Makiki-Manoa Cliffs Hike

This trail is definitely for beginners. We are not avid hikers, so it was perfect for us. As recomended, you need to wear closed-​toe shoes. The trail starts off paved and turns into dirt and gravel. So many beautiful old trees and bamboo. There is parking at the beginning of the trail and it is $ 7. There are bathrooms and a gift shop. The waterfall at the top is beautiful.

The Pu’u Ohia trail connects to the Manoa Cliffs trail. It takes about less than 15 minutes to get up to the bamboo forest. The trail entrance is before Telephone Road and you’ll see a small parking lot across of the trailhead. We just went to see the bamboo forest up there and it was unbelievable! Has a really nice breeze coming through and don’t forget to bring bug repellent! We forgot to bring, so we had to hurry out before the mosquitoes attack us!
It’s a bit muddy there, but it’s manageable. Just be careful, and don’t slip!

One of several well-​maintained and pleasant trails in the tantalus area (though of the tantalus hikes, I prefer Makiki Valley Loop). Quiet and calm. Has a couple views and some bamboo forests. Can get muddy.

I’ll always remember this hike as the one that launched me toward, but not to, my death. This was entirely my fault, for as others mention, the six miles takes longer than expected, and I started to feel rushed to beat a path out — I’d somehow thought I could do this hike, go to Lanikai, AND make it back to Waiola for shave ice before 6pm! I started jogging along the backside of the Manoa Cliffs portion where there are lots of roots crossing the path. I caught my foot on one and launched myself right over the edge of the trail. Now I’d say this section was more ravine than cliff, but it was a long way down, I was solo, and my cell had no service here. I flailingly grabbed onto some vines shortly after I tumbled over, and I was able to carefully pull myself out. Obviously I was super shaken up, but I took it as a lesson to lay back and appreciate nature rather than rush it, and the rest of the trip was great. And I did get my shave ice.
There are some really nice views and variations in vegetation as you wind your way in and out of the forest, but, near-​death aside, I feel this is a bit more of a hike you’d do as a local because it’s close and active rather than as a tourist because you’re going to get a knockout hike. There are sporadically lovely vistas and I’d take a tougher path like this over following a line of people to a waterfall and back, but if I wanted to immerse myself in this kind of scenery, I think Kauai and Maui have better options.

This was a fun and easy hike. Took us about 2 hours to finish it.
I recommend to wear bug spray, because there were some mosquitoes here and there. You can wear sunscreen, but most of the trail was covered. So I personally didn’t use sunscreen.
Now finding this trail might be confusing, only because there are so many different trails along Tanatalus. To get to this particular trail, just drive up Round Top Drive. The trail is right before the house at 4059. Parking is located on the left and the trail will be on the right.
Parking —
Trail —
As you continue on the trail, you will eventually see a bench
This is great place for pictures and to take a short break ;D Continue on the trail and you will see tons of beautiful bamboo trees and eventually hit a gate
go through the gate (and please close it behind you) and then you will continue one until you reach the second gate
If you continue on straight you will notice that the Manoa Cliff Trail has now connected with the Pu’u Ohia Trail
As you continue to follow the new trail, you will reach this shed that connects to a paved road
follow the paved road
until you reach a three way fork, then go to the far left choice
The left side is clearly marked with the Pu’u Ohia Trail sign,

Follow the bamboo path
continue on the trail until you finally reach the road again!
Please be careful as you are walking back to your cars. Most drivers aren’t expecting to see people on the road. And with all the twist and turns they might not see you until last minute.
For any hikers, I highly recommend using this website (
). My friends and I are always referring to this website to either decide on a new hike or as guidance as we are hiking.

Beautiful quiet hike. My friend I did about the 2.3 hike we went just past the bench. The forest was full of birds singing. So peaceful. We also crossed paths with a mongoose who stopped to check us out. Think next time I’ll stop at the center and get a map.

The tantalus trails are a must for anyone hiking on O’ahu.

Manoa Cliffs Trail is a beautiful hike located on Mount Tantalus, perfect for escaping the city without having to travel far. The trail can be muddy and slippery if it has rained even a little bit recently. This being Manoa Valley, you know it has rained recently so wear real shoes. The trail has a plethora of native plants and is home to a native forest restoration project:
The hike itself is pretty easy with only a few parts where there is an actual cliff on one side of you. And for the most part, there are a lot of trees and bushes that would break your fall. Being deathly afraid of heights, I was not too bothered by this trail, which is saying a lot because I get scared standing on top of a chair. And because you drive up to almost the top of Tantalus to start the trailhead, its pretty flat with occasional short rises and falls along the trail. The worst part was walking ½ mile uphill on the paved road when we were done. Most of the hike is in the jungle, but from time to time you pop out to a gorgeous view of blue skies and civilization in the distance. I cannot wait to explore the remaining trails which all connect up there. When we got to the map pictured at the end, we decided to keep going on what we thought was the end of Manoa Cliffs Trail. Half of the group headed back because they had to be somewhere. Come to find out, that map was outdated so when we thought we were completing the Manoa Cliffs Trail, we had already done that and moved on to the Kalawahine Trail (formally known as Manoa Cliffs Trail). When we popped out onto Round Top Drive, we had to walk about 1.5 miles back to the car. Even the walk on the paved road was lovely. The road is littered with avocados and we were lucky enough to find one that was still in good shape.

First things first, this hike has lots of twists and turns that may need explaining. After parking at the Hawaii Nature Center’s hikers parking lot, walk up the driveway until you see the bathrooms on the right. Walk to the back of the bathrooms and the trail head will be on the bridge that crosses the stream. Walk up the hill and turn left at the Kanealole Trail sign. You will then walk along this path for a while until you get to the top of a hill with a five-​way intersection. By taking the furthest path to the left, you will be on your way to the second half of this great hike. Just up the hill, turn left onto Moleka Trail. This trail will be more narrow than the previous section of the hike, but it gets a lot more scenic. After walking through the bamboo forest, you will find yourself at a road, Round Top Drive to be exact, cross this road and walk to the right until you see the next trail head. This is now Manoa Cliffs Trail. This trail is self-​explanatory for a while until you get to the four way intersection just through a fence. Take the left turn at this point to head to Tantalus Drive. Once you find yourself on this road, walk on the road to the right until you see another trail sign on the left. Take this trail downhill until you get to an intersection with Makiki Trail. Turn left and this will take you back to Kanealole Trail. When you turn left on Kanealole, you will recognize where you are. This trail takes you back to the Nature Center bathrooms where you began.
Overall, this hike is very scenic and challenging. It took me about 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete with a few breaks. The views at the top of Tantalus Drive were definitely the best scenery of the hike. If you are into long hikes, this is definitely a great way to spend a long morning. I would highly recommend this hike.

This is a nice hike. It took us about 2.5 hours and we stopped to email a couple of times and we went pretty slow on the muddy parts. It hadn’t rained but it was still muddy. It is a loop. If you go to the left you will be on the wetter side, which I think is better for uphill (I wouldn’t have wanted to come down that side). It was cool that one side was a lot like a rainforest and the other side was more like a regular forest. There was a small parking lot, which was really nice. Also, it was shaded, which was great.

This is a nice hike, about 1 ½ hours up and 1 hour down. Its about 6 miles long. We went after the rain and so it was quite muddy but nothing dangerous. The trails are clearly marked and the views are quite awesome. There is a bamboo reserve near the top, and bamboo forests everywhere. If you go after the rain or when its raining, be prepared to get really muddy so bring extra clothes and shoes so that you can change before you get back into your car. We didn’t run into any mosquitoes during the hike but they hang around the parking lot and infest your car so beware!

Great hike for a workout, and very long. Had a little trouble finding it because of my stupid GPS. It’s at the junction of Makiki Heights and Makiki. I agree with Yuko-​it was more like 4−½ hours for me, but I did linger a lot at the beginning looking at all the birds and trees and stopped several times to take pictures, and took one wrong turn that added about ½ a mile. Still, I ran a lot of the trail, and without the wrong turn, it still would have taken me 4 hours, so I think the only way this would take 3 hours is if you were not stopping at all and running part or all of the trail. I followed Lora’s directions with good results except for one point that I should have been able to figure out.
After you come to the junction of the Makiki Valley and Ualakaa trails, the direction is left onto Makiki, not right. Maybe this meant right if you are looking directly at the two Makiki trails? This wouldn’t be a problem for most people that were aware of which trail they just came off of, but I had run up the mountain and was a little winded, then saw a bird I thought might be one of the honeycreepers I hoped to see (it wasn’t) as I came up to the junction, and wasn’t paying attention. So… I went back the same direction I started from because when I finally turned around to see which way to go, it was the Makiki trail to the right when coming from the direction I had just come from… :/​and because I was jogging, I didn’t notice at first. I thought it looked too much like what I had just come up, especially when I stepped on these two boards I recognized, but I wasn’t sure and I thought maybe since it was part of the same trail and parallel to the other half it was just similar, so I just kept running down-​it was so much easier than running up. :) Then I got back to the cute little bridge over the stream and realized I had definitely gone back on the same part of the trail, so I had to turn around and run back up the mountain again… So you want to take a left onto Makiki Valley trail when you get to the top. Probably not an issue for most people with a better sense of direction/​awareness.
Another thing to be aware of is that the Manoa Cliffs trail is made up of both the Manoa Cliffs Trail and the Old Manoa Cliffs Trail with an additional name that I don’t remember. This was one of my favorite parts of the hike. The protected area within the gates is really pretty, and after the Old Manoa Cliffs Trail (to the left after the gate), you get to the amazing view on Tantulus drive. This was my absolute favorite part, and if you don’t have 3 – 4 hours, you might just go up to Tantulus drive for the view and park in one of the lots and run the Cliff trail or Nahuina trail. There was one turn not explicitly pointed out here. After Nahuina trail, before you get back to Kanealole trail, you need to turn left onto the Makiki Valley trail. That takes you to Kanealole trail. Lora’s directions were pretty great though, and she made the point that when in doubt, turn left on Makiki Valley or Manoa Valley trails, which is the reason I didn’t get lost when I wasn’t sure if I was on the right trail!
When I hiked this on Saturday, I saw maybe 10 people total, the entire time, so it’s a good place to go if you are not a fan of hikes like the Manoa Falls trail that are loaded with noisy tourists. I only saw one guy with a noisy kid on the Manoa Cliffs trail, and it didn’t take long to lose them. Also, this hike wasn’t easy-​definitely intermediate in my opinion due to length, and also depending on weather conditions. It started raining when I got on the Moleka trail and didn’t stop before I finished, so it was very muddy and slick. I was wearing hiking shoes and still sliding a lot. There are some steep areas, particularly on the Nahuina trail that made it more difficult. I say intermediate because I imagine easy as being something that people can take their kids on, and this was far too long for kids, and the Nahuina trail was a little treacherous for little ones in the rain/​mud, so keep in mind that it is more difficult when the weather is bad.
Overall, great hike if you want to have some solitude and a good workout. I felt comfortable hiking alone with my cell (didn’t lose service at all), and most of the people I saw were running trails. Bring a big bottle of water and wear supportive shoes you don’t mind getting muddy-it’s long.

Sometimes I wish all of the trails in Hawaii were legal and maintained because of the wide trails, the well marked signs/​maps, and because its just so much easier to navigate
But then again, I’ve heard that hikes that aren’t legal gives you a rush you definitely wont get on these legal hikes. :)
Anyway, after reading Lora’s review these seemed to be a perfect morning hike that would be easy to follow, work up a little sweat, and detox from a heavily alcohol induced weekend.
My friend and I started hiking around 10:30 and finished around 2. Lora H. wasn’t lying when she said this hike was longggg. I started freaking out near the end since I had a Doctor’s appointment and I was afraid I wasn’t going to make it. We actually ran for the end of it so we could make it in time to grab lunch and make it in time for my appointment. #foodtrumpseverything
I followed Lora’s direction to a tee and I advise you to do the same. We also grabbed a map at the entrance and that helped to see how many miles each trail was and where we were in reference to the entrance.
Although not much of a scenic trail except at the top (where you can see the Waianae Coast, Diamond Head, and Honolulu)
the birds, flowers, bamboo forests, and plants were fun to explore as we trekked through the mud and what felt like never ending trails.

All in all would I do it again? Probably not. Just cause it was so long and the views were okay. Not to say I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone but if you are looking for a breathtaking view don’t have high expectations. But if you are looking for a hike to clear your head, get away from town, discover yourself this is definitely a must.
Unilocal 365: ²²¹⁄₃₆₅

This is absolutely an AMAZING hike! Highly recommended. About a 3 hour hike, that spans over 6 miles and gains about 1260 feet in elevation. It’s actually not just one trail you are on, but a labyrinth of trails that take you through rainforests, bamboo forests, past a stream, beautiful native plants… absolutely a must do for hikers!
The trail starts at the Hawaii Nature Center — there is ample parking there for hikers. So to get to the start of the trail, follow the directions to the Kanealole Trail — the trail starts by the restrooms of the Hawaii Nature Center. Note: after you park your car, you’ll see signs for the trails.
So go on the Kanealole trail and from here, follow that trail. You get the toughest part of the hike out of the way — a steep climb up the forest. The tree roots made natural stairs for you to climb. It’s a bit of a climb, you definitely get a workout! Stay on this trail and then you’ll hit the 4-​way junction with the Makiki Valley and Ualakaa trails. Turn right onto the Makiki Valley trail. This takes you through a dense forest, you’ll see a bamboo forest, it’s just amazing and beautiful! There are guava trees, beautiful white ginger plants, throughout your hike — and I swear there are avocado trees somewhere because I kept seeing avocados, but couldn’t find the tree. Now you stay on this trail and keep going until it joins the Moleka Trail. Turn left onto the Moleka Trail. As you continue, the trail opens up to a parking lot on Round Top Drive at the end of Moleka trail. Cross Round Top Drive to the Manoa Cliffs Trail. Take that trail which opens up to Tantalus Drive. Get onto Tantalus Drive — make sure to take in the view of the entire Waianae Coast on your right, then the east coast withi a spectacular view of DIamond Head on your left. Keep walking 100 yards up the street to the Nahuina Trail entrance, on the left side (Diamond Head Side) of Tantalus drive. Continue on down Nahuina trail… then you’ll reach Kanealole Trail again and continue to wear you started. And just FYI… a few places, the signs will point you in two separate directions — i.e. sign will say Manoa Valley Loop trail and point left and right… just go left each time and you’ll be good — although I think they all end up in the same place but I just chose left.

Honestly my favorite hike so far on Oahu! Diffuiculty, easy to intermediate. Intermediate only becasue of the length. Well maintained trail, absolutely a great hike!