Hiking the Puʻu Pia Trail on Oʻahu
Distance: 2.0 miles / 3.2 km
Tucked away in the back of Mānoa Valley, the Puʻu Pia Trail is truly an Oʻahu hidden gem, as it’s one of the best short, easy, and most of all, scenic trails near Waikīkī.
On top of this, the Puʻu Pia Trail sees a fraction of the visitors compared to the nearby Mānoa Falls Trail, with views, in my opinion, that are far more beautiful!
Puʻu Pia Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Puʻu Pia Trail is located on Alani Drive in the very back of Mānoa Valley.
That being said, be aware that parking is only allowed on the valley side (right side) of the road when facing the ocean, so as to allow for traffic to pass, like the city bus.
Google Maps Directions: Puʻu Pia Trailhead
Hiking the Puʻu Pia Trail
From the parking area, the Puʻu Pia Trailhead is located a bit further up Alani Drive, but parking is not allowed any closer than where it is shown above.
Once on the Puʻu Pia Trail, be sure to watch out for this chain across the path in the beginning, especially if you’re trail running.
Puʻu Pia-Kolowalu Junction
At about 0.2 miles (0.3 km) into the trail, the Puʻu Pia Trail splits with the Kolowalu Trail that leads up to Waʻahila Ridge.
In any case, go left to stay on the Puʻu Pia Trail.
Read My Separate Post: Kolowalu Trail
After the Kolowalu Trail split, the Puʻu Pia Trail will climb gradually, as it gains the ridge up to the summit.
I think it’s important to mention that even though these photos were taken on a beautiful sunny day, the back of Mānoa Valley, where Puʻu Pia is located, can be particularly rainy, which can make the hike a very muddy adventure.
Puʻu Pia-Waiakeakua Junction
Located a short distance below the summit, you may notice this split in the trail that descends off the ridge.
This is the split for both Waiakeakua Falls, as well as the Mānoa Middle Trail. However, both are far more confusing and involved hikes than Puʻu Pia, and to add to this, the connector trail that splits off of Puʻu Pia is not the best and most straightforward route to hike either.
Read My Separate Post: Mānoa Middle Ridge Trail
Puʻu Pia
After gaining roughly 450 ft. (137 m) of elevation in about a mile, you will have reached the summit of Puʻu Pia.
On a clear day, you can see great views of Waikīkī, Mt. Olympus, Kōnāhuanui, and the best views of Mānoa Middle Ridge, located almost directly up the mountains from the viewpoint.
Furthermore, the Puʻu Pia Trail is one of my favorite quick and easy sunset hikes because of how the mountains across the back of Mānoa Valley light up on a clear night, which is especially true when the sun sets further to the south during the winter!
Read My Separate Post: Best Sunset Hikes on Oʻahu
Past the viewpoint, the Puʻu Trail officially ends at the bench just up the trail.
That being said, the path does continue a bit further, but it fades quickly and is likely of no interest to most people.
Native Plants on the Puʻu Pia Trail
Since Puʻu Pia is a relatively low-elevation trail for Hawaiʻi, it’s inevitably one of the harder hikes to see native species, as the trail is dominated with non-native/ invasive ginger, Strawberry Guava, and Shoebutton throughout the lower forest.
However, toward the upper elevations, you can still find Koa, Uluhe, and ʻŌhiʻa lehua surviving among all these non-native species trying to choke them out.
All said, I encourage you to check out my separate post if you’re interested in learning more about these, as well as tons of other native Hawaiian plants from across the islands.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
