Hiking the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail on Oʻahu
Distance: 4.7 miles / 7.6 km
In terms of difficulty, the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail is often regarded as one of the easiest and best introductory hikes to reach the beautiful Koʻolau Summit.
To this point, I also feel the same about the neighboring Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail, but in my opinion, Wiliwilinui is the easier of the two, with similar views that span across Oʻahu’s east side from the summit.
My Print - Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail
Wiliwilinui Ridge Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail is located at the very end of ʻOkoʻa Street at the top of Wiliwilinui Ridge; the private neighborhood at the base of the trail.
That being said, you will need to present your ID to the security in order to obtain a parking pass for the parking lot at the top. Passes are limited, and I have been denied in the past because the parking lot was full.
On top of 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.
All said, don’t forget to place the parking pass on the dash of your vehicle before you hike.
Google Maps Directions: Wiliwilinui Ridge Trailhead
Hiking the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail
The Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail begins on a long gravel/ dirt service road for the power lines located along the ridge.
These power line poles will continue for about two-thirds of the trail until you get near the steeper sections that climb up to the summit.
This left-hand turn in the photo below, followed by the hill in the next photo, is notorious for being very muddy and slippery following periods of wet weather.
After a certain point, the service road turns into an true trail for the remainder of the hike.
The open area in the photo below is where Wiliwilinui Ridge starts climbing the first set of stairs.
In total, the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail gains about 1,300 ft. (396 m) of elevation from the trailhead to the summit, but the final summit ridge is where it’s most noticeable.
As previously mentioned, the last mile of Wiliwilinui up to the summit is where most of the significant elevation gain is located, with about 840 ft. (256 m) of climbing from the start of the stairs to the summit.
As Wiliwilinui climbs up the final steep section, the trail passes by this fenced in set of buildings.
However, this is not the true summit, which is located just beyond.
Wiliwilinui Summit
On a clear day from the summit, you can see great views across the east side of Oʻahu, including Mt. Olomana, the Lanikai Pillboxes, and even as far as Mokoliʻi to the north, on the best of days.
Native Plants on Wiliwilinui Ridge
The Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail is full of typical native Hawaiian plants, like Uluhe, Koa, ʻŌhiʻa lehua, Alani, and Kōpiko, to name a few. However, the most significant find that stood out to me was a species of ʻŌhiʻa that is more typically found on trails across central Oʻahu.
Metrosideros macropus is one of three ʻŌhiʻa species that is only found on Oʻahu, and in my experience, I always see this species of ʻŌhiʻa much less than the other two Oʻahu endemics.
Alternatively, you can see the yellow ʻŌhiʻa (Metrosideros polymorpha var. glaberrima), also found on the Wiliwilinui, which is why identifying ʻŌhiʻa based on color alone is not a safe bet.
If you would like to know more about these, as well as tons of other native Hawaiian plants, I encourage you to check out my separate post linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
My Print - Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail
