes in Hawaii – access is becoming more and more difficult to some gorgeous places. The original starting point for the trail to Maunawili Falls is actually not existent anymore. That trail head would have been great though – it made for a really easy hike from the back of a neighborhood.
Where we started along the highway is about 5 parking spaces with a two-hour time limit. There are some legal parking areas a little farther up on the opposite side of the highway, but this does extend the hiking distance significantly. The trailhead is honestly in a really bad spot no matter which point you start at. The other option is to simply ditch the car and use a rideshare app to get to the trailhead OR risk a $50 ticket and park in the 2-hour limit area.
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