Hiking the Likeke Falls Trail on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Distance: 0.9 miles / 1.4 km
The Likeke Falls Trail on the east side of Oʻahu is a beautiful multi-tiered waterfall along the rugged Koʻolau Mountains, and it’s one that I consider to be the best kid-friendly waterfall hike on the island for a few reasons!
This first is that the Likeke Falls Trail is a very short hike at only 0.45 miles (0.7 km) each way, and other easy, comparable waterfall hikes, like Lulumahu Falls and Mānoa Falls, are nearly double the distance.
The second reason is that the Likeke Falls Trail has very minimal elevation gain over the course of the hike—something that cannot be said about the much more popular—and mostly uphill—Mānoa Falls Trail.
Finally, Likeke Falls is as good of a guarantee as it gets, meaning the waterfall will be flowing year-round, as it is spring-fed, not rain-fed. This is something to keep in mind about waterfalls across Hawaiʻi because what you see in photos may not reflect the current conditions, depending on the time of year.
Likeke Falls Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Likeke Falls Trail is located in one of two places.
First, there is the option to park off Kīnāʻole Road for free and walk about 0.3 - 0.4 miles (0.5 - 0.6 km) to the actual trailhead, or there is the option to pay to park adjacent to the Likeke Falls Trailhead at the First Presbyterian Church/ Koʻolau Golf Club for a small fee.
That said, I always choose to park for free on the side of Kīnāʻole Road just before entering the golf course, but be careful if doing so in a low-clearance vehicle. The shoulder is typically very muddy, and in the past, I’ve had to use 4WD to get out when the east side of Oʻahu has seen a lot of recent rain.
Google Maps Directions: Koʻolau Golf Club / Kīnāʻole Road
Hiking the Likeke Falls Trail
Walking to the Trailhead
If you decide to park for free off Kīnāʻole Road, go right where the road splits to begin walking the private road toward the First Presbyterian Church/ Koʻolau Golf Club.
Once at the parking lot, stay to the left to continue walking to the Likeke Falls Trailhead at the back of the parking area.
Maunawili Falls Trailhead (Old Pali Road)
Just before the back of the parking lot, the road on the left will pass this discreet trailhead, which is the start of the hike to Maunawili Falls.
That said, there are other trailheads to begin the hike to Maunawili Falls, but because certain trailheads have closed, some are difficult to park at long-term, and others are not free, Kīnāʻole Road is my preferred starting point.
To learn more, you can find all the information in my separate post linked below, which I recommend reading in detail, because so much of what used to be the Maunawili Falls Trail has changed.
Read My Separate Post: Maunawili Falls Trail (Coming Soon) Posted: 09/10/2025
Likeke Falls Trailhead
Once at the very back left corner of the parking lot, the true trailhead for Likeke Falls will be found!
Before hiking, be aware that, whether it has been raining or not, the Likeke Falls Trail can be one of the muddiest hikes on Oʻahu!
Additionally, the distance mentioned above is not the distance from wherever you may have parked on Kīnāʻole Road; rather, it’s the roundtrip distance from this trailhead to the waterfall.
The Likeke Falls Trail begins up a service road for a water tank located shortly ahead.
When the Likeke Falls trail reaches the water tank, go left on the trail heading uphill before the path around tank.
If the Likeke Falls Trail is going to be muddy and slippery, it will become apparent almost immediately after leaving the service road to the water tank.
About halfway between the water tank and the split to the waterfall, the Likeke Falls Trail enters a beautiful entanglement of Hau trees, similar to the Kulanaʻahane Trail in Moanalua Valley.
Likeke Falls-Old Pali Road Junction
After roughly 0.3 miles (0.5 km), go right at this split to continue hiking to Likeke Falls.
That said, the trail going straight is the connection with the Old Pali Highway, but I don’t recommend following it because it’s unnecessary to hike this way because of the overgrowth—especially considering that the Maunawili Falls junction shown at the beginning is a much easier and quicker access to the Old Pali Road.
Not long after making the right turn, the sound of the waterfall will start to get louder and louder until you reach the stream just prior to the falls.
Likeke Falls
Although the pool at the base isn’t very deep, Likeke Falls can be a great place to cool off on a hot day.
Furthermore, this photo may not look like much water, but it can look significantly different/ heavier after recent rain.
My Print - Likeke Falls
Native Plants on the Likeke Falls Trail
Likeke Falls is low-elevation trail for Hawaiʻi, meaning that it’s predominantly non-native, invasive plants along the entire hike.
However, the few natives that can be seen, if you know what to look for, are Māmaki, Hau, and the Hala tree.
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
