Hiking In Hawaii: Manoa Falls

It’s kind of crazy that Dane and I have lived in Hawaii for as long as we have (nearly 7 years!) and haven’t done every hike we’ve wanted to do. We definitely fall into the trap of doing the same hikes over and over again because we love them. This past weekend, we wanted to get out and hike here on Oahu, but….do one we had never done before! We ultimately chose Manoa Falls, because honestly – everything we read online said it was short. We decided to go on a pretty hot day (not-so-wise) and during rainy season, so it was very muddy, but otherwise – the short hike was beautiful and we ended at picturesque Manoa Falls. If you are interested in conquering this beautiful waterfall hike on Oahu, today’s post is for you!

Hiking In Hawaii: Manoa Falls

The trail head is marked, so finding the parking lot for Manoa Falls is easy. You pay $5 to park in the shaded lot right by the beginning of the trial. You’ll see people parking in the neighborhood adjacent to the trail head, but there were NO PARKING signs everywhere, so that didn’t seem like a risk worth taking to us.

We wore normal hiking clothes and our Chaco sandals, which are pretty great for hiking in Hawaii (6 Reasons Chacos Should Be Your Next Shoe Purchase). Since the hike out to Manoa Falls is jungle-y, we also used bug spray wipes to cut down on mosquito bite and Dane wore his Camelbak. I was fully expecting it to be non-strenuous, but the water ended up being great, because it was so freaking humid!

The jungle to the falls is beautiful and there were a few spots that Dane and I recognized from movies like Jurassic Park and shows like LOST. It was all so lush from the rain, but it also made the walking path really slick. We saw quite a few people fall. That said, the path is really well maintained, so it’s not like you’re forging your own path, but just know that things might be slippery.

This out-and-back hike is suitable for people of all ages, but it would be wise to take kids when it’s not so muddy. We saw a ton of exasperated parents with muddy (and some bloody) kids from falling down on the slippery rocks. Our total hike time roundtrip was about an hour. We didn’t spend a ton of time at the waterfall, because it was packed, but we did get a couple of good photos.