Manoa Falls Trail

The Mānoa Falls Trail starts at the back of Mānoa Valley, goes through a shipping container into a big open field used as a location for many movies, and climbs gradually through rainforest that turns to bamboo. It ends at a graveled viewing area, walled in by rock, that faces Mānoa (Waihi) Falls and its pool. Nā Ala Hele calls it a short, well-maintained trail for all levels of hiking skill, but it can get very muddy and slippery, it is not for baby strollers, and you should consider skipping it in heavy rain, even when it is open. Do not go past the rock wall or closed-area signs, into the pool, or up to the upper pools, which are closed and strictly off limits: rushing water, falling rocks and falls have killed people here. After a landslide next to the falls, a rock hazard fence and the viewing area were put in to keep the trail safely open, and signs on a cable mark where to stop. The State does not charge a fee to hike the trail. The old Mānoa Falls parking lot is closed because of car theft, so park in the paid lot, which the state trail program does not run, or free in the lower neighborhood, never on the fire lane, and leave no valuables in the car. Lyon Arboretum's parking is for Arboretum visitors, and Mānoa Falls hikers who park there are towed. Compost toilets are along the gravel road to the trailhead. Playing music and flying drones are not allowed, which is enforced by law; alcohol, smoking, bicycles and camping are not allowed either, and dogs must be leashed. Near the viewing area, the marked ʻAihualama Trail heads off to the left, and it can be a challenge for novice hikers. The trail was an early Hawaiian route, probably used by wood cutters, bird catchers, plant gatherers and bathers. DLNR reopened all of Oʻahu's forestry and wildlife lands in late September, and it asks hikers to take care, since hazards it has not yet found or fixed may remain.