Puu Kahekili to Puu Manamana Loop Trail – September 5, 2011

A while ago, I read that the Puu Manamana Trail was one of the more dangerous trails on northeast Oahu. If you had also read and done the trail before, as I have, I’m sure you’d agree that this is not true. However, it is possible the authors of those blogs may have confused this trail with that of True Manamana (or Puu Manamana proper), which is at a lower elevation and situated mauka of the highest point on the ridgeline. Regardless, there are spectacular coastal views of Kahana and Kaaawa from the ridges in this area, especially from the adjacent, “Kahekili” ridgeline shown above. Thus, we decided to connect the two ridges, “Puu Kahekili” and “Puu Manamana,” as a loop trail.

We; Marcus Griego (host), Sophia Simone, Toney Avakova, Kit Ingvarsson, Tony Fraiola, Kelly Quin, Aaron Toma, Thessa Bugay, Bogey(?), Randy Glidden, Wendy Tan and I; met at Swanzy Beach Park in Kaaawa at 800am, though didn’t get started ’til about 830am or so because of some late arrivees… *cough Sophia*. We also came across Jason lee’s crew hiking up in another heat.

Though it may not seem apparent at first, the trailhead starts at the end of Huamalani Road… the trail is flat for about 5-10 minutes, and then quickly increases in elevation as you ascend to Kahekili Ridge.

About 15 minutes later, you get on top of the ridge and are treated to spectacular panoramic, coastal views of Kaaawa.

The crew taking a break at a scenic point, before heading further up the ridgeline…

…and off they go.

Randy posing on a false-peak on the ridge.

Most of trail is fairly well kept and is likely traveled often.

It is also steep and narrow in some places, so make sure to only do this trail in good weather (not in windy or rainy weather).

Marcus and Randy decided to continue up the steep ridgeline shown in far right of first photo (spot Randy!), though the rest of us contoured around the right side of it. It is not possible to come down the back side of this rock feature, unless you are an advanced climber or have rappelling gear (Marcus on crag above).

About in hour into the hike, we veered right towards the crossover trail to Puu Manamana. There are a few “trickling” waterfalls there, and I’m assuming the only times they are really flowing are instances when you should not be doing this hike. The trail continues after crossing the stream bed…

Which is insanely overgrown with Uluhe fern. I highly suggest you cover up and wear long pants / sleeved shirts for this part of the hike. Boots with good tread are also recommended, as the ascent can be quite muddy.

We reached the junction kahekili and manamana junction within a couple of hours and took a short break. The trail in back of the group leads down Puu manamana ridge towards, “Crouching Lion.” The trail to the right comes from Puu Kahekili. Trail in back of the photographer leads to down to the cemetery trail (to Trout Farm Road) and also to True Manamana (TM).

We took the trail down Puu Manamana ridge, towards Crouching Lion, as we weren’t planning on tackling TM… today. hehe.

Once the tree line opens up, you are again treated to superb panoramic view of Kahana and Kaaawa. Enlarge photo to see the crew hiking along the ridgeline in the distance!!!

The group posing for a photo at another scenic point on a steep part of the ridge.

The descent from this point is fairly steep and there are many areas of loose gravel, so be careful with your footing. If you have bad knees/ankles, you should probably bring a walking stick and brace(s).

As we got closer to sea level, the rock formation known as, the “Crouching Lion” became more apparent… though to most people it really doesn’t look like anything spectacular… I do not disagree.

Bogey(?) is actually a free runner / parkour enthusiast, so he had no problem hopping around the narrow parts of the ridge and rock faces. You don’t have to do this kind of physical activity on the trail at any point, but can be fun when you know what you are doing.

Marcus on the lion’s head and Toney in the Lions mouth? I can almost, but not really see it!!! who knows, haha…

We continued down the trail to some other rock crags…

and actually passed what looked like a homeless person’s camp in an abandoned bunker, just above the road.

Of which the exit/entrance to his/her driveway is right here (above). You can easily find it if you want to visit, it’s on the bend of Kamehameah Hwy, just before Kahana Bay (if going north). You can also enter Puu Manamana trail and the Crouching Lion from this location.

If you plan to do Puu Kahekili to Puu Manamana Loop Trail, be prepared for some steep elevation changes and shifty footing on the trails. There are several sections where you have to scramble, but none of them are very difficult. The crossover between the two ridges may not be apparent if you haven’t been there before, so make sure to are attentive to spotting the crossover as you take the contour trail around the steep ridge shown on the right hand side of the top photo. Though the trail is not very long, make sure to take plenty of water as the exposed portions of the hike can be very hot. Completing the loop took a little over 4 hours, but this will be affected by the rate at which you hike and number of breaks you take. This trail is a moderate/intermediate trail. Comparable trails to this would be Puu Hapapa or Olomana (1st peak), but is more overgrown than either.

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.