Hawaii Island is rich in beauty and exotic hikes, including Waimoku Falls to Pipiwai Trail, while Kauai is perfect to hike far from the main tourist areas.
Plus, visiting the island of Maui gives the opportunity to explore volcanoes and hike the more deserted regions of the Hawaiian area.
Irrespective of the island visited, hiking Hawaii is certain to provide a choice of unique and stunning trails to explore on arrival.
Hawaii is a haven for hikers in search of a short, scenic path to a challenging trail on a field of lava.
Here are six of the best hiking trails in Hawaii to explore:
Olomana Trail
The Olomana Trail (Three Peaks) at 2.5 miles in length (there and back) is one of the most popular hiking trails in Oahu. This trail has a difficult rating and sections of the path can be quite frightening with drop-offs on both sides or a narrow and steep trail.
But, it does give some impressive views of Kailua. The last of the three peaks should only be attempted by the skilled hiker – there are vertical climbs to complete before arriving at the top.
The usage of this trail is medium and is open to the public year-round.
Diamond Head Summit Trail
The Diamond Head (Le’ahi) Summit trail at 3.5 miles in length (there and back) is situated close to Honolulu and gives panoramic views of the surroundings.
Most of this trail is rocky or paved with the addition of 100+ stairs, including a spiral staircase. This hike has a 561-ft elevation gain with heavy usage and is open to the public year-round.
Pipiwai Trail
The Pipiwai Trail is 4 miles in length (there and back) and situated in Hana, Hawaii. It has a 1000-ft elevation gain with medium usage, and open to the public year-round.
Great features of the Pipiwai Trail include the wildlife, waterfall, views, river, and forest setting. It has a difficulty rating of moderate.
This is an attractive destination for not only hiking, but also nature trips and bird watching.
Waihe’e Ridge Trail
The Waihe’e Ridge trail is about 4.5 miles in length (there and back) with a 1488-ft elevation gain and open to the public year-round.
Great features of this hike include dramatic ridge-line hiking, great valley scenery, wildflowers, and lush views.
The exposed nature of the trail can lead to muddy and wet weather conditions, but this means there is great access to lush vegetation and plenty of waterfalls.
Maunawili Falls Trail
The Maunawili Falls Trail at 3 miles in length (there and back) is situated near Kailua Town, HI.
This is a nice hike that takes place through a jungle and gives spectacular views of Maunawilli Falls and finishes with great swims/jumps at the end. Great features include wildflowers, waterfall, views, river, and forest setting.
Maunawili Falls gets high foot-traffic with a 600-ft elevation gain and open to the public year-round.
Hanakapi’ai Falls
The Hanakapi’ai Falls trail at 8 miles (there and back) gives the opportunity to explore the Na Pali coastline which has spectacular waterfalls and secluded beaches.
It is situated near Hanalei, HI with heavy usage and varying difficult along the course of the trail.
This hike starts with moderate difficulty until reaching Hanaiapiai Beach. From there, the difficulty starts to increase with a tough climb to the waterfall. Plus, the start of the hike is quite slippery and muddy.
Matt Green, is an avid hiker and lover of the great outdoors. He is always planning his next big trip or hitting the trails for a solo hike.
He’s traveled extensively to many remote regions and has plenty of experience exploring various terrains, and stories to tell.