Kalauao Falls Loop Trail is a 4.2 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii that features a waterfall and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and bird watching and is accessible year-round.
Hiking
Nature trips
Walking
Bird watching
River
Views
Waterfall
Wild flowers
Wildlife
Bugs
Muddy
Over grown
Rocky
Scramble
Off trail
No dogs
Lessor known trail that starts from Keaiwa Heiau State Park off the more commonly known Aiea Loop Trail down into Kalauao Valley to visit Kalauao Falls and Pu'u Uau. This trail was originally created in 1930 and later modified in 1965 by HTMC. This trail is an intermediate level trail with some steep climbs and descents into the valley. It is best done after a good rain, though not immediately so as it will create some pretty high brown waters. Its best after a couple of days as the water settles into a clear blue hue. The trail is generally well marked with orange ribbons and a few pink bottle caps. There is one short section above the waterfalls (if doing this loop clockwise), where there are several parallel trails that makes it a little confusing. Lookout for the ridge trail after the 14th crossing. Once on the ridge, there are lots of really tall Ti plants. Its not much of a switchback - more like straight up. Watch out for muddy sections with loose footing. The ridge is a beautiful place that connects up to Pu'u Uau. This hill is where the junction from Aiea Ridge and Aiea Loop meets. Return back to the start along Aiea Loop Trail.
Lots of free state park parking. There are picnic tables and bathroom facilities in the park grounds.
Take H1 West and exit to Halawa. Go straight past 3 traffic lights - where at the third take the right fork to get you onto Aiea Heights Road. Follow it all the way to the end at Keaiwa Heiau State Park. Go past the entrance and drive up to the top to park opposite the Aiea Loop Trail head.
Sun Jun 21 2020Go Clock Wise. and come back the way you came. 3.5 miles in total. Go a few Days after it rains so that the water wall is running. Don't go directly after a rainfall or you'll be in a slippery mess. It takes about an hour each way, downhill is very steep. Waterfall is next to the 656ft elevation marker on the map(closer going clockwise). Past the waterfall is overgrown and poorly marked.
Fri Jun 12 2020Mon Jun 08 2020This trail is actually 5.6 miles, well, probably close to 5 miles if you don't get lost on the way. It took us about 6 hours to complete the full loop, which includes a lot of breaks. It is hard to find the trail at the point where you stop following the stream bed. Try to follow the orange or pink tape if you can find them. Towards the top of the ridge is overgrown and there are a lot of mosquitos at one point - good thing we wore long sleeves and long pants, otherwise we would've been scraped/eaten up. Great views, but probably won't do the full loop again. Bring lots of water, snacks, and gloves are good to have as well.
Sun Jun 07 2020Thu May 28 2020Did this hike clockwise, which may have been easier. Wasn’t a very challenging hike, but a lot of rocks and roots which made the going slow and difficult. Also, very overgrown and hard to follow in some places. Would probably just be worth going to the falls and then back. As with most hikes, it’s beautiful and the trees are amazing!
Sun May 24 2020Thu May 14 2020Phone died probably about when there was a mile left. This hike ended up being almost 6 miles for us altogether, not too sure why. The first half of the hike leading to the ravine had quite a lot of brush, lots of little scrapes on our shins (we went down aiea loop and then up, this may be less common as we saw three groups coming from the opposite direction). Also unfortunately it was completely dry when we got there, had been hoping since it rained a day or two ago it would be flowing but no. If we do this hike again, would only go in the way we came out and then back out that way; was not a fan of how overgrown it was in the beginning.
Tue May 12 2020The trail took us almost 6 hours. It’s best to really take a good look of the map and the picture references before attempting the hike. We tried taking the hike “backwards” taking the Kalauao loop rather than the Aiea loop, which we found easier given the climbing and slippery trail. Pretty disappointed that the stream and waterfall was dried out but it would look best after rainfall. Coming back up the valley to the Aiea loop trail consisted of very narrow and muddy trails, as well as thorny bushes. Recommend carrying lots of water and snacks and wearing shoes with good grip, using bug spray and well covered outfits should be preferred
Tue May 12 2020Overall hike was a pretty easy one. You just have to come on a rainy day to experience the waterfall at it’s full potential.
Sun May 10 2020Hard af
Sun Mar 29 2020Hiking this trail was very adventurous - there were many places where we had to reference the GPS map to stay on course! The waterfall is definitely something to see, but only worth it if you're prepared for a little bit of struggle! It's also good to note that you'll be crossing the stream several times as you follow it, many places it's not practical to find rocks to jump across. And bring bug spray!!
Sat Mar 21 2020Definitely worth going after some heavy rain. The falls and pool were beautiful today. Lots of clear little pools along the stream. Rather than doing the full loop, we went clockwise taking the first left off the Aiea loop trail, got to the falls and then came back out the same way. Very straightforward, the trail is clear and no issues whatsoever. Total distance this way is 3.2 miles
Sun Mar 01 2020
