Hiking the Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trail on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Distance: 4.7 miles / 7.6 km
Elevation Gain: ~1,650 ft. / 503 m
The Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trail is, without a doubt, one of the best sunrise hikes on Oʻahu.
That being said, Kuliʻouʻou is an amazing day hike at any time of the day, granted that the views from the summit are clear.
However, for a few reasons, I recommend hiking early in the morning over any other time of the day.
The first is that even on sunny days, afternoon clouds tend to build over the Koʻolau Mountains, which can sometimes block the view. Second, Kuliʻouʻou Ridge does not make for a great sunset hike because of the way the mountains line up, making the hike more ideal for sunrise. Finally, parking will be much easier if you plan to go early, which you can read abou in more detail below.
Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trailhead Parking
The Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trailhead is a short 20-25 minute drive from Waikīkī.
That being said, there is no parking lot for the Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trail; rather, parking is restricted to the limited street parking on Kālaʻau Place—the road leading up to the hike.
By this, I mean that Kālaʻau Place has very limited space for both residents’ cars, as well as hikers all fighting for the same spots. Therefore, parking is one of the biggest reasons that I recommend starting early, especially on a weekend!
However, if you hike Kuliʻouʻou for sunrise, there shouldn’t be any trouble finding a spot.
Google Maps Directions: Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trailhead
Hiking the Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trail
The Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trail begins at the very end of Kālaʻau Place.
Here, there will be a Board of Water Supply service road that leads to the true trailhead, located shortly ahead on the right-hand side.
Kuliʻouʻou-Puʻu ʻO Kona Junction
After a short distance, turn right off the service road to begin the Kuliʻouʻou Ridge/ Valley Trail, which will follow the same path for the first 0.25 miles (0.4 km).
On a different note, the service road that continues to the left is the route for the Puʻu ʻO Kona Ridge Trail, which can be connected via the Koʻolau Summit once at the top.
Read My Separate Post: Puʻu ʻO Kona Ridge Trail
Kuliʻouʻou Ridge-Kuliʻouʻou Valley Junction
After 0.25 miles (0.4 km), the Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trail splits with the Kuliʻouʻou Valley Trail.
Essentially, the Kuliʻouʻou Valley Trail is a short 0.5-mile (0.8 km) one-way trail that leads up the bottom of Kuliʻouʻou Valley, but to continue up to Kuliʻouʻou Ridge, turn right at this split to begin the switchbacks.
Read My Separate Post: Kuliʻouʻou Valley Trail
In total, there will be 12 or 13 switchbacks, depending on how you count, to climb out of Kuliʻouʻou Valley and gain the ridge.
That being said, these switchbacks are not nearly as steep as other hikes on Oʻahu, such as the nearby Koko Crater Stairs or the summit push up Wiliwilinui Ridge.
In fact, Kuliʻouʻou Ridge can make for a great, but challenging, trail run, which I have personally done many times.
Kuliʻouʻou Ridge
When the trail finally levels out, you will have reached the crest of Kuliʻouʻou Ridge, which will remain on the ridge for the rest of the hike to the summit.
That being said, pay close attention to this area in the photos below, as hikers have gotten lost here in the past by missing this turn down the ridge. I’ll talk more about this later.
Kuliʻouʻou Shelter
After the Kuliouʻou Shelter, the Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trail starts to get a lot steeper, which will be the case for much of the remaining hike to the Koʻolau Summit.
After the bench, the Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trail enters the most native-forested section on the entire trail.
That being said, this final stretch to the summit tends to be the muddiest part of the trail, regardless of whether it has rained recently or not.
Then, just prior to the summit, Kuliʻouʻou Ridge climbs numerous sets of stairs that tend to be the most cardio-intensive parts of the entire hike.
Kuliʻouʻou Summit
Once you climb up the final stairs, you will reach the panoramic Kuliʻouʻou Summit that looks out over Oʻahu’s east side!
To the north (left), you can see notable places like Mt. Olomana and even as far as Mokoliʻi on a clear day, and to the south/ east (right), you can see great views of Koko Crater, the Hanauma Bay Rim, and out toward Makapuʻu Point.
Furthermore, you may even be able to see as far as Molokai and Maui to the east on the clearest of days!
That being said, it’s important to mention that on very rainy/ cloudy days, there may not be a view at the top, as the summit often gets socked in by low-hanging clouds brought in with the trade winds.
Therefore, it’s important to remember that just because it’s not raining in Honolulu/ Waikīkī doesn’t mean it’s not raining in the mountains nearby. For this reason, I recommend checking the weather forecasts in Waimānalo and East Honolulu to have the best idea if the weather will be nice when you plan to hike.
Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST)
On a different note, this large exposed section on the ridge is actually a small portion of a much longer cross-island hike, known as the Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST).
That being said, I highly recommend against hiking past Kuliʻouʻou Summit if you hadn’t prepared for anything longer, as any section of Koʻolau Summit is much harder, more involved, and more intense than anything experienced on Kuliʻouʻou Ridge.
Read My Separate Post: Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST)
Hiking Down Kuliʻouʻou Ridge
For the most part, the return hike is nothing more than retracing your steps.
However, pay close attention to the right turn heading off the ridge in the photo below.
As previously mentioned, hikers in the past have gotten lost here by accidentally going straight toward Hahaʻione/ Pyramid Rock, instead of turning right toward Kuliʻouʻou Valley.
Native Plants on Kuliʻouʻou Ridge
When compared to other hikes on Oʻahu, Kuliʻouʻou is a fairly low-elevation trail, meaning that even in its most native upper portion, it’s still inundated with invasive species like Octopus Trees and Shoebutton—a reminder of the impacts that humans have.
However, there are still a number of native plants that you can find on the Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trail, such as ʻŪlei, ʻIlieʻe, Lonomea, Alaheʻe, and Wiliwili in the lower elevations.
Then, once the trail breaks out of the canopy, Kuliʻouʻou Ridge enters the most native section of the trail. Here, you will be able to find ʻŌhiʻa lehua, ʻIeʻie, and a few Lama trees on the left-hand side heading up the stairs.
If you are interested in learning more about these and other native Hawaiian plants from across the islands, check out my separate article that I wrote entirely about native plants in Hawaiʻi.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
