Hawaiian Travel Adventure: Hike the Keahi a Kahoe Trail

The Keahi a Kahoe hike is one of the advanced-level routes offered by the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club, the largest and most well known of the organized hiking groups on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The hike is done as an 11-mile loop, with an elevation gain of over 2500 feet. A section of the trail is along the summit of Ko'olau Mountain Range. This section is magnificent but hazardous due to rough, slippery trail conditions along a narrow, precipitous ridge. Be forewarned.

How to Get There

To drive there from downtown Honolulu, take the H-1 freeway westbound. Just past the Likelike Highway offramp, the freeway will split. Stay left, still on H-1. Take Exit 2 to Moanalua Valley/Salt Lake/Red Hill. Where the road splits, go right, following the signs toward Moanalua Valley/Salt Lake. At a stop sign, turn left on Ala Aolani Street. Travel up Ala Aolani for a mile and a half. Park at the end of Ala Aolani and walk to Moanalua Valley Park at the end of the road. Note: parking is available in the park; however, the parking lot gate of the park will be locked at sundown, so if you end the hike at dusk due a delay or injury, your car will be locked in. Plus, for vehicle safety reasons, my experience says that it is more prudent to park on Ala Aolani in front of a nearby house rather than at the park.

If you travel by bus, take the #16 (Moanalua Valley). Exit at the last stop in the valley along Ala Aolani by Ala Lani Street.

Trail Description

A large part of the hike, more than half of it, is along a dirt road in the valley. The dirt road section provides a good warm-up for the steep climbing that is to come. It also serves as a wind-down at the end of the hike after the exhilarating and dangerous ridge section.

Follow the dirt road to just about its end. Plan on at least 45 minutes of brisk hiking for this, more if you hike more leisurely. Along the way, you will cross Moanalua Stream a number of times, often on old bridges.

Just before the last stream crossing (the road ends at a turnaround point soon thereafter), look for a trail on the left. Take this trail. Note that this route can be overgrown and badly eroded. Look for trail ribbons to guide you through. If you feel like you are lost, turn back.

Climb steadily then steeply. The trail uses switchbacks to gain elevation. Vegetation masks steep dropoffs, so be careful.

At one point, cables/ropes are available to get past a narrow eroded section. Test all hand- and footholds before using. Watch your footing at all times.

Reach an open windswept section by powerline poles in the ridge. Stop and take in the beauty of upper Moanalua Valley around you.

From the powerline poles, climb steeply up a side ridge, the goal being the crest of Tripler Ridge.

Reach a junction with the Tripler Ridge Trail at a clearing. This is a good place to take a rest and take in the views.

Continue up Tripler Ridge on a trail that can get overgrown with scratchy uluhe ferns. Climb to the top of a large nob in the ridge. No this is not the summit.

Go up and over a couple more smaller nobs then reach the summit of the Ko'olau Range, elevation just over 2700 feet. If there is no cloud cover, you will have a wonderful view of windward Oahu from the top. Below is a lake that is part of Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens. The sweep of Kaneohe Bay, with its small islands and with a slate of small sloops and boats is also a sight to marvel at.

After a rest break at the summit clearing, now the adventure really begins. The following section along the summit is wild and dangerous, so take care

The trail along the summit is muddy, narrow, windswept and overgrown. Plus, on cloudy days along the top, visibility will be limited.

Landmarks along the summit section: a large powerline tower and an abandoned radar station. After the radar station, there are two steep climbs, the second up an open grassy slope.

At the top of the second steep climb is the turnoff point to return back down to Moanalua Valley. A benchmark is located at this clearing.

The return route is down what hikers call Moanalua middle ridge. This section has steep narrow sections, so care must be continued to be taken. Sections of the middle ridge also can become overgrown.

The middle ridge trail returns you to the dirt road that you hiked up in the morning. And I mean morning. Unless you have done the route before and are in an excellent state of fitness, do not think of trying this hike with a launch time in the afternoon. You will get caught up in the mountains in the dark. Not a good thing.

Enjoy this magnificent hike, but do note the strenuousness and the risks.