Hiking the Kawainui Marsh Trail on Oʻahu
Distance (Roundtrip): 3.0 miles / 4.8 km
Whether you bring a coffee, your running shoes, or a stroller, the Kawainui Marsh Trail on the east side of Oʻahu is one of the island’s most underrated trails!
By this, I mean that the Kawainui Marsh is a lot of things in one adventure: Kawainui is one of the best Oʻahu trail runs; it’s one of the island’s best kid-friendly hikes, and it’s, without a doubt, one of the best places to see a variety of different native waterbirds on the short 1.5-mile (2.4 km) out-and-back trail.
This is all not to mention that on a clear day, the expansive views you get across the flat landscape toward Oʻahu’s Koʻolau Mountains are second to none, especially in the morning light!
Kawainui Marsh Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Kawainui Marsh Trail is located in Kaha Park in Kailua.
That being said, parking is generally fairly easy to come by at any time of the day, but I highly recommend using the restroom before arriving, as the ones in Kaha Park are nothing to brag about.
Google Maps Directions: Kaha Park
Hiking the Kawainui Marsh Trail
From the parking lot, the Kawainui Marsh Trail begins on the sidewalk heading north.
Kaha Garden
Within just a few steps of the trailhead, the Kawainui Marsh Trail passes through the community-organized Kaha Garden.
It’s a garden filled with a variety of different native species, and it’s truly the best place on the trail to see and learn about native Hawaiian plants.
Kawainui Marsh
After only 0.1 miles (0.2 km), the sidewalk ends, and the Kawainui Marsh begins.
In my experience, the beginning and very end of the Kawainui Marsh Trail are the best places to see some of the wetland’s native waterbirds, including the ʻAukuʻu, Aeʻo, and my personal favorite, the ʻAlae ʻUla.
This is the ʻAlae ʻUla, and it’s endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.
Furthermore, the word ʻUla means red, referring to the Moorhen’s distinct red face.
After the initial pond, this sidewalk begins and continues to the far east end of the marsh.
Eleanor, my little miniature dachshund, seemed to prefer the sidewalk.
After 1.4 miles (2.3 km), the Kawainui Marsh Trail comes to an end, where the final part of the trail climbs up to Kailua Road.
Running Around Kawainui Marsh
While I have personally run the roughly 6.4 miles (10.3 km) around the entire Kawainui Marsh, it’s not a run that I recommend because of how busy/ dangerous the traffic can be on Kailua and Kapaʻa Quarry Road.
However, if this is something you’re interested in, take a right on Kailua Road for 1.6 miles (2.6 km), then a right on Kapaʻa Quarry Road for 2.6 miles (4.2 km), then a right on Mōkapu Road for 0.2 miles (0.3 km), and then another right on Oneʻawa Street for 0.2 miles (0.3 km), and finally, a right on Kaha Street for the last 0.3 miles (0.5 km) to get back to the park.
Again, this is not the safest route to run, as cars typically drive fast on certain stretches, like Kapaʻa Quarry Road, without a great shoulder to give yourself some distance.
All said, the shoes below are my preferred road-to-trail shoes, which definitely come in handy with how muddy Kapaʻa Quarry Road can be.
Native Plants on the Kawainui Marsh Trail
The Kaha Garden, at the very beginning of Kawainui Marsh, is easily the best place to see a variety of native Hawaiian plants.
Some of these include Pōhinahina, Milo, ʻŪlei, ʻĀkia, Naupaka, Maʻo hau hele, and Maʻo—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 below.
In addition, if you’re interested in the community-led restoration work at Kaha Park, you can find them here to learn more, including information on how to volunteer.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
