Tent? Check. Sleeping bag? Check. Food, water, boots, rain jacket, headlamp, extra socks, sunscreen? Check. My packing list scrolls on repeat through my head as I pass the last store selling basic supplies before starting the drive up the mountain. If I reach tonight’s campsite and there’s something I’ve missed, it’s a six-hour hike and […]
A short and easy hike for people of all ages, Manoa Falls Trail, just outside Honolulu, is known for its lush vegetation and dramatic 100-foot waterfall. It’s a view that’s definitely worth the trip. Have Aloha Will Travel, powered by HAWAII Magazine, creates micro-documentaries and short films about the Islands. Our storytellers and videographers travel throughout Hawaii
If you’ve ever hiked Koko Crater Trail, you have probably seen the wear and tear the trail is going through. Many of the stair treads, which are actually the remains of a long abandoned tramway, are rotting away, and volunteers have even replaced some with bricks and stone slabs. Seeing hundreds of hikers a day,
I tried to mentally will the gray clouds away as we approached the left turn to the posh Aina Haina neighborhood in East Oahu. My husband and I, our dog in the back seat, were heading to the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail and the drive over was becoming increasingly overcast. The nearly 5-mile round-trip trail is
Snaking across the upper rim of Kauai’s Nualolo Valley, a footpath thrusts its travelers onto a sheer edge. That’s where I find myself this sunny December morning, teetering on the ridge after a two-hour traipse through damp woods where spongy mushrooms and delicate wildflowers grow. Pitted against an unblemished blue sky that melts seamlessly into the hue of the
Hawaiʻi’s full of awe-inspiring hikes, but not many will give you such a bird’s-eye view of Oʻahu’s North Shore like the ʻEhukai Pillbox Hike. Located next to Sunset Beach Elementary, this hike has been a regular activity for local residents for years, and its stellar views of the Seven Mile Miracle have recently begun sprouting
Moku Nui and Moku Iki. Off in the distance, they sharply rise in a serene sea of aquamarine. Collectively known as Nā Mokulua (“two islands”), they’re Oʻahu’s most popular offshore islets and protected seabird sanctuaries and it’s the bird’s-eye view of them that entices most people to hike the Kaʻiwa Ridge Trail—a roughly 1-mile hike
“This is a beast of a hike,” my friend says, as he slathers his face with sunscreen, the tinted kind that leaves streaks on your skin like war paint. I’m not easy to sunburn, but he tosses me the bottle anyway, a suggestion to rub in a little more than I already have. After all,
We’ve reached the point that most people don’t look forward to—the Road to Hana’s famous twists and stomach-churning turns. From the passenger seat, I watch the driver grip the steering wheel with both hands as he turns it all the way left, all the way right, then left again with so much precision and effort
Photographer and hiking enthusiast, Mike Karas, knows a thing or two about this scenic, out-and-back hike to Crouching Lion. Why do so many love it? The hike is “doable for novices, average hikers and people who have hiked a little bit before,” Karas says. “Most fitness levels could manage the effort and hike up.” Located
Waimanu Valley’s ancient green amphitheater streams with white water falling from impossibly high heights. Its star, Waihilau Falls, rains down a series of drops totaling an improbable 2,600 feet. Coveted oceanside campsites in this remote and pristine region—the largest of Hawaii Island’s northern valleys—offer a chance to sleep under a blanket of stars, laze away
To truly experience how the Garden Isle got its nickname, you must venture into Kauai’s lush, rain-dampened interior. One appealing way of doing this is to hike the Kuilau Trail, which is welcoming and non-treacherous. Offering sweeping, shock green vistas of Mount Waialeale—widely considered one of the wettest spots on earth—and the majestic Makahela Mountains,
