Pu'u Kahekili - Pu'u Manamana Loop, Ka'awa, Hawaii

March 29, 2018 ....

This a 5M long horseshoe loop trail ascending Kahekili's steep ridge along fins eroded from a dormant shield volcano, scrambling around rock knobs and tiptoeing along catwalks with 1000-foot drop-offs, with lush views of the Oahu east coast. After passing a WWII bunker and reaching the summit of he trianglular 1800-foot Pu'u Kahekili peak, the trail drops to a saddle where you forge through thickets of grabby uluhe ferns to reah the highpoint of 2000 feet. the views are of the Kualoa Mountains and the front part of Ka’awa Valley. From there you head back seaward (makai) along the 4-foot-wide Manamana ridgeline, grabbing rope handrails over the most dangerous sections, descending rapidly towqrd the crescent shaped Kahana Bay. As you approach the ocean, note the climbable knob to the right known as Crouching Lion. From where the trail reaches the highway it is .7 back to the start where you can take a splash to clean off the grime of the hike.

Directions: Park at Swanzy Beach Park on the windward side of Oahu, about 25 minutes north of Kaneohe. Walk North on Kamehameha Highway and turn left into Huamalani Street right by the fire station. The faint trailhead is at the end of the street between two houses.




 

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Pu'u Kahekili