Hiking the Kulanaʻahane Trail to the Moanalua Saddle on Oʻahu
Distance: 11.2 miles / 18.0 km
Elevation Gain: ~1,400 ft. / 427 m
The Kulanaʻahane Trail in central Oʻahu is a trail that few hikers explore, even with its beautiful views above Haʻikū Valley and the H-3 Freeway.
To my own knowledge, this may have to do with the lack of views until the very end, but what’s even more apparent is the amount of hikers looking to use the Moanalua Valley Trail to access Stairway to Heaven, as many end up on Kulanaʻahane by mistake.
In any case, the Moanalua Valley Trail to Kulanaʻahane is a great day hike for those looking to explore one of the island’s least-visited trails.
Moanalua Valley Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Kulanaʻahane Trail is located in the very back of Moanalua Valley just prior to the Moanalua Valley Neighborhood Park.
What this means is that if you’re only in the passing through the park to get to the trail, then you are required to park in the residential neighborhood just before the gate.
Google Maps Directions: Kulanaʻahane Trailhead
Hiking the Kulanaʻahane Trail
At the back of the Moanalua Valley Neighborhood Park, the trail to Kulanaʻahane begins on the Moanalua Valley Trail for the first 2.9 miles (4.7 km).
Kamananui Valley Road
As the valley trail follows the Moanalua Stream, know that it’s generally easiest to stay on the high path whenever the trail splits to avoid unnecessary ups and downs.
The photo below is one of the first bridges that you will encounter in Moanalua Valley, which is easiest to stay on the left-hand side.
This section of the Kamananui Valley Road is notorious for being very muddy, and that’s why there are a number of side trails through the trees that people have made, as this section never seems to dry out.
Kamananui-Kulanaʻahane Junction
At about 2.9 miles (4.7 km) of hiking up the Moanalua Valley Trail, the Kulanaʻahane Trail splits off the Kamananui Valley Road on the left-hand side.
Following this junction, it’s easy to know if you’re on the correct trail because it will immediately cross the Moanalua Stream immediately after.
Kulanaʻahane Trail
At this next split just after the stream, go left to continue on the Kulanaʻahane Trail.
From the official start of the Kulanaʻahane Trail, there’s about 2.7 miles (4.3 km) through the bottom of the valley to the Moanalua Saddle.
As one can see from the photo below, the Kulanaʻahane Trail will make you very familiar with Hau, a native bushy tree that’s sometimes referred to as Hau bush.
Much of the Kulanaʻahane Trail is passes through this entanglement of Hau trees, but generally speaking, they are not an issue in terms of navigating through them.
North Fork of the Moanalua Stream
When the Moanalua Valley has been receiving enough rain, the stream may be flowing, which can make for a beautiful place to cool off on a hot day.
However, I caution against swimming if the water isn’t moving because of leptospirosis that is found in many streams across Hawaiʻi.
Kulanaʻahane Ridge
When the trail crosses the north fork for the final time, the Kulanaʻahane Trail begins ascending the Kulanaʻahane Ridge Trail, which leads up to the Moanalua Saddle.
This final ascent climbs just under 300 ft. (91.4 m) in about 0.25 miles (0.4 km) to the end of the trail.
Moanalua Saddle (Koʻolau Summit Trail)
From the end of the Kulanaʻahane Trail, which is also the bottom of the Moanalua Saddle, you’ll have expansive views of the Haʻikū Valley and Kāneʻohe to the east.
Some of the other notable hikes that you can see from the top include the Kalāheo and Oneʻawa Hills.
On a different note, this is all without saying that the end of the Kulanaʻahane Trail is an access trail for the Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST).
That being said, do not hike past the initial summit if you weren’t planning on continuing further or ended up here by mistake while trying to get to Stairway to Heaven.
The three saddles along the Koʻolau Summit, including the Nuʻuanu, the Kalihi, and the Moanalua Saddle, are the most tricky and technically challenging sections across the entire cross-island hike—meaning they are absolutely beyond most people’s hiking ability!
I only say this out of a place of respect and caution, and on the day I took these photos, we ran into two fit guys who were attempting to reach the stairs but ended up at the saddle by mistake. After hearing our advice to turn around and not continue toward Stairway, they overconfidently proceeded anyway.
When they left, our group sat and watched them hike up the south side of the saddle to the first tricky section where they had almost immediately put themselves in a dangerous situation on the first climb. However, after about a half an hour of failed attempts to try and navigate the first climb, they both thankfully made the right decision to turn back.
Again, I say all of this as a friendly reminder, as I have lived through the worst possible outcome of a good friend here in Hawaiʻi.
Read My Separate Post: Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST)
Native Plants in the Moanalua Valley
Outside of a few native plant restoration sites in the Moanalua Valley, trek through the lower elevations of the forest is heavily invaded with non-native/ invasive species, like Strawberry Guava and the Kukui tree, a canoe plant that has proven to carry invasive tendencies.
However, Hau trees that were mentioned above are one of the seven native Hibiscus species in Hawaiʻi, and as the Kulanaʻahane Ridge Trail rises up from the valley floor at the end of the hike, there are many more native plants to find like ʻŌhiʻa lehua, Uluhe, Koa, and if you’re lucky, you may find an ʻOhe Mauka tree.
If you would like to know more about these and tons of 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
