Hiking the Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Distance: 4.2 miles / 6.8 km
The Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail in the southern Koʻolau Mountains on Oʻahu is one of my favorite day hikes on the island because it’s one of the best, most beautiful, and also one of the easiest adventures to enjoy the beauty of the rugged Koʻolaus without committing to something more involved.
By this, I mean that similar southern Koʻolau ridges only get more difficult after Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge, which include Kapālama, Mauʻumae, Waʻahila, and even the neighboring Wailupe, to name just a few.
For this reason, I believe that Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge is a great introductory trail for Hawaiʻi ridge hiking, and it’s where I recommend beginning if you’re interested in branching out to harder trails, like the ones listed above.
In all, Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge is a well-trafficked trail, and whether you’re just looking for a fun day hike or a beautiful late afternoon/ sunset adventure, Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge is a great option to consider!
Notice
The Hawaiʻi Loa Homeowners Association requires hikers to show a valid State of Hawaiʻi ID or military ID in order to access the trailhead.
Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail is located at the very end of Puʻuikena Drive at the top of Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge; the private neighborhood at the base of the trail.
That being said, you will need to present your State of Hawaiʻi ID or military ID to the security guard in order to obtain a parking pass for the parking lot at the top. Passes are limited, and I have been turned away in the past because the parking lot was full.
In addition to this, you may also be turned away if you arrive too close to sunset, so my advice is to arrive no later than two and a half hours before sunset.
Google Maps Directions: Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trailhead
Hiking the Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail
The Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail begins just past the parking area and a private park, which is only open to residents of Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge.
Following the trailhead, the Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail begins on a fairly mild path as it traverses a number of beautiful, rolling hills with wide-open views until reaching the Strawberry Guava forest about a third of the way into the hike.
Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge truly stands out from all the surrounding ridges in terms of how many beautiful viewpoints there are on the way up.
This is something that certainly cannot be said about other neighboring hikes, which spend more time below the canopy before reaching beautiful viewpoints higher up, like Wiliwilinui Ridge to the north and Kuliʻouʻou Ridge to the south.
Even though it may seem that the summit is far away, Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge moves fast, as the trail is only 2.1 miles (3.4 km) each way.
Prior to Strawberry Guava blanketing these mid-elevations on Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge, the trail used to be dominated by Lama and ʻŌhiʻa, much like the Puʻu ʻO Kona Trail a few ridges south.
While it may appear that the forests surrounding Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge are sick and dying, this is actually a result of the Strawberry Guava biocontrol, which is used to slow the spread of this highly invasive tree in the hope that native species can once again dominate this landscape.
As I’m sure it’s obvious, much of the Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail has minimal shade, apart from the Strawberry Guava forest.
This is why I recommend hiking in a hooded sun shirt on Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge, as it can be especially useful here and countless other Oʻahu adventures.
After roughly 0.8 miles (1.3 km), the Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail enters the dense Strawberry Guava forest, which consumes the majority of the middle of the hike—meaning views are limited until the trail leaves this section behind, just below the beginning of the final ascent.
From the beginning of the Strawberry Guava forest to the start of Pia Valley, the Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail gains about 400 ft. (122 m) of elevation, making this the steepest section of the hike thus far.
What’s Going on Here?
This is Hawaiʻi restoration work at its finest!
Since the Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail entered the dense Strawberry Guava forest, the vast majority of the trail has been encompassed by the non-native, invasive tree.
However, as the trail nears the Pia Valley Natural Area Reserve, the hike passes through this open section, where land managers have cut back the highly invasive tree to allow native Koa and other species to come back.
So yes, these little trees are baby Koa trees, but Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge will look much different as the years go on—in a much better way!
Just before the Pia Valley Natural Area Reserve, Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge will appear to split.
That said, go left here to stay on the true Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail, as the path heading up the ridge is not easier or more direct.
Following the split in the photo above, the Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail begins descending toward the beginning of the Pia Valley Natural Area Reserve.
Pia Valley Natural Area Reserve (PNAR)
The uppermost elevations of Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge enter what’s known by land managers as the Pia Valley Natural Area Reserve, a division of land that borders the Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail here and extends southeast to the Kūlepeamoa Ridge Trail toward Koko Head.
That being said, the PNAR truly begins much lower on the trail, but it is these uppermost elevations that are the most significant and worth talking about.
By this, I mean that as the Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail leaves behind the dense, non-native Strawberry Guava forest, it enters one of the most pristine and highly protected native habitats across the southern Koʻolaus.
Pia Valley is an area of immense natural resource value to the southern Koʻolau Mountains because areas this pristine typically only exist further north in places that are much less accessible and more remote.
I say all this to say—please do your part to minimize your impact as you hike to the summit of Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge, as some of the rarest and most endangered species in all of Hawaiʻi—and the world—call this niche habitat home!
As the Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail nears the final ascent to the summit, the trail almost instantly transitions into a forest dominated by native Hawaiian plants, including ʻŌhiʻa lehua, Kōpiko, ʻIliahi, Koa, and many more!
For those who are interested, Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge can be one of the better trail-running hikes on Oʻahu, as long as you’re comfortable on typically wet terrain.
I mention this because Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge is one of my personal favorite Oʻahu trail runs, and it’s one that I’ve consistently run to try to get my roundtrip time under an hour—which currently sits at less than ten seconds above!
In any case, I don’t live as close to Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge as I once did, but I think it’s a fun challenge for anyone interested. That said, these are my preferred trail-running shoes, which not only work great on Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge and others like the ʻAiea Loop Trail, but they are also my go-to hiking shoes for much less overgrown trails outside of Hawaiʻi.
With roughly 0.6 miles (1.0 km) left to reach the Koʻolau Summit, the final ascent truly begins, climbing about 880 ft. (268 m) up the steepest and typically muddiest sections of the entire trail.
It's always cool to see these two very different, but very similar-looking, Hawaiian trees growing side by side.
As Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge gets steeper, the trail enters the most overgrown section of the hike.
That said, Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge is typically not as overgrown as adjacent trails, like the Wailupe Loop Trail or Kūlepeamoa Ridge, thanks to its popularity. Nevertheless, some hikers may still prefer to wear pants for these final sections, which can be especially helpful when it’s muddy!
The pants below are my recommendations that hold up the best with the overgrowth here in Hawaiʻi, but with any hiking pants that need to be durable, make sure that they are at or near 100% nylon. This is really the most important factor!
Many of these steep, eroded sections have looked like this for years on Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge!
This infamous erosion gully is one of the worst of all trails across Oʻahu—even worse than the Moanalua Middle Ridge, which is saying something!
It’s never a bad idea to bring your own ropes for these eroded sections, especially if it has rained recently!
This steep drop-off is the site where a landslide occurred, and while it’s certainly nothing to take lightly, navigating this section should be very quick.
This eroded ledge is one of the steepest and trickiest to navigate up!
When Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge reaches a point on the final ascent where there is drainage on either side, it’s a good sign that the summit is getting close!
These are the final steps leading up to the Koʻolau Summit!
Hawaiʻi Loa Summit
This is the summit of Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge, where places like Mt. Olomana, the Lanikai Pillbox Trail, Puʻu Māʻeliʻeli, and possibly even as far as Mokoliʻi near Kualoa Ranch can be seen on a clear day!
On a different note, the Hawaiʻi Loa Summit is the start of the Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST), with Wailupe being the first notable summit to the north and Kūlepeamoa to the south.
However, I only recommend hiking further on the Koʻolau Summit Trail to those who are aware of what’s ahead and know how to get down safely—especially since both the Wailupe Loop Trail and Kūlepeamoa Ridge are more challenging to descend than Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge.
Read My Separate Post: Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST)
Native Plants on Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge
From the very beginning of Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge to the Koʻolau Summit, native plants of all environments can be seen, which is especially true near the uppermost elevations of Pia Valley.
That said, some of the native plants that can be seen on Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge include Koa, ʻŌhiʻa lehua, Uluhe, Maile, ʻAhaniu, Hōʻawa, ʻIliahi, Hala Pepe, Kōpiko, ʻUhaloa, ʻAʻaliʻi, and Kanawao—to truly name only a few.
If you would like to learn more about these and many other native Hawaiian plants from across the islands, I encourage you to check out my separate post linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
