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Kalawahine Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 119 Google reviews · Running trail in Honolulu, Hawaii · Hours vary
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Mixed
- Distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Not reported
- Shade
- Tree cover
- Access
- Not reported
Confirmed from Kalawahine Trail's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Hiking area in a jungle setting with scenic views, good for kids.
What runners say about Kalawahine Trail
“Great view from the trailhead, but it gets dense pretty fast and can be more muddy than one might expect.”
“Lovely shaded trail, fairly easy.”
“Absolutely loved the views, quietness from the city and easy walk amongst the trees.”
This is a good trail if you like nature and enjoy seeing all of the foilage and greenery, no so much for the views there are some peek a boo views that you can get. But not really anything that's going to wow you, most of my views came from outside of the trail before I entered the trail.
A little muddy good hiking shoes. Although was cool going through the woods, bring some water and mosquito repellent. Clouds were pretty low in the morning. Beautiful and it seems untouched❤
This trail is good ONLY when it's not cloudy/raining. Otherwise it can be an ordeal. One of the best traits on Oahu for the panoramic views.
The hike was great nice and cool and lots of interesting plants. There’s lots of ginger plants. If you google the trail name there’s a good document that will point out areas on the trail to look out for. It is a sacred place so please stay on the trail
Trail conditions & character
“This is a good trail if you like nature and enjoy seeing all of the foilage and greenery, no so much for the views there are some peek a boo views that you can get.”
“Small hike for beginners to intermediate some areas require navigating and would recommend a walking stick as it can get muddy and slippery”
“Not a whole lot of parking, but there's space along both sides of the road.”
“There are a lot of alternative side trails, and if you end up on the telephone road it's pretty straightforward and fully paved.”
Plan your run at Kalawahine Trail
The practical stuff
- AccessHours vary — hours are not posted for this trail, so check before an early or late run
- SurfaceMixed — more than one surface along the route, so check the segment you plan to run
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeRunners describe real tree cover here — it makes a summer afternoon workable
- At the trailheadparking — reported by runners
- Websitehawaiitrails.ehawaii.gov
Running trails near Honolulu
Other trails within easy driving distance — useful when this one is flooded, gated, or just not the run you had in mind today.
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Puʻu ʻUalakaʻa State Wayside
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