Kamanaiki Ridge Trail

Hard to find, but if you’re using Google Maps or any GPS look for these directions and then park near the Water Supply nearby. You’ll walk up a steep road and these stairs that are next to a house. Parking can be difficult but there is parking on side streets nearby.
Make sure you bring at least a bottle of water and bug spray, although the bugs weren’t too bad. I recommend shoes, not flip flops. The trail can be steep at some areas and muddy at others (but not too muddy).
We didn’t see anyone when we hiked it on a Sunday afternoon and it took us about 2 hours round trip. However, we did not go all the way. Once we started going down the other side of the mountain we decided to turn back.
The trail can get narrow at times, steep, and at least once you have to use all fours. There are a few nice views that only the eye can truly appreciate. (It’s hard for cameras to capture the beauty, my photos won’t do justice.)
It’s a physically demanding trail, but you can do it!

Did this hike today and OMG what a terrifying experience. Let me start from the beginning. To get here take likelike highway and take a right onto Nalanieha street. Then take a left onto Kalihi street and then a quick right onto Manaiki plaza. You will want to park somewhere in the neighborhood. So walk up Manaiki PI to the back where I believe the house address is 1801 Manaiki PI. You want to take the concrete stairs that look like they are leading up to the houses front porch but your instantly immersed in the forest. You walk up over 50 concrete stairs and soon you will reach a water tank covered in graffiti. You want to keep the water tank to your left and you’ll see a trail going up. Continue to take the trail, which is well marked with pink ribbons throughout. You will come across many Christmas berry trees, guava bushes, iron wood trees, etc. as you get further to the end of the hike, the trail becomes narrow and you will have to climb a steep section, which can be quite muddy, but if you look to the left there is a rope for assistance. You reach the end when you get to a grassy flat wider area, sorry hard to describe, with views all around. So this part of the trail was actually enjoyable, but being adventurous and not yet fulfilled, I had decided to take the loop version of this hike instead of just doing the ‘out and back’ version, which is the route most people take. So at the end of the approx 2.5 mile hike to the top, I decided to take the trail on the right, also marked with ribbons which leads to the Kamanaiki stream. On this path you take a downward sloping path through a sea of uluhe– you may have actually seen this trail while hiking up– it was on the right hand side going up and it looks like a canal going down a small mountain. BUT the uluhe, which cushioned each step, quickly turned to mud and it left me no choice but to almost crawl down, especially since there were 50+ foot drops to my side. It had been raining during about 70% of the hike so I’m not sure if it’s always this difficult but on this hike it was. After about 10 minutes I made it to the stream, which you have to cross. If you go slightly down to the right following the stream down, you will notice your standing on a waterfall. Unfortunately, you don’t get to see the falls from below, or else I was just unable to find the path. So I continued to follow the pink ribbons, and follow them, and follow them some more for what seemed like forever– granted I was falling and crawling in mud for the vast majority of the time. Then, the ribbons just stopped, even though I stayed on the well defined trail. At this point it was getting late and I knew if I turned around I would still be on the trail well past sunset, so I decided to press my luck. I climbed under trees and fell a few times in the mud. I was starting to lose hope, but I knew if I continued to follow the stream down, I would eventually run into the neighborhood. Finally after 3 hours from the top of the hike, I came across someone’s backyard, which I had to climb up a muddy hill to access. I was then able to walk a mile back to my starting location.
I’m not sure if the hike to Kamanaiki stream is always this rough but quickly after starting the loop trail I regretted it. I could hear a few waterfalls and catch glimpses of them from the trail but I’d much rather be sitting under them relaxing than worrying about making it safely back to my starting point.
Tips: Do the hike as an OUT AND BACK– meaning don’t follow the trail to the stream!!!
Bring mosquito repellent

I’d say the beginning is the best part. The stairs at the start are quite charming, and you quickly get some views of Kalihi valley with the ocean behind it. There are some guava forests — though no guava were growing in July when I went. After a certain point, the hike stops having any new views, but it still remains pleasant. I did about 6 miles roundtrip. I wasn’t sure where the ending point was supposed to be and eventually just turned around, which was a little anticlimatic.

Off the beaten path! This trail is quite hidden. It’s unmarked, and the entrance is in a residential cup-​de-​sac. For details on how to find it, go here:
Parking: Residential street parking only. Be kind to the residents, as these families have been here for decades. A resident gave me «what are you doing on my street?» look, so I kindly asked her if it was okay to park there. She asked where I was going, so I said, «Hiking.» And, she gave me the go-​ahead hand signal. (Don’t leave valuables visible in car.)
Hike ambiance: As a woman, I would never do this hike alone because it’s so woodsy and secluded. But, with at least one buddy, it’s pretty safe. With a group, it’s great! You have to enter through a shrubby, over-​grown narrow stairway so do wear BUG spray! After that, you walk through a well-​kept path that runs through pine trees, eucalyptus trees, and all kinds of tropical shrubs. In the late summer, you can pick strawberry guava, which tastes like strawberry-​pineapple goodness. There’s a graffiti covered water tower which is fun to explore. Keep going to the tippy top and there’s a great lookout point with wonderful views of Kalihi Valley.
Bring water as it can get hot but a gentle breeze often rolls through the trees.
Overall: I’d say this hike is almost as intense as Koko Head but a lot more shaded and nature-​y! A great place to have a reflective, meditative, yet invigorating hike! I’ve seen rainbows on this hike 2 out of 4 times! Then, treat yourself for food at Kamehameha Shopping Center, Helena’s, or Chinatown!