Makiki Valley Loop Trail

Easily my favorite trail on the island. I love a good loop. You can work up a pretty good sweat and still enjoy the scenery. There aren’t any views, but it is a real hike, none of that uphill paved walking nonsense. It gets muddy sometimes, and mosquito-​y. I always get attacked, so bring bug spray if you’re a mosquito magnet.

Family w/​grade schoolers or smaller, some parts narrow and hard for your little ones. If you and your family do not hike often, I recommend starting from the left trail (Kanealole) as it is easier to go up. If you want to challenge yourself, you can start from the right trail (Maunalaha). With our 13 year old, it took us about 2 hours to do the entire loop. We liked this trail as it offers lots of shade (and some sun), but wish we knew to take the Kanealole trail at the starting point! Haha

Bring mosquito repellent and wear long sleeves with long pants. Other than the mosquitos this hike is beautiful! x3, kim

Compared to Diamond Head hiking, this trail is much quieter and covered by lots of trees. You won’t get sunburned here. I have been here a few times and enjoyed the hiking. It is not very difficult but still good exercise.

Makiki Valley Loop Trail is probably my single favorite hike. It’s not terribly dynamic, but it’s a great all around trail; long enough with inclines so you can work on your cardio a bit, and it’s a loop, so no in and out here, just following the evolving path back to the start… and if you choose, there are plenty of offshoot trails that lead you all around Roundtop and Tantalus; such as Moleka Trail which connects to Manoa Cliff, which is a major junction in and of itself…
The trailhead is up Makiki road, and it’s next to Hawaii Nature Center. There is typically enough parking, though it can get busy at times… a beloved trail by the Korean community, sometimes they bring hiking tours up here as well… but ultimately, you can park off to the side of the road if needed, so you’ll be fine.
The trail is safe so it’s great for families and dogs, too. I would call this hike «easy» instead of moderate, since it requires no climbing, is easy to find, and the trail is a loop so you literally can’t get lost unless you ignore the ample signs, and it’s not treacherous in any way. Anything a 95 year old Korean grandma can do as well as a 2 year old kid is «easy» in my book.
Another great thing at the trailhead is a public restroom with a hose and scrub brushes so you can clean your muddy shoes. Mind you this is for everyone’s use so don’t be greedy… use what you need quickly and efficiently. The water is replenished from the reservoir, so the more it rains, the better the water levels… during non-​rainy periods, please conserve!

Quick fun hike with the dog on a Sunday. The trail was pretty empty. There were a lot of educational signs on the way. We also saw a lot of strawberry guava’s, and munched on a few ourselves!
We started at 11:30am from the Kanealole side and got down to Maunalaha at around 1pm. The trail was really muddy probably from the stormy weather we have been having, and my dog enjoyed a mud bath at the end of the trail!
Recommended for beginners, families or anyone looking for a quick hike that’s shaded the whole way.

This is a great place to start to access any of the trails on Tantalus. I’ve done so many different combinations from the conventional loop, to Manoa Cliffs, to a 10 miler all the way to Manoa Falls. This trail system has something for everyone if you just study the map and create your own adventure! But if you want to keep it simple and get a bit of a workout, definitely go for the Makiki Valley Loop.
The loop consists of 3 trails: Maunalaha on the right of the trail head, then Makiki Valley Trail, and return where you started via the Kanealole trail. I’m not gonna let you wimp out on me here so I’ll recommend starting on the Maunalaha trail, which has more elevation but even aunties with their dogs do it. So you’ll be fine. Challenge yourself!
There are no real views on the Valley loop since it’s almost all under canopy. But there’s interesting plants along the way and it’ll give you a chance to be one with your thoughts. Overall, a good intro hike and a starting point for more exploration and adventures of the rest of the Na Ala Hele system on Tantalus!
Tip: maps at the entrance but if they’re out, system map is also available on the Na Ala Hele site.

This is definitely a «moderate» hike which I found to be a great workout balanced with nature and some nice city views. The trail is very well maintained and includes some great options to extend the hike beyond the Makiki/​Tantalus area. We did the loop trail which was about 2.5 miles and took our group about 2 hours.
Park at the Hawaii Nature Center and follow the signs to the beginning of the trail head. Don’t forget to bring water and try to spray yourself with insect repellent before you start! The trail is damp in many areas so there are lots of Mosquitos.

Friends and I started from the left side and hiked clockwise — the recommended route as the left is easier to go up.
A great trail for those beginner hikers who want something that just screams «adventure» without any dangers and the occasional educational signs!
As for difficulty, overall… it’s not hard. I suppose it is «easy.» If you’re like me and have terrible stamina and is totally unfit, remember to take breaks! There’s lots to see if you open your eyes wide enough.
It’s very humid and mosquitoes are bound to bite you, unless you’re lucky like me and mosquitoes happen to hate you. Some parts of the trail is muddy but nothing terrible. Just be careful!
Other than the fact that the hike is well maintained and never crowded, I like knowing that there are restrooms + a shoe washing station located at the entrance of the trail. Take advantage of this!!!

Tucked away in Makiki, the main trail entrance is easy to miss. There’s a small driveway on Makiki Heights Drive lined with a couple of residential homes. Parking is available along the narrow road and there’s a small parking lot to the left as you drive in. The driveway eventually leads to Hawaii Nature Center (they offer environmental educational programs) and right behind the Nature Center building are the beginning of the trails. Yes, plural. It took me a few hikes on this trail to fully appreciate what it has to offer because I didn’t realize when I first hiked in Makiki Valley is that there are several trails to this hike.
The trail (s) make for a good beginner/​intermediate hike and depending on where you end up, there are decent views. One end of the trail ends with a nice view of Diamond Head, another end of the trail offers a partial view of the Pearl Harbor and airport area. Some parts of the trail break off into Tantalus Drive and a few other trails that I haven’t ventured yet can actually take you 8 miles out into the Pali area. Many people hike Makiki and a ton of hikers are regulars who visit daily so you definitely won’t be alone on the trail. The great thing is that since there are so many trails and the hikes can get lengthy, it’s usually never crowded.
The trails give you just about everything you should receive from a nature experience-​beautiful trees and plants, the soothing sound of the streams and the leaves rustling in the wind (hopefully there’s a breeze on the day you decide to hike), sweet-​smelling flowers, and the list goes on. Each trail offers different routes and along the trails is a variety of «stepping stones» like actual stones, and then there are short wooden bridges, sand bags, roots of trees, etc. A narrow stream flows along some of the trail and there are wooden educational pictorials staked in the ground on some of the curves and stopping points. The pictorials include info on indigenous species and even a warning from good ol’ Smoky the Bear. Need a rest stop? Not to worry-​there are a few benches at the main trail end and for those of you who don’t like to get too much sun, this trail is perfect because the trees create a canopy above you to shield you from a lot of direct sunlight.
So in short, the trails in Makiki offer multiple trails, changing scenery-​including native Hawaiian plants, educational stopping points and markers, and of course, a good time and a lot of exercise! I recommend this trail to everyone, including children and your furry family members and will definitely continue hiking in Makiki to experience all of the trails.

I was bugged for months to go hiking.
«We should get some exercise. Let’s go hiking!»
My assertion that shopping is my exercise fell on deaf ears and inevitably, I decided to finally relent and go hiking here.
I should have known from the beginning of the hike that hiking wasn’t my thing. We crossed over to the mountain after spraying ourselves with NEW strong bug spray and almost immediately, I started seeing and feeling mosquitos attack us. This was within 2 minutes of us getting on the mountain, at the entrance of the trial to be exact. The mosquitos must have built up an immunity to bug spray! I sprayed and sprayed and they still bit! It was also very muddy due to the recent rainy weather. At times, I was almost ankle deep in mud.
Protecting my blood from diehard mosquitos + trying to minimize slipping in the thick quick-​sand-​like mud = GET ME OUT OF HERE.
I trudged on and after a few hours, we finally completed the hike. I still count my blessings… there were some narrow trails right at the edge of the tall mountain and god forbid if I lost my footing, well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be writing this review.
I give this trail 3 stars:
–1 star for vicious mosquitos
–1 star for thick slippery mud.

I’ve only been on this trail one other time years ago and recently did it again. Been trying to do more weekend hiking in preparation for an upcoming camping/​hiking trek.
The Makiki Valley Loop Trail is another one of those that offer you an escape from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu. It’s located in town, great for us townies so you don’t have to drive too far. It’s a short trail which takes about 1.5 hours to do if you don’t do much stopping. It’s nicely paved. It has nice coverage for most of the way, though you’ll be exposed to some rays at certain parts. It’s a good beginner trail, but also offers a challenge if you want to do the loop starting from the right (I forget which trail), which leads you on a nice incline for just under a mile.
There is a nice bench area almost at the halfway point (depending which side you start) so you can have a snack, take a breather, and maybe decide if you’d like to veer off onto one of the other connecting trails.
Great hike to spend a couple hours enjoying some peace and quiet in nature.

The Makiki Valley Loop Trail reminds me of trails I hike near my Marin home. It’s a big loop, no water views (no real stunning views at all), but perfect for purposes of exercise. Even better is the loop feature meaning that there’s no retracing of steps.
Bucking the prevailing trend, I headed left at the trailhead, hiking up the Kanealole Trail to the Maunalaha Trail and then down the Makiki Valley Loop Trail, resulting in a 2.7 mile, 2 hour clockwise hike. This is the direction recommended by author Suzanne Swedo in «Hiking the Hawaiian Islands» (hike #44 in the book) and there seems to be some wisdom to it. The hike starts off a bit more scenically when going in this direction and finishes with the less scenic section of giant tree roots galore.
The book accurately describes the hike as «moderate» in difficulty (others may say «easy» but it’s definitely not flat; there’s a 1,100 foot elevation) and says it takes 1.5 — 2.5 hours. The longest estimate is probably most spot-​on following a rain, when that Makiki Valley Loop portion of the trail turns into a muddy slog.
The non-​touristy, well-​used trail is easy to find, easy to follow, and difficult to become lost on. There’s free parking on the street leading up to the trailhead, free trail maps near that area, and clean restrooms just before the trail. A lot of little interpretive panels on the trail tell of the area’s history and the plants you’re seeing but that’s probably not why anyone would come here. It’s just a great trail when you want to get your exercise on out in nature.
Closed toed shoes with firm grips are recommended though I actually saw one person, with much more fortitude than I, hiking barefoot.

A beautiful 2.5 mile loop trail with lots of different plants and a couple of great views.
There is a secret treehouse (well, it’s more like the ground of a house without walls or a roof) near Ualaka’a trail that is really neat and has a pretty view.

4.5 stars for this one! I went on this hike with my family – to include my small dog– and friends and their kids, so this hike is something that just about anyone can tackle. We started the hike going the Muanalaha way, which we later found to be the more strenuous way to take the loop. This trail isn’t as bad as other hikes, but there are inclines and because you are surrounded trees and other plants, it’s pretty humid. We stopped for water a couple of times. Once we reached the top, we have the kids snacks, the dog some water, and took in the beauty of the place. The foliage is amazing, truly a sight to see, so be sure to pack your camera.
On the way down, we took the other route down, Kanealole, and it was much easier than the way we had gone up. There were spots that got a little slippery, and the kids slipped and fell a couple of times, but nothing too dangerous. Once again, the picturesque scene laid out before you is so worth stopping to snap a few pictures. Absolutely breathtaking.
The nice thing here is that there are restrooms situated at the beginning of he hike, with water fountains as well.
I definitely recommend this hike. Most people want to get to the top of these mountains and look at the ocean down below, and while you will not get that with this one, the scenery is just as beautiful in its own right!

Length: 1hour 15 minutes
Difficulty: beginner
The way: drive up Makiki Heights Dr (on google maps it will be near Halau Ku Mana Charter School) then drive straight and to your left you’ll see parking for hikers and the gate in front of you. Once parked you can take the «Makiki Arboretum trail» or take the paved road up to Maunalaha/​Kanealole trail they’ll both take you to the same place. The Makiki Valley Loop is the Maunalaha, Kanealole, and Maikiki Valley trails combined. You’ll happen upon some structures and feel like you’re in someone’s backyard. Continue until you see a picnic table and some restrooms (these restrooms are very clean and well kept). Now you’ll cross a bridge and veer left. You’ll see a small taro garden to your left and you’ll reach a fork and a sign for the Makiki Valley Loop trail. If you go left you’ll take Kanealole trail up and if you go right you’ll take the Maunalaha trail up. Regardless, the trail is a loop. The trail is beginner level but that doesn’t mean there won’t be areas that will make you sweat. You’ll have to walk on some flat ground, climb some stairs, and climb some tree roots. The trail is highlighted by signs that tell a story of the flora, fauna, conservation efforts, and history of the area. Near the beginning there’s even signs pointing out the various plant species. There’s no spanning views of anything or a huge waterfall at the end of this hike, but it’s a nice leisurely stroll if you happen to have the time. It’s also good for people of all ages, so bring the whole family!
Overall, a nice beginner level hike with nice lessons on the animals, plants, and history of the region.

Park before the gate at 2131 Makiki Heights Dr., then walk up the paved road towards the restrooms. That’s the trail head.
The valley loop was closed today due to a landslide, so I chose to go right at the start, and take the Maunalaha Trail. It’s a 580 foot ascent in .7 miles. Took 25 min up for me, and 20 min down. 1.4 miles r/​t.
Beautiful scents and sounds, although due to the rugged footing I had to look down the entire time. This was a cardio workout for sure.
More info about the trail system (look in the white box for these trails):

After a weekend of indulgence, we decided to go on an early morning hike. & by early I mean like 8:30 because no matter how old I get, weekends will be made for sleeping in. After forcing ourselves out of bed & picking up our friends, they directed us to Makiki Loop Trail. We found parking immediately, there’s a little lot right on the side. We walked in and I was pleased to find bathrooms along with benches & a hose/​sponges for muddy shoes. So awesome!
The hike itself was beautiful. It’s not difficult but there is a lot of level changes and some uphill portions. I found it to be the perfect Sunday hike: not so hard that I’m sweating my soul out but not so easy that it would have been better to stay in bed. It felt accomplishing. I liked all the trees we had to climb under and the broken bridge you cross made me feel like Indiana Jones. There were also some lovely flowers, fruit trees and kalo. It is dog friendly as well!
FYI there are feral pigs therefore there are hunters & dogs; they stay off the trail mostly but it’s good to be aware.
I recommend this to all; couples, families, friends.

Here is still another great hike/​walk/​trail. On my first visits to HI I would try and try to find nicer and nicer trails to walk on… here is a good one– It can get really wet though. Watch the weather and look at the forecast to not get caught in a storm.
It is great to have some covering from the trees. It really is a great forest hike.
Suggestions– wear really great walking/​hiking shoes. Bring a good water bottle. I bring crackers cheese and a dry meat like salami on hikes– it makes a great rest and sight seeing– It is a great view over towards Ala Moana/​Makiki. Bring a flashlight just in case.
Bring friends and enjoy the walk– others can slow you down but it is so much more enjoyable with friends and makes the views better to look at when stopping– and grabbing a bite together too is always more enjoyable.

Makiki Valley Trail is completely breathtaking. Cindy H. and I did the Makiki Trail which based on other reviews is the Nature Trail. We encountered lots of mud, I ended up with 12 mosquito bites even though I sprayed bug spray and saw lots of greenery. We even saw a dog wearing a GPS collar with no owners around, this dog really just gets to roam these trails, lucky dog!
We started our hike at the very bottom. Seriously we took the bus to Makiki Street and then walked ALL the way up Round Top Road. My sister and I dubbed it as urban hiking. Hawaiians really are friendly people, we had a nice gentlemen tell us how to get to the State Park and when my sister and I stopped at a lookout point we met this really nice family. They even called us crazy for walking up Round Top Road and not taking a taxi (what can I say, we’re thrifty and like a good workout). The nice family then saw us up the road and gave us a ride to the trails. They did us a huge favor because we probably would have not done entire trail if we had to keep walking up Round Top Road.
There are so many photo ops and if you’re lucky enough you might see a ferrel pig. Apparently they are around but are bad for this environment. There is a stream (no waterfalls), trees and an occasional hiker. What I really enjoyed about this hike was that it was not crowded at all. One thing I did notice is if you park at the Nature Center parking can get crowded and also if you drive to the top of Round Top Rd where the trails start the parking is also crowded.