Hiking on Oahu on the Kalauao Stream Trail

The Aiea Loop trail is one of the most heavily used trails on Oahu. A trail that can be accessed via the Loop but is less frequented is the Kalauao Stream Trail.

The driving directions are as follows: From downtown Honolulu, take the H-1 freeway westbound. Take the Stadium/Aiea exit. The offramp will merge onto Moanalua Road. Turn right onto Aiea Heights Drive, which you uphill for a couple miles to its end point at Keaiwa Heiau State Park.

This trek begins from the uppermost parking lot of the park. Note that vehicle break-ins have occurred here so leave no valuables in your car.

To begin the hike, head mauka (toward the mountains) on the wide and well-used Aiea Loop Trail. After about 15-20 minutes of hiking the initial section of the Loop, you'll see an unmarked path descending a slope on your left. Take it.

The initial half mile or so is a gradual descent through strawberry guava and Christmas Berry groves. Eventually the path will become a wide dirt avenue. At a large mango tree on the right (which may or may not be marked by ribbons), the trail veers off the wide avenue and descends quite steeply down the hillside. This mango-tree turnoff isn't well marked; in fact, I walked right by it the first time I did the hike. Eventually the dirt avenue will reach the end of a residential cul de sac, so if you see houses, you know you've gone too far and have missed the turnoff.

Once you begin the steep descent, be careful because it can be slippery even on days when it hasn't rained. Fortunately, there are a sufficient number of trees for handholds and rocks and roots for footholds to make the climb down to the gulch negotiable.

Eventually you'll reach the streambed. From there, you'll head upstream on a trail that skirts along side of it. Be careful while rock hopping the river. The stones can be deceptively slippery.

After about 45 minutes to an hour of upstream hiking, you'll reach a circular pool that spans the width of the river. That is where the official hike turnaround point is. The pool is particularly nice for swimming a few days after a heavy storm. If a significant amount of rain hasn't fallen in recent days or weeks, the water will be murky and stagnant. Swimming is not advised in such conditions.

The trail, although rugged and not well marked, continues upstream. If you have time and are adventurous, continue on. Otherwise, retrace your steps back to the parking lot.

Kalauao offers hikers an alternative to ridge climbing.