Kaʻau Crater Trail image

Kaʻau Crater Trail

Tourist attraction Hiking area

Steep jungle trail circling around a crater & past 3 waterfalls, with views of Honolulu & the ocean. People often mention hike, trail, waterfall, waterfalls, muddy, hours, water, steep, slippery, crater,


Address

3000 10th Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816, United States

Website

noahlangphotography.com

Rating on Google Maps

4.70 (358 reviews)

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Working Hours

  • Wednesday: 6 am to 6 pm
  • Thursday: 6 am to 6 pm
  • Friday: 6 am to 6 pm
  • Saturday: 6 am to 6 pm
  • Sunday: 6 am to 6 pm
  • Monday: 6 am to 6 pm
  • Tuesday: 6 am to 6 pm

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: hike (22) trail (17) waterfall (15) waterfalls (11) muddy (11) hours (10) water (9) steep (8) slippery (7) crater (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Kenny W. 1 year ago on Google
    One of the best hikes, if you're up for a challenge. First, get there early or parking will be an issue. There are only a couple slots on the side of the road near a trailhead and it's a residential area, so you may have to walk up a large hill if you can't find parking. The trail roughly consists of three waterfalls, the large crater, and you end up on the spine of the mountain looking onto both sides of the island. There is plenty of steep, rope assisted climbs and if it has been raining the trail gets very slippery. Make sure you bring good shoes with traction. You can just do the waterfalls without much as it is fairly flat. After the last waterfall it does get steep. I would make sure you have 4-6 hours at least to do the hike if you are doing the whole thing.
    14 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jessica L. 1 year ago on Google
    What an awesome adventure! From the very start, we plunged into a crazy rainforest and had no idea what was in store. Lots of technical hiking and you really need to pay attention to your footing because if it has rained it will be very slick and muddy. We lucked out and it wasn't too bad when we went. I still slipped at least 3 times but no injuries, thank God. There are several very steep places up the mountain where you will need ropes(provided). We were cliff climbing, for reals. The views are simply amazing. The climb was so awesome and worth the 5 hours it took us. We saw 3 beautiful waterfalls, climbed up the side of a cliff, and survived the rainforest. I will never forget this experience and am so glad we had the opportunity to hike here. I would definitely recommend this hike for intermediate and above hikers. Novice hikers may feel slightly intimidated but if you are in good physical shape you should be OK. TIP: Hiking sticks helped us tremendously
    11 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Craig O. 2 years ago on Google
    Always an amazing hike. The first waterfall is about 2-3 miles from the start through muddy and steep elevation changes. The second and third waterfalls are just a little further. The rim is not for the faint of heart. Plan for 6-8 hours to complete this hike if going all the way around.
    11 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Johnny H. 2 years ago on Google
    Please do your research before attempting. We did not fully research and came in blind. The hike is definitely intense and not for the novice level. Very very scenic and takes you deep into the jungle. The patch is narrow, slippery, muddy, wet and will test your drive. We had to take multiple stops and definitely bring water. Hiking shoes are a must. Again, worth the hike but come prepared to get wet and muddy.
    9 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Jacqueline H. 1 year ago on Google
    Recommended for experience hikers. This is a moderate to difficult hike. The trail is not maintained and not properly marked so be careful not to get lost and confused. Wear proper shoes, being a tropical rainforests it is muddy and slippery 80% of the hike. Don't forget to bring water and stay hydrated, you'll need it. You have to climb a rope up the side of the 1st waterfall to get to the other 2 and the top of the crater. It's all worth the view from the top.
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Evelyn Ku'uAloha N. 1 year ago on Google
    Definitely a challenge. My hiking team started from the bottom stream and hiked along the cascading waterfalls all the way totals of 4 or maybe 5 including a small one to the top. We went around the crater rim. Carry lots of water and snacks good for about 6 hours. Absolutely breathtaking💕
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Cristian R. 1 year ago on Google
    Overall I would say this is a difficult hike and very muddy but if you take your time and have experience it should be enjoyable. It took us around 4 hours all around and we got to the peak of the crater. You can go to the first waterfall and go back down if you want (there are 3 in total). My opinion is that is best to go up through the right path and cone down through the left path (less steep). Great opportunities for pictures!
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Cat 2 years ago on Google
    One of my favourite hikes ever. You get to climb along a waterfall and through the jungle. The view at the top is amazing too. It gets a little bit harder near the top of the waterfall but hopefully there are a lot of cords to hold onto. You can swim in the waterfalls if you want and it leads to many other hikes.
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Vicky T. 1 year ago on Google
    A great challenging hike that brought a whole new vibe of Oahu. Parking is a little tricky since it is located inside neighborhood. I parked on the side before getting into the bridge part. There were 3 waterfalls that I spotted on the way. Be ready to get dirty muddy if you decide to do this hike
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Righthero P. 1 year ago on Google
    This trail was a lot of fun and will probably take about 5-7 hours depending on your pace. The beginning of the trail gives you a vibe of entering a tropical jungle, filled with various plants, trees, rivers, etc. Depending on the route you take you will be climbing (yes climbing) up 3 waterfalls, definitely breathtaking once you get to the top of each waterfall. Definitely one of the more challenging and best hikes on the island. A must would be proper hiking boots, it's very muddy a can be very slippery and dangerous with the wrong kind of shoes. Recommend gloves and boot spikes if you have available. Also if you are hiking at the time of year where you see red fruit on the trees, those are waiawi or strawberry guava, in other words edible. I do recommend bring plenty of water as it is a bit of a workout. It tends to be even muddier if it rained the day of or day before. It could also gets pretty windy on the ridge depending on the day.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Mauro M. 10 months ago on Google
    Not for the faint of heart. If you are inexperienced, afraid of heights, not sure of your footing find another hike. But if you can handle an adventure and ropes and steep drop offs you will love the views. You can see all the craters, the entire island basically and would definitely try. Also there’s three waterfalls.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Shane I. 8 months ago on Google
    This trail took about 1:20mins to reach the waterfall. As you get deeper, stay close to the water pipes for guidance and it will lead you straight there. You will climb over things, under things, and even come close to scaling muddy edges. There are steep drops along the way and so always go with a buddy. Wear boots or something with traction because it can get slippery. The water is deep enough to jump in and so it's worth the trek. I rate this as a moderately challenging hike.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 cody p. 6 months ago on Google
    This hike has it all! Three waterfalls. The first waterfall is the best of the three. It's probably 45 mins or so to the first waterfall. Not exactly sure. We ended up hiking the entire trail. It took us 6 hours with a lot of stopping to see all three waterfalls and then ascend to the top of the ridge trail where we hiked around the crater back to the beginning. The ridge trail hike loops back towards the beginning section of the hike where you maybe have another 20 mins back to the trail head entrance once it spits you back to the main trail. I'd say the hike was moderate until you pass the third waterfall and start going towards the crater ridge trail. Then it turns hard. Once on the ridge trail things can be a bit sketchy and you'll need to be very careful. Luckily we had great conditions. I would not want to be walking on some parts of the trail when it's wet and windy. The loop might not be for everyone as you have to go across a very narrow section of the ridge. If you plan to do the entire thing, please bring plenty of water and snacks. Our legs were shaking by the end of this one. So worth it though!! So much to see on this hike! Stay safe and enjoy!
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Sara R. 1 year ago on Google
    We just get until the first waterfall. It was pretty intense... It was raining and I think most of the times it will ( we live in palolo) so it gets really muddy , slippery and you're enjoying mean while fighting for not fall or get injured. So sometimes gets difficult. The waterfall it's worth it... You feel amazing after it. All the route was 5 hours. We was cautious too tho.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Gabe H. 1 year ago on Google
    Extremely difficult hike but very rewarding. Bring snacks and water. You will get very muddy and walk on slippery surfaces. There is periods where you need to use ropes to lower your self or climb up. Plan about 6 hours total depending on how long you stop at each of the water falls.

  • 5/5 Saif 4 months ago on Google
    A few spots exist near the trail but are limited. If you get there early you'll probably score. Otherwise you'll have to park back down the way, possibly in the neighborhood and walk your way up. We did not follow the pipe all the way and inadvertently went left at one juncture in the trail which is where the loop connects. This resulted in us going uphill which is not what we wanted to do. If you want to see the waterfall trail. We didn't have enough time to go see the waterfall so it was a miss.

  • 5/5 Quinn L. 4 months ago on Google
    Awesome hike with some amazing views. It is definitely challenging if you don't hike very often. It took us almost 6 hours taking it easy and not in any rush. It was 5.89 miles from start to finish according to my garmin watch. Also make sure you go counterclockwise if you are doing the whole loop. It is much easier to climb up the steep parts than down.


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Amenities


  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Hiking
    • ✗ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✗ Wheelchair-accessible entrance

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