Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [74]
MANOA FALLS & NU′UANU VALLEY LOOKOUT
Maybe Honolulu’s most rewarding short hike, the 1.5-mile round-trip Manoa Falls Trail (Map) runs above a rocky streambed through lush vegetation. Tall tree trunks line the path, including Eucalyptus robusta, with soft, spongy, reddish bark; flowering orange African tulip trees; and other lofty varieties that creak like wooden doors in old houses. Wild orchids and red ginger grow near the falls, which drop 100ft into a small, shallow pool. Falling rocks and the risk of leptospirosis (Click here) make swimming inadvisable. Beware that the trail is often a bit muddy and slippery.
Just before reaching Manoa Falls, the inconspicuous ′Aihualama Trail branches off west of a chain-link fence, offering broad views of Manoa Valley starting just a short way up the path. After a five-minute walk, you’ll enter a bamboo forest with some massive old banyan trees, that contours around the ridge, then switchbacks up. You can hike the trail as a side spur from the Manoa Falls trail or orchestrate a 5.5-mile round-trip hike by connecting with the Pauoa Flats Trail, which leads up to the Nu′uanu Valley Lookout, from where it’s possible to peer through a gap in the steep pali (cliffs) over to the Windward Coast.
By car from Waikiki, take McCully St heading into Honolulu and turn left onto Wilder Ave, then right on Punahou St. Take the left fork when the road splits in two, following Manoa Rd up to the trailhead parking lot ($5). From the Ala Moana Center, take TheBus 5 Manoa Valley bus to the end of the line, from where it’s a 10-minute uphill walk.
MAKIKI VALLEY LOOP & MANOA CLIFFS CIRCUIT
A favorite workout for city dwellers, the 2.5-mile Makiki Loop Trail (Map) links three Tantalus area trails. The loop cuts through a lush and varied tropical forest, mainly composed of nonnative species introduced to reforest an area denuded by the ′iliahi (sandalwood) trade in the 19th century. Keep an eye out for the archaeological remains of ancient Hawaiian stone walls and a 19th-century coffee plantation. These trails are usually muddy, so wear shoes with traction and pick up a walking stick.
Starting past the Hawaii Nature Center, the Maunalaha Trail crosses a small stream, passes taro patches and climbs up the eastern ridge of Makiki Valley, passing Norfolk pine, banyans and bamboo, with some clear views along the way. After 0.7 miles, you’ll come to a four-way junction. Continue uphill on the 1.1-mile Makiki Valley Trail, which traverses small gulches and across gentle streams bordered by patches of ginger. Edible yellow guava and strawberry guava also grow along the trail, which offers glimpses of the city below. The Kanealole Trail begins as you cross Kanealole Stream, then follows the stream back to the baseyard, 0.7 miles away. This trail leads down through a field of Job’s tears; the beadlike bracts of the female flowers of this tall grass are often used for leis.
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JEWELS OF THE FOREST
O′ahu has an endemic genus of tree snail, the Achatinella. Island forests were once loaded with these colorful snails, which clung like gems to the leaves of trees. They were too attractive for their own good, however, and hikers collected them by the handfuls around the turn of the 20th century. Even more devastating has been the deforestation of habitat and the introduction of a cannibal snail and predatory rodents like mongoose. Of O′ahu’s 41 Achatinella species, only 19 remain today – and all are endangered.
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From the same trailhead, a more strenuous 6.2-mile hike leads to sweeping views of the