Hiking Heaven: Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail

Get there early for the parking. Has limited parking. It’s a private property. The guards will ask you to leave if no parking place available. You gotta have Military ID or State ID to get in. Closed for outsiders. Great hike. You can hike the KST too. Very easy trail apart from the last stretch to the summit.

What an awesome trail. Must have a Hawaii or military ID to sign in at the gate.

The security guard rudely asked us to leave because we'd literally been standing in the field for five minutes, trying to decide whether to go on a hike. It was so windy and cold. He said, "You can't be here. The hike is in the other direction. You have to leave," and so on. He was making a complete mess. You could have spoken normally, shown us something, and NOT been rude. I've lived on Oahu for years, and I come to this hike once every six months, and this is the first time something like this has happened. The guy at the entrance was also unpleasant. He didn't say hello, he just said, "Your ID," and so on. There are fewer and fewer nice people on Oahu.

Did Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail on a Tuesday afternoon, got there around noon. Traffic was light, no issues getting in. You check in at the gate, show your ID, get a pass, and drive up to the trailhead. Super easy. I went a few days after a big Kona storm, so everything was soaked. Light rain pretty much the whole time, fogged in for a lot of it, and you’re getting drenched from the vegetation regardless. Even with that, there were still some really solid views along the way. On a clear day, this would be even better. The trail itself is really straightforward and well marked. It’s hard to get off track because the brush keeps you moving in the right direction. There are a lot of places to stop along the way, a lot of viewpoints, which makes it more enjoyable and less of a grind. It’s also great with a dog, at least for most of it. I did this with my 80-pound dog and had to turn around before the top. Once you get past the sign, it gets tougher. Some broken steps, steeper sections, a little bit of scrambling, and it just wasn’t realistic to keep pushing with the dog. I don’t know if where I stopped was technically the peak or if it continues, but I couldn’t get past that section. I’d like to get to the top at some point, but with a dog that size, it’s probably not happening. In terms of stats, I did 3.72 miles in 1 hour 37 minutes, about 1,400 feet of elevation gain, and an average pace around 26 minutes. Probably could have gone further if I was solo, but given the conditions and the dog, this felt like the right call. Overall, it’s an easy to moderate hike. Not overly strenuous, more of a steady climb than a grind, but still a good minor workout. I was out there for about two hours total, give or take. It’s a fun hike, good energy, great views along the way, and definitely worth doing. I’d recommend it.

Lots of mosquitoes!!! Don't let them inside your car. They're vicious here. But very pretty trail. Stopped halfway, but still saw wonderful views.