Hiking the Waipuhia Falls Trail (Upside-Down Waterfall) on Oʻahu
Distance: 0.75 miles / 1.2 km
The Waipuhia Falls Trail should be attempted by experienced Oʻahu hikers only. Do not use the short roundtrip distance to judge the difficulty of this trail.
While the hike to Waipuhia Falls is short, there is hardly a trail to follow.
I did a good job at showing the trail when there was one, but the majority of the hike takes some good wayfinding because it’s very easy to get lost and turned around in this forest.
Waipuhia Falls Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Waipuhia Falls Trailhead is located on the side of Nuʻuanu Pali Drive, just off the Pali Lookout.
Out of caution, consider the Waipuhia Falls Trailhead and any trailhead off the Pali Lookout to be a high-crime area for petty theft. Never leave bags or anything valuable in your car.
Google Maps Directions: Waipuhia Falls Trailhead
Hiking the Waipuhia Falls Trail
The Waipuhia Falls Trail starts off at an unmarked trailhead on the side of Nuʻuanu Pali Dr.
There may be more than one path that leads into the forest, but the best route is closest to the guardrail.
The best way to hike the Waipuhia Falls Trail is to follow the GPX map on AllTrails for the entire hike.
If you’re ever off track, navigate back to the route because, while it may not look like it, there is a main path to follow that I believe becomes more clear as you hike out.
Shortly after the trailhead, the route follows a long straight stretch through the Cinnamon trees that looks a lot like the photo below.
This is the long straight part on the AllTrails map.
Like I said previously, these are really the best areas on the Waipuhia Falls Trail that look like a trail.
Expect the route to look a lot more confusing than the photos in this post.
Waipuhia Stream
Eventually, the trail will cross over the Waipuhia Stream, which is a great place to see how much the waterfalls will be flowing.
Waipuhia Falls is rain-fed, meaning that it’s only flowing just after or during heavy rain.
This should also serve as a warning because more than likely you will be hiking during the rain, and the final stretch of the trail poses a flash flood risk after the stream split.
On the far side of the stream, the Waipuhia Falls Trail becomes a bit more defined because at this point, there is really only one way to hike up to the falls.
At the confluence for the Waipuhia Stream, cross the stream one more time to reach the split for both forks.
Waipuhia Stream Split
The photo below is the split for both forks of the Waipuhia Stream, but the left fork is by far easier and more popular.
Left Fork
To hike either fork up to the falls, follow the stream, which should be flowing heavily at this point.
This last stretch of the trail is why there is a flash flood risk associated with Waipuhia Falls because hikers could potentially get trapped during the heaviest of rain if it were to pick up significantly.
Waipuhia Falls
This is the Left Fork of Waipuhia Falls, and it’s the more popular of the two waterfalls.
It was not flowing when I took the photos for this post because I hiked it just for the sake of getting outside.
This was taken when I hiked Waipuhia during an average steady rain, but nothing heavy.
Right Fork
The right fork of the Waipuhia Stream is harder than the left and requires more scrambling to reach the falls.
Please use your best judgment because exiting the right fork in case of an emergency would be much more complicated than the left fork due to the length and all the debris from previous rainstorms.
Native Plants on the Waipuhia Falls Trail
The Waipuhia Falls Trail is predominately non-native/ invasive plants for the entire hike, which is why I was surpised when I came across a few natives, like this Māmaki and a few Pāpala Kēpau trees toward the falls.
That being said, if you are curious about trying the native Hawaiian Māmaki tea, I kindly ask that you don’t harvest Māmaki from our native forests but, instead, buy from one of the local reputable vendors, such as those listed below.
If you would like to know more about these and other native plants around Hawaiʻi, check out my separate post. There are far better trails to see and learn about them than Waipuhia Falls.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
