Hiking the Waʻahila Ridge Trail to Mt. Olympus (ʻAwaʻawaloa) on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Distance: 5.9 miles / 9.5 km
The Waʻahila Ridge Trail in the southern Koʻolaus on Oʻahu is one of my favorite ridge hikes on the town side of the island, and in my opinion, it’s one of the best day hikes near Waikīkī!
I say this for a few reasons. The first is that Waʻahila Ridge is a very well-trafficked trail, meaning the overgrowth is much better maintained and, in most cases, not an issue compared to other Oʻahu ridge hikes, like the nearby Wailupe Loop Trail. However, what’s perhaps even more important is that from the summit, there are amazing views of Kaʻau Crater to the east, which is one of my favorite ways to enjoy the beautiful crater without doing the longer and more involved Kaʻau Crater Trail from Pālolo Valley.
Waʻahila Ridge Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Waʻahila Ridge Trail is located at the very top of St. Louis Heights in the Waʻahila Ridge State Recreation Area.
Out of caution, consider the Waʻahila Ridge Trailhead to be a high-crime area for petty theft, meaning you should never leave visible bags or anything valuable in your car.
Google Maps Directions: Waʻahila Ridge State Recreation Area
Hiking the Waʻahila Ridge Trail
The Waʻahila Ridge Trail begins within the beautiful Cook Pine forest at the very top of the parking lot in Waʻahila State Recreation Area and extends for roughly 3.0 miles (4.8 km) to the Koʻolau Summit atop Mt. Olympus.
When you see this trail marker in the photo below, turn left to continue on the best path.
This descent is the largest elevation drop on Waʻahila Ridge.
That being said, there are a number of short but steep drops on this descent. However, there are usually a number of easy ways to work around them.
At this split on the ridge, go right.
The path to the left isn’t better or more direct, but rather, it’s more overgrown until you eventually end back up on the same trail as if you had gone to the right.
Waʻahila Ridge-Kolowalu Junction
At roughly 1.5 miles (2.4 km), the Waʻahila Ridge Trail splits with the Kolowalu Trail that connects Waʻahila with the Puʻu Pia Trail at the bottom of Mānoa Valley.
That being said, it typically wouldn’t make sense to hike Kolowalu from Waʻahila unless you had planned to create a loop with the Mānoa Middle Ridge and the KST.
In any case, go right at this split to stay on Waʻahila Ridge to continue up to Mt. Olympus and the Koʻolau Summit.
Read My Separate Post: Kolowalu Trail
Pūkele Hill
Pūkele Hill is the largest grassy clearing on the Waʻahila Ridge Trail, and the viewpoint toward Mānoa Valley to the south is, without a doubt, one of the best sunset spots on Oʻahu!
However, I only recommend catching the sunset this high up for confident, skilled hikers who are comfortable with the roughly 1.8-mile (2.9 km) hike back in the dark—which is all to say, carry a good headlamp for such an adventure!
As Waʻahila Ridge moves higher, the trail becomes slightly more overgrown, as the majority of hikers turn around at Pūkele Hill prior to the summit.
Now, Waʻahila Ridge has nowhere near the same overgrowth as other southern Koʻolau ridges, like Kūlepeamoa Ridge, but even so, some hikers may still prefer to wear pants for the overgrowth that is there, as well as the mud, which is fairly unavoidable below the summit.
The pants below are my recommendations that hold up the best with the overgrowth here in Hawaiʻi, but with any hiking pants that need to be durable, make sure that they are at or near 100% nylon. This is really the most important factor!
The erosion leading up to the summit is quite severe on Waʻahila Ridge, and I ask that you try to do your part to minimize your impact.
At this point, Kaʻau Crater to the southeast, along with other notable summits like Wiliwilinui, becomes more and more visible on the uppermost elevations of Waʻahila.
Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST)
This flat spot in the photo below is where Waʻahila Ridge meets the Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST), but this is not the summit of Mt. Olympus.
Rather, the true summit follows the KST for roughly 0.1 miles (0.2 km) up the ridgeline to the south to reach ʻAwaʻawaloa.
Mt. Olympus (ʻAwaʻawaloa) is the closest peak straight ahead.
Mt. Olympus (ʻAwaʻawaloa)
The end of the Waʻahila Ridge Trail is the prominent summit of ʻAwaʻawaloa, more commonly known as Mt. Olympus.
I say "prominent" because, on a clear day, Mt. Olympus stands above all the surrounding peaks and can be seen from as far away as Waikīkī and Kailua on the east side.
That being said, some notable places visible from the top include Kōnāhuanui to the north, the Lanikai Pillbox Trail to the east, and Kaʻau Crater, as well as more distant locations such as Koko Head when looking south down the Koʻolau Mountains.
Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST)
I like to sit in this open area and enjoy the views of Kaʻau Crater, just past the summit of Mt. Olympus.
On a different note, don’t hike on the KST past Mt. Olympus unless you know exactly what you’re getting into.
The decent off of Mt. Olympus is very steep and exposed, and after this steep drop down a few hundred feet, the overgrowth picks up significantly until you reach the west rim of the Kaʻau Crater.
In the other direction, the next best trail is the Mānoa Middle Ridge, but even still, I only suggest traversing the summit to hikers who are familiar with what’s to come and the trails that descend back down.
Read My Separate Post: Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST)
Native Plants on Waʻahila Ridge
On the first mile of Waʻahila Ridge, native Hawaiian plants include ʻIlima and ʻUhaloa, but like many other Hawaiʻi hikes, the lower elevations of Waʻahila Ridge are dominated by non-native, invasive species such as Cook Pine, Strawberry Guava, and Christmas Berry.
However, once Waʻahila Ridge ascends to the upper elevations, there are countless native plants to look out for, including ʻĀkia, Alani, Kāwaʻu, Kōlea, ʻŌhiʻa lehua, Koa, and Uluhe—to truly name only a few.
If you would like to learn more about these and many other native Hawaiian plants from across the islands, I encourage you to check out my separate post linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
