The 5 Best Hiking Trails on Oʻahu in 2024

Oʻahu is a hiker’s paradise, with dozens of state-run trails snaking all over the island. Here are the Top 5 Oʻahu hikes picked by our readers in our 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards.

1. Diamond Head Summit Trail

Diamond Head Trail on Oʻahu.
Photo: Getty Images

The trail that leads up to the summit of Lēʻahi (aka Diamond Head) is one of the most popular on Oʻahu, with more than 3,000 people hiking it every day. The 0.8-mile trek is almost entirely uphill—and hot—to the top of one of Hawaiʻi’s most recognizable landmark. The trailhead is located in the 475-acre Diamond Head State Monument, which now requires reservations and a $5 entry fee for non-residents. The walk to the summit is a glimpse into the geological and military history of this crater. Head up along switchbacks, through a 225-foot tunnel and up a ton of stairs to the top, where you can see bunkers and a huge navigational lighthouse built in 1917. Plus, the panoramic view of Oʻahu’s south shore is breathtaking.

2. Makapu‘u Point Lighthouse Trail

Makapuʻu Lighthouse Trail on Oʻahu.
Photo: Getty Images/Tenedos

The 2-mile trek to the top of Makapuʻu meanders the island’s rugged southeastern coastline—and the ocean views are spectacular. The trail is paved—great for kids, leashed dogs and strollers—and hugs the Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline, along which you can spot native plants, remnant fortifications and the historic Makapuʻu Lighthouse. At the top you’ll be rewarded with views of Waimānalo and the offshore islets Mānana and Kāohikaipu, both state seabird sanctuaries. During the winter you can see North Pacific humpback whales playing in the warm waters.

3. ‘Aiea Loop Trail

ʻAiea Loop Trail on Oʻahu.
Photo: Getty Images/Alexander Watkins

This popular, 5-mile loop trail in ʻAiea—about 14 miles from Waikīkī—runs along the ridge of the west side of Hālawa Valley, with views of the southern coast of Oʻahu from Pearl Harbor to the Waiʻanae Range. It’s a relatively easy hike through the foothills of the Koʻolau Range, through groves of native trees like ʻiliahi (sandalwood), koa, ʻōhiʻa and alaheʻe. Much of the area was replanted by foresters in the late 1920s; you’ll smell the fragrance of lemon eucalyptus trees and see the stands of Norfolk Island pines. See if you can find the remnants of a B-24 bomber that crashed in 1944.

4. Kuli‘ou‘ou Ridge Trail

Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trail on Oʻahu.
Photo: Catherine Toth Fox

This trail is one of three state-run trails that start in East Honolulu and end at the summit of the Koʻolau Mountains, overlooking Waimānalo. This one, which starts in the residential neighborhood of Kuliʻouʻou, is about 2 miles (roundtrip) that starts under the shade of ironwood trees along a well-graded path and opens into a ridge hike with stairs to the top. If you’re lucky you may spot the friendly ʻelepaio (monarch flycatcher).

5. Kamanaiki Ridge Trail

The hardest of all five of these trails, this 5-mile hike along an ungraded ridge in Kalihi is not for first-timers. It can be steep and narrow in sections—and sometimes muddy—with some areas overgrown with shrubs like ōwī and lantana. For the most part, the trail is easy to follow, with views of the valley and the Koʻolau Mountains along the way. The trail ends at a flat, grassy area with commanding views of the back of Kalihi Valley and the Koʻolau summit.

See all of the winners of our 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards in our latest issue, which you can buy here. Better yet, subscribe and get HAWAIʻI Magazine delivered to right to your mailbox.