The Best Hiking Trails in Hawaii

The Waihe’e Ridge Trail Hike will take you along a stunning ridge with views of the Waihe’e Valley. From the summit you’ll enjoy views of the ocean and the entire West Maui Forest Reserve. The trail follows an out and back route. Because of the steep grades during the second half of the trail, most consider this a hard hike. The Waihe’e Ridge Trail is one of the most popular hikes in the area with Strava members.

The Pipiwai Trail to Waimoku Falls hike takes you through a lush forest to a beautiful and towering waterfall. You’ll cover interesting terrain and pass several small waterfalls before reaching the 400 foot Waimoku Falls. The trail follows an out and back route. There are a number of rolling hills and a few steep sections, so you’re sure to get a good workout on this hike. This hike is one of the most popular on Maui with Strava members. This hike falls within Haleakalā National Park, which charges a fee to enter.

The remarkable Pu'u Loa Petroglyph field is one of the most extensive petroglyph fields in Polynesia. Here, you'll find roughly 23,000 petroglyphs carved into a recent 500-550-year-old lava field. These petroglyphs include "motifs containing cupules or holes (84% of the total) , motifs of circles, other geometric as well as cryptic designs, human representations known as anthropomorphs, canoe sails, and even feathered cape motifs," according to the [NPS](https://www....

Kūloa Point and 'Ohe'o Gulch offer a stunning variety of scenery is a short span of easy trail, making it a great family hike or a way to spend a lazy afternoon in this part of the national park....

Makapuu Point Lighthouse is a popular, easy hike that provides stunning views of O'ahu's southeastern coastline. This smooth hike is accessible for almost everyone, providing a fantastic tourist sightseeing stop along the coast....

The Kapalua Coastal Trail is an easy walk past Oneloa Beach, Kapalua Beach, and Puakahuahua Point. Both of these beaches were, at one time, rated as "the best beach in the United States....

The Devastation Trail is an easy paved trail running through an incredible lava field. This is one of the easiest hikes in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, yet it is strikingly beautiful and absolutely worth the time! The trail ends at Pu'u Pua'i Overlook, itself a spectacular vista....

This mellow 3-mile out-and-back hike passes through a series of lava fields along the shore of Maui from one of the most recent eruptions on the island in 1790. While the lighthouse is the final destination and turnaround point of this hike, many sources report that the lighthouse is unspectacular....

The Ka'ena Point hiking trail is an easy scenic hike that follows the old railroad bed of the O'ahu Railway and Land Company along the westernmost point of O'ahu. The trail leads to Ka'ena Point Natural Area Reserve, a protected area that harbors some of the last remnants of coastal sand dune habitat on the island, as well as native plants and seabirds....

If you are looking for a short and scenic hike on Maui, you might want to try the Honolua Bay Trail. Also known as the "Honolua Bay Access Trail," this 0....

The Ohai Trail Loop is an easy, family-friendly jaunt along the wave-battered cliffs of Papanalahoa Point, offering stunning views north into the Pacific Ocean. Along this 1.2-mile loop, hikers will enjoy views of Kahakuloa Head and the Nakalele Blowhole....

Nestled within the island's verdant interior, Puukumu Stream meanders through dense tropical forests, cascading over rocks and creating serene pools along the way. The stream is surrounded by towering trees, vibrant ferns, and exotic flora, and it feels like something out of a fairy tale! The Enchanted Forest is located along the banks of Puukumu Stream, and it's a mystical and secluded oasis where you can immerse themselves in the beauty of nature....

The Sliding Sands Trail (also known as the Keonehe’ehe’e Trail) takes you through a multicolored landscape from the summit of the Haleakalā Volcano towards the Haleakalā crater. This trail follows an out and back route and can be extended up to 6+ miles each way. Most Strava members take the truncated route shown here. The trail begins with a long descent, but what goes down must come back up. Because of this difficult return journey, most consider this a hard trail. This is one of the most popular hikes on Maui with Strava members. This hike falls within Haleakalā National Park, which charges a fee to enter.

The trail called Keonehe‘ehe‘e (or Sliding Sands) descends from the Haleakalā summit visitor center into the crater of the volcano. This expansive depression in the mountainside is actually an eroded basin, not a crater from an eruption, but several true craters are contained within....

The Pipiwai Trail on Maui begins from the visitor center parking, crosses the road, then dives into a primeval forest on the edge of a river gorge. At just half a mile from the start, you’ll reach the Makahiku Overlook....

The Kīholo Bay hike is one of the best routes for seeing and swimming with honu (green sea turtles) once you reach the bay’s turquoise waters. This short, idyllic coastline hike takes you along a black sand beach, under tall coconut trees and thorny keawe trees, over dried a’a lava rocks (rocky and jagged dried black lava), by a lava tube filled with brackish water, and ends at the stunning Wainanali’i Lagoon....

If you’re looking for an almost desert-like hike on the southern coast of Hawai’i that ends at an amazingly coloured green sand beach, then don't miss out on the Papakōlea Green Sand Beach Hike....

The remarkable jungle-covered Puna Trail that leads you to the tranquil Hā’ena Beach, also known as Shipman Beach, is a perfect hike and beach day combination near Hilo. En route, walk along a dirt track (that’s sometimes very muddy) surrounded by bursting jungle followed by some relaxed hours spent lulling on a quiet white sand beach nestled in a bay that’s only reachable on foot....

Hiking in Hawaii is renowned for its strenuousness and technical difficulty, so if you're looking for a rewarding hike that's not quite so arduous, head to the Manoa Falls Trail instead....

The hike to Diamond Head Summit is one of the most popular on Oahu, thanks to its incredible views from the top! The trail was originally constructed to serve a military installation high on the mountainside and consequently still has a well-reinforced trail surface, complete with steps, even today....