What to Do in Hawaii: Hike the Manana Trail

Imagine walking off a trail in the dark in the dead of the night in oxygen debt after hiking all day with a heavy pack. This happened to me one time on the Manana Trail, a 12-mile roundtrip hike in the central part of the island of Oahu in Hawaii.

No, I do not recommend hiking Manana or any other trail in the dark. And, no, walking off this trail in the dark does not happen with any regularity, at least not that I know of.

I do recommend starting any hike with ample time to complete it before darkness hits. And just in case the unforeseen occurs, I also recommend carrying a cell phone (which I was carrying during the unfortunate late-night exit of Manana). I also recommend wearing shoes with decent tread (Hawaii trails like Manana can be muddy and slippery), assessing your fitness level so you know if you are capable of completing the hike safely, and hiking with at least one other person.

Trailhead Directions

Starting from downtown Honolulu, drive westbound on the H-1 freeway. Exit H-1 on the Pearl City offramp. The offramp merges onto Moanalua Road. Continue straight ahead (west) on Moanalua Road until you reach Waimano Home Road. Turn right there and head uphill. Turn left onto Komo Mai Drive and proceed along for a couple miles it till it ends. Park along the residential street. The trailhead is at the end of Komo Mai Drive.

If traveling by bus, board the #53 bus and disembark at Komo Mai Drive and Auhuhu Street. From there, the walk to the trailhead is about a half mile.

Trail Description

Manana is an ungraded trail, which means that it follows the up-and-down topography of the ridge. For its many dips and drops, I like to refer to Manana as the great rollercoaster trail. Count on no great difference in time and energy expenditure between the ascent and the descent. Manana is a physically challenging yet rewarding trail.

As mentioned earlier, the trail begins at the end of Komo Mai Drive. Proceed around a locked gate to begin and follow a narrow paved road which ends at a water tank

At the water tank, the trail begins. For about the first three miles, the trail is well-used and is generally wide and easy to navigate. You will pass through shaded sections of tall trees, mostly eucalyptus and pines, open areas with views of the surrounding ridges. You will also pass a picnic shelter on the right. The shelter is a good place to stop for a break and admire the beauty of the Hawaiian mountains. This is also a good place to use as a turnaround point if you want a shorter hike or are not feeling up to pressing on.

For the summit bound, mush on, as the trail from this point gets more rollercoasterish. If you feel yourself getting into oxygen debt during an ascent of one of the many inclines, stop and catch your breath.

At about the 4-mile mark, you'll reach a flat hilltop, that is sometimes used as a helipad. This is also a good place for a break or as a secondary turnaround point.

From the helipad pu'u (hill), the trail becomes noticeably rougher, narrower, and muddier. Be prepared to slip and fall. Proceed cautiously. If the day is clear and visibility is good, the summit may still seem far away. But be persistent and drive your body ahead. You'll get there. Even if visibility is obscured (sometimes this is a psychological plus), you'll get there with continued effort.

Note that mileage signs mark the route. Keep an eye out for these as vegetation can obscure these markers. Use the markers to help you gauge your mile by mile progress.

The summit offers the reward of a magnificent view of the windward side of Oahu from Kualoa Point to the left and Makapu'u Point to the right. In between is the yawning maw of Kaneohe Bay, where boats and canoes and other vessels amble about. The elevation at the summit is over 2600 feet, a gain of 1700 from the trailhead. However, I figure if all the ups and downs were calculated in, the gain would be more in the ballpark of 3000 feet. But who is counting?

Remember the Manana descent is not much easier energy-wise or shorter time-wise as the ascent. You don't want to be hiking out of Manana in the dark like I did. Definitely not recommended.

Be prepared for this hike. And have fun and be safe.