HONOLULU (KHON2) — On Wednesday, July 10, KHON2.com’s Unfit Adventurer decided to take a trek on the Makiki Valley Loop Trail.
The Makiki Valley Loop Trail is a fun and exciting hiking trail that is 2.5-miles. The trail takes you through lush forests and beautiful landscapes of Honolulu.
You’ll see lots of gorgeous, tall trees; unique, colorful flowers; berries, mushrooms and mountain apples; and a few super cool birds!
The trail is an actual loop (unlike the ʻAiea Loop Trail); so, you start and finish at the same spot, making it easy to follow.
It’s perfect for families and kids, and it’s not too difficult. So, everyone can enjoy it. Along the way, there are signs to help you learn about the plants and animals and to keep you on the correct trail.
Don’t forget to wear comfy shoes and bring water for your adventure! But more importantly, bring some sort of protection from mosquitoes.
To be honest, this has been our favorite hike thus far.
When we arrived at the parking area, we were greeted by lots of adorable chickens and a small pre-hike that led us to the trailhead.
As we set out on our adventure, we Fred. He’s a local resident in the area and loves how convenient the hike is to his home.
“It’s changed a lot over the years,” said Fred. “I’m worried too many folks may start coming on this hike once people learn how amazing it is.”
He was in a hurry to begin his routine; so, with that, we set off.
The Sieck family from Kentucky were finishing the hike just as we were starting out. They had originally set out to take the Mānoa Falls Trail but were redirected to Maikiki since Mānoa is under annual maintenance.
“We were redirected here and are really happy about this experience,” said Mrs. Sieck. “We’d already starred this hike when researching which hikes to take; so, it all worked out.”
“We loved that this hike is a loop, especially since we have our son with us,” explained Mr. Sieck. “It’s a pretty easy hike that is absolutely gorgeous.”
When we first set out on the official part of the hike, the first thing we saw was a waterfall. This truly inspired us. And it seemed like everyone going and coming made a stop by the waterfall to soak it in.
As we got on the hike, we found a small area where kalo/taro is being grown. It is a wonderful experience to see local efforts to revive agricultural practices.
We saw lots of hikers with their dogs on the trail, and the dogs seemed to absolutely love the experience.
Christine who lives in town was out with her companion Pualena. She loves the hike because it is convenient to town and gives you an immersive jungle experience.
“If I don’t stop at the waterfalls on this hike, my dog gets mad at me,” said Christine. “While it’s still a peaceful hike, there seems to be a lot more tourists on it as of late.”
As we moved deeper into the jungle, we met Phil. He’s a local who is a fan of The Unfit Adventurer. He was out hiking with his companion Baby Dog. Phil likes this hike because it’s convenient to town and he “can get home at a reasonable hour”.
“We love the diverse terrain on this hike,” explained Phil. “There just so much diversity with the plants and the terrain, it’s like hiking several different trails in one.”
Phil has been doing this hike for years and explained that it has really been a place that has prospered with preservation projects.
We met the Thornton family from San Fransisco. They were also redirected to Makiki and were happy with what they found on this hike.
“I love this hike because it feels challenging but it’s really doable,” explained Mrs. Thornton. “The views are gorgeous, and we just feel like we are seeing and experiencing the real Hawaiʻi out here.”
“The waterfalls, views and air quality have been amazing on this hike,” added Mr. Thornton. “We’re off the beaten path, and all the shade made this hike a wonderful experience.”
As we approached the really muddy part of the hike, we met Alba and her mother who are visiting from Pheonix. Her sister lives in Honolulu; so, they were all out to have fun in nature.
“If you’re going to do this hike, then you need a stick,” explained Alba. “The mud came up to our ankles back there, and this stick helped me feel a lot more stable.”
Wajih is visiting from Houston while Lilyanna is visiting from Southern California. They were also redirected from Mānoa and found the Makiki hike to be well worth the effort.
“This hike is really wet and slippery when you get the waterfalls area,” said Wajih. “It is gorgeous and challenging; everything you want from a hike.”
Harsha and Mahima are visiting from upstate New York and were blown away with how incredibly different the flora is in Hawaiʻi compared to where they live.
Tamer Kabo is a geologist who goes out to Hawaiʻi’s hiking trails to learn more about our geological history.
“This hike has the coolest basalt rock formations,” explained Kabo. “You can see the ribbons of lava that cooled and solidified into rock on this trail. It’s extraordinary.”
As we were finishing the hike, we met Eileen Cleary. She lives in Honolulu but travels the world doing 500-mile hikes across mountain ranges.
“This is the best hike to train for those big hikes I do,” explained Cleary. “Whether it is taking the whole loop or running up and down the mauka side of this trail, this is the best training I’ve found to maintain my stamina and resistance.”
Don’t worry. We are going to be checking in with her when she goes down to South America to hike the Andes this fall. Stay tuned!
The Unfit Adventurer Rating for this hiking trail is: (ratings are out of a possible five hiking boots.)
Ease of hike for unfit folks
Views offered
Friendliness of fellow hikers
Worth the struggle
Feeling of accomplishment
So, if you decide to hike the Maiki Valley Loop Trail, then be aware that the experience for everyone who does it is different. You’ll need to rely on your own physical skills to determine whether this is the right hike for you.