Hike Hawaii with Aina Lani Hikes

Adriana and Lena of Aina Lani Hikes

Our island is home to so many amazing hiking trails, but when you don't do your research or don't have the right shoes or enough water, it can be a recipe for disaster. In June of this year, the Honolulu Fire Department reported they have been averaging two land/ocean rescues per day. The majority of the rescues involved visitors. 

That's where Lena and Adriana, founders of Aina Lani Hikes, come in. Aina Lani Hikes is a Hawaii licensed and insured tour agency that offers hiking guide services. Both women are also on the board of directors of the Kokonut Koalition, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting, preserving and rehabilitating the Koko Crater Stairs. 

Whenever I have a hiking question, Lena is my go-to because she is so knowledgeable about our island's trails. When she invited me to hike with Aina Lani Hikes, I was so excited! I chose Olomana Trail because it is rated a hard hike and ideally I would want to hike it with someone that is familiar with the trail.  

Before the hike, they sent me a waiver to sign and detailed instructions of what to bring and where to park. They made sure to tell me to hike at my own pace and one led the hike and the other stayed behind me. I felt comfortable to let them know whenever I needed a break which was quite frequent! 

Initially, I intended only to climb to the first peak of Olomana, but when I got there I felt comfortable enough to do the second. The entire hike was super fun.  They both took tons of video and photos during the hike and shared with me afterwards which I absolutely loved. It was so nice to have those memories to keep!

For more information or just to follow Aina Lani's hiking adventures, follow them @ainalanihikes on Instagram.    

Big thanks to Aina Lani Hikes for the hosted hike!  All opinions are honest and entirely my own.

Lena and Adriana are the best hiking photogs!

On my way to the second peak.

Saving the third for another day. Always know your limits!

I couldn't have accomplished this without Aina Lani Hikes. So thankful for them!

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Manoa Falls Reopens

Manoa Falls 150 foot waterfall

Manoa Falls has reopened after being closed for two years for extensive repairs due to a landslide. Safety improvements include widening the trail, resurfacing the trail bed, and new fencing to protect people from falling rocks. 

My 10 year old son and I enjoyed the short and sweet hike, but we did overhear other visitors (in slippers) complaining about the steepness. Although the hike is under a mile each way, always be prepared with proper footwear and clothing as well as having enough water. 

You can read official information about the hike here. Parking is available for a $7 fee for visitors and $4 for kama'aina.  

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Hawaii Loa Ridge Trail

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.  

Pretty views from the start.

Stairs to help with the steep incline.

A look back on the many stairs.

Finally, steps away from the summit!

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 with that motivation, I got 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.     

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Camp Palehua Open for Hiking

I was devastated when the hiking trails shut down last month and I am not exaggerating.  It was one of the stress relievers that I had started counting on to get me through these Covid19-ridden days.  When I heard the two hiking trails at Camp Palehua were still open, I quickly made a call and booked the next available weekday.  Weekends are full for the next 3 weekends, but it never hurts to double check.

Your options are the Nānākuli Overlook Hike - about 2 miles round trip; beginner level; safe for all ages; view of the Leeward Coast and the Puʻu Manawahua or WWII Bunker Hike - about 4 miles round trip; moderate level; steep incline; not recommended for children under 10 yrs old; view of South Shore (Diamond Head) out to Leeward Coast (Mākaha).

WWII Bunker

View of Leeward coast

Four time slots are available daily: 8:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM. There is a fee of $10.00 per adult and $5.00 per child (5 years old and under free).  All hikers are required to wear a face mask while in the campgrounds, however, hikers will be allowed to remove the mask on the trail. Hikers have a 3-hour time block allotted.

For more information, call Camp Palehua at (808) 347-0736.

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Koko Crater Botanical Garden

Koko Crater Botanical Garden is a great place to take young kids on an outdoor adventure - it's relatively short (2 mile loop trail) walk, and the terrain is easy to navigate on foot.  Best of all, it's free!  The garden is open daily from sunrise to sunset every day except Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

There is a map displayed at the entrance to the gardens, as well as a mailbox that holds paper brochures. I would suggest taking a brochure on your way in, as it has information on the various trees and plants that you'll encounter along the way, as well as a map.

As you can see, the trails are wide and very spacious! 

The boys were very intrigued with the various cactus in the Cactus Garden.

During our hike we saw a group of military planes fly overhead!

Our favorite part of the trail was the Plumeria Grove at the beginning/end of the trail. There were so many different colors of plumeria flowers, and they all smelled so good!

Tips:

• Go in the early morning or late afternoon - it gets hot!
• Bring water, snacks, sunscreen, hat
• Wear a good pair of shoes that you won't mind getting dirty
• Don't leave valuables in your car
• The only bathroom available for use is a porta-potty

Koko Crater Botanical Garden

7491 Kokonani St.

Hawaii Kai

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Waimano Trails

Our recent family-friendly hiking adventure took us to the Waimano Trails in Pearl City.

The trail is a loop consisting of two trails - an Upper Trail and Lower Trail.  If you're wondering which trail to start with, I highly suggest the Lower Trail, especially if it has been raining in recent days.  The Upper Trail has some very steep hills that I could guarantee that at least one member in our group would have easily slipped down.  Walking up the hill seemed like it was a much safer bet than trying to navigate down hill.

The trail is clearly marked, and there are a few obstacles (fallen trees, tall weeds, etc.), but overall the trail is fairly easy.  You do come across a stream that may require you to get a little wet in order to continue on the trail, but we were able to cross the stream by walking over large rocks, so we were lucky and did not get very wet.

On the upper trail we came across three caves.  We were able to walk through two of them - the third I could not see an opening, so we just took a peek and continued walking.

The upper trail is a little more dangerous than the lower trail, as it is right along a cliff side.

The kids really enjoyed the hike and how it was a little bit of a challenge.  We saw all sorts of pretty flowers and cool trees.

It was quite muddy during our hike, and there were lots of mosquitoes, so be sure to bring insect repellent!

Our party of 8 included 5 kids ranging in ages from 7-11, and it took us 2 hours to complete the loop, including a rest stop.

Ample parking available on the side of Waimano Home Road.

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Hilo Day Trip Stop 4: Pu`u`o`o Trail (Kaumana Trail)

Because we knew we would be doing A LOT of eating on our Hilo Day Trip, Nadia and I made sure to schedule in some kind of physical activity.

I asked a friend who lives in Hilo for some easy hiking recommendations, and he recommended a hike off of Saddle Road that had very little write-ups online (in fact, I only found two mentions).  I was game, however, because it seemed like an interesting hike, and one that we could do with the little time we had in Hilo.

We drove through fog and rain from Hilo, and unfortunately, we had a hard time finding the parking lot for this "mystery" hike.  We think we may have stumbled upon it on our first try, but it didn't look right, and after driving up and down Saddle Road, we ultimately decided to do the Pu`u`o`o Trail (Kaumana Trail) hike.  

It's about a 3-mile round trip hike according to online sources.

There is a small parking area, and the path is relatively easy to follow.

In terms of views, there is not much to see, but along the way you'll see native plants and perhaps even birds (we heard many of the birds, but we just didn't see any).

A light jacket or poncho is recommended in case of rain or heavy fog (we encountered both on this hike).

Luckily, despite the gloomy weather, the rain was just a light sprinkle, making for a cool morning for a hike. 

We didn't walk the entire trail due to time constraints. but it was a nice way to get in some exercise!

And maybe next time I'll find the entrance to the "mystery" hike!

Mahalo Hawaiian Airlines! Hawaiian Airlines is the world’s most punctual airline as reported by OAG, and is Hawai‘i’s biggest and longest-serving airline. Hawaiian offers non-stop service to Hawai‘i from more U.S. gateway cities (11) than any other airline, along with service from Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa and Tahiti. Hawaiian also provides approximately 170 jet flights daily between the Hawaiian Islands, with a total of more than 250 daily flights system-wide. Visit the Hawaiian Airlines website to book your next flight!

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