You can see this ridge from almost anywhere on the east side
of Honolulu. It's distinguished by the huge microwave tower just before the summit.
This is a really nice and short hike. Have done this the most of all my
hikes. Plus my boss lives at the end of the road before the trailhead so it's also a
good starting/ending point to traverse the summit! Just head up Laukahi to the very
end and turn left and follow that street to the very end and there you are! You do
need to check in at that guard station, but it's just a formality.The trail starts with
a somewhat long dirt path wide enough for a truck to drive through. This area is
pretty hot and dry with tons of the yellow strawberry guavas along the trail sides.
The wide path ends at a grassy area which even has a bike rack! From there
you climb some cut-out steps and suddenly you're walking along abundant native flora!
There are some ups and downs but nothing taxing. The climb before the summit is
also not very bad, but it is quite eroded. There are some ropes to help you along if
needed. There's a huge grassy area at the top to eat your lunch, even has a lawn
chair so you don't have to get your butt wet.
Date: May/June/July, 1998
Time Duration: 2.5hours
Difficulty: Green
Danger: Green
Notes: I'd say this is definately both the easiest and shortest hike to the
Koolau summit. At a decent pace you can get down off the top in about an hour!
Plus the parking area is probably the safest aside from Hawaii Loa ridge.
Only drawback I can think of is that certain areas on the lower sections are quite
muddy and never seem to dry out.
