Hiking Makiki Valley Loop Trail: A Full Family Perspective

Practically every day in Hawaii is good for being outdoors with endless places of beauty to explore. Overwhelmed by modern life’s addiction to screens and technology we made a commitment as parents to get our family out into nature every chance possible. We realized that the variety of ages and opinions in our family could provide unique perspective to others as they seek information on things to do in Hawaii and weigh the pros and cons of each excursion. The Makiki Valley Loop Trail represents the first in our family of 7’s memoirs on hiking, beaching, eating, camping, and other adventures in Hawaii. We hope you find some useful nuggets of information and wisdom when deciding on what do and where to go for your next Hawaii excursion!

Makiki Valley Loop Trail:

MOM: This 2.5 mile trail was a great start for our hiking adventures. Our group of 5 for this excursion, completed the trail in 2-3 hours. Longer than I had anticipated, but in my mind I hadn’t allowed for the slow crossing of muddy slicks and time to smell flowers, enjoy views, and forage for strawberry guavas and lilikoi fruits (have also heard there are mountain apples and surinam cherries depending on time of year.)  As a 44 year old mother of 5 in pretty good shape I found myself challenged at a relatively slow pace and a little winded on the uphills.  This hike is a looped trail that winds up and down into lush Makiki Valley weaving alongside small brooks that run through the jungle from the mountain peaks above. Since we live in town and this trail is close by it’s one that I hope to make a regular excursion for exercise.

We did this in December so the trail was very wet. As with many hikes in Hawaii during the rainy season, be sure to wear something you don’t mind getting muddy because you will encounter portions of the trail reminiscent of old summer camp songs, “no way around it, can’t get over it, can’t get under it, gotta go through it.”  Make sure your laces are tied tight or you’re bound to lose them in the inches of sticky shoe-sucking mud. However, you will love the shoe cleaning station at the end of the hike to scrub down and leave all that lovely mud where it belongs in Makiki Valley.

Scrubbing shoes at the end of trail cleaning station prevents invasive plant species from spreading and keeps the mud out of your car!

For parents of toddlers & babies, no strollers here. Little ones will need to be packed, carried, or watched very closely. There are some areas along the trail with steep edges and if they’re not already accustomed to hiking, the small fries will probably burn out or melt down before the end of the trail. Five and up should be fine depending on the level of activity they’re used to. For those of you who are mosquito bait, best rub down with some bug repellent beforehand!

 Small but tasty strawberry guavas are common along many Oahu trails.

TAMAR (8 yrs. old): From my hiking experience Makiki Valley Loop Trail was one of the best hikes ever. I loved getting muddy! When I got mosquito bites I didn’t really care so I didn’t bother to itch them. The strawberry guavas were very yummy I liked them so much I didn’t want to get out of the tree.  Please, please please, I hope that we can go on that hike again.

LEO (8 yrs. old):  Our mom made us shutdown our computer and go on a family hike. When we started my brother was complaining about all the mosquitos but later in the hike he stopped so that was good.  The trail had a lot of mud so you are probably lucky to not go, but I also liked the mud because it was challenging trying to get through without stepping in it. The thing I liked best about this hike was that it was long and we ate strawberry guavas. It was fun jumping on the rocks and hanging from trees.  At the end when we were done we needed to wash our shoes so I was a little sad because we all just wanted to get home and take a nice warm shower. I got really muddy but it was a great time there.

Hiking Makiki Valley Trail in Oahu, Hawaii. (Photo Ronen Zilberman)

ZOHAR (11 yrs. old): I liked that the hike had an enjoyable source of food as you walked along the trails of the jungle. We got to eat strawberry guavas that we picked. I liked the amazing views of rivers, the nature, and peace that you can see along the paths.  I didn’t like the many mosquitos that would bite us whenever we tried to stop. I also didn’t like the deep puddles of wet mud everywhere and that we had to walk through dangerous places with slippery rocks and steep ledges. I rate this hike an 8 out of 10.

KAMEA (13 yrs. old): I rated this hike 8 out of 10. It was an enjoyable hike filled with mud, amazing views, and fruit to eat.  We didn’t have to pack snacks because along the trail there are a bunch of strawberry guava trees. At times, we got to pass by a river and at one point a small waterfall. Towards the end on our way downhill we passed through a very peaceful forested area that was beautiful and had a great view. The trail was also not crowded so you can enjoy it in peace. The only reason I marked down a star is because during the hike it was difficult to tell which fork in the trail was the one we should take. More than once we could have gone the wrong way because the signs didn’t make sense. Overall, I encourage people to go and try it out.

HOW TO GET THERE: From Waikiki, take Ala Wai Boulevard to Kalaukaua Avenue and turn right. Go right again at South King Street, and immediately turn left onto Punahou street. Go left at Nehoa Street, and take the second right onto Makiki Street, veering left onto Makiki Heights Drive. Just before the road curves sharply left, go strait into the Makiki Valley State Recreation Area. Reach a designated gravel parking lot on the left and proceed up the road on foot to the Hawaii Nature Center, and follow the signs to the trail.

Eucalyptus trees along the Makiki Valley Loop Trail in Oahu, Hawaii.

by Erica McMillan