8 Waterfalls of Moole Valley

With the increased frequency and duration of rains in the past couple of weeks, waterfalls have been popular trend in the local hiking community. Instead of doing a rain dance, Baron Yamamoto invited me to do a “waterfall marathon” with him and his friend Justin Chu. Despite not knowing what to expect of a waterfall marathon, I decided to tag along for 15 waterfalls in Moole and Manoa Valleys…see Luaalaea, Naniuapo, and Waiakeakua Falls write-up for details about Manoa Valley Waterfalls.

The trail to the 8 Waterfalls of Moole Valley started along the Pali Highway, across the street from the upper Old Pali Road junction with the Pali Highway. Once inside the gate, the trail was a bit obscured but becomes more apparent a few minutes later, with a distinct/well-worn track.

After about 15-20 minutes in, we encountered a ~50 m irrigation tunnel that required us using headlamps.

The tunnel was ~ 4-5 ft high / wide and had a muddy floor, with several puddles.

After exiting the tunnel, we were only a few steps away from the first waterfall (left). Another 5-10 minutes up the stream channel was the 2nd falls, which is the largest one of the 8 waterfalls described in this write-up.

To get to the third falls, we contoured above the east stream bank, between the 1st and 2nd waterfalls (left). The 3rd waterfall in Moole Valley (right).

The 4th waterfall was heavily shaded (left). We had to contour around the 4th to get to the 5th, which was pretty small and may not be considered a true waterfall. However, just a few minutes ahead was the considerably larger, 6th waterfall (right).

We climbed up on the right side, to contour / pass the 6th falls, to get to the 7th waterfall… which had the largest pool.

The last time I was here, I only got to see 7 waterfalls, but we went to investigate rumors of an 8th… Verified!

The 8 waterfalls of Moole Valley are likely a medium-intermediate hiking trail, it shouldn’t one more than a 2-3 hours to complete the entire hike. Most of the trail was actually not that difficult, but there are some areas where scrambling on slick rock is necessary. To ensure maximum grip while walking on the slippery stream rocks (for this and any other stream/waterfall hike), I strongly suggest felt bottomed footwear. Felt-bottomed footwear have been long known by stream/river/coastal fishermen to be best for walking on slick rock, particularly while hiking in/around water. The more pressure that is put on the felt, the more water that gets pressed out the sides of the sole, making surface-area contact better… unlike traditional rubber-soled hiking shoes. Felt-bottomed “tabis,” a type of reef-walking footwear, can be as cheap as $20 at Walmart for those on a budget. Some of them are compact enough to fit in a pack, so that they can be worn as needed. Hanapaa (local fishing supply store) has rugged, well-protected, felt-bottom tabis “with studs” for ~$50. I’ve hiked streams both with felt bottomed boots with and without studs, but I’d prefer the tabis over either for hikes on slick rocks or ones that require you to get you to repeatedly get your feet wet. Moreover, the large studs found on the boots have a similar effect on the rocks as spiked boots/crampons, where there are some instances of imbalance (since the person may be pivoting on one or two sharp points)… The rocks get eroded / scoured out pretty badly for spiked footwear as well.

To see the the write-up for the rest of the hike we did later that day, Luaalaea, Naniuapo, and Waiakeakua Falls, click here . To view this location on a Google Map also known as my “Adventure Map“, Click Here. For more adventures of the Lost Trailblazers, either look at my other blogposts and “Adventures with the Lost Trailblazers” photo gallery.