Oahu Trails. Kathy Morey
A in this book gives you detailed information about camping, including permit requirements, fees, etc.
Hikers enjoying the Kaunala Loop (Trip 45)
Why no backpacks?
Trail camping doesn’t exist in Oahu’s state parks. That leaves the Division of Forestry and Wildlife trails. Nearly all Division of Forestry and Wildlife trails are in hunting areas. Camping is permitted along some trails provided you have a permit from the Division of Forestry and Wildlife. In my judgment, this is to accommodate hunters rather than backpackers. There are also a very few trail shelters intended for use by hunters. These areas may be attractive for dayhiking, but I saw nothing to recommend them for backpacking, especially to visitors, who have the extra hassle of bringing their backpacking equipment, too.
Let’s face it: While Oahu’s dayhiking opportunities are second to none, for high-quality Hawaiian backpacking opportunities, Oahu has nothing to offer compared to the other major islands: Maui, Hawaii (the Big Island), and Kauai.
Information and resources
Division of State Parks
Dayhiking in Oahu’s state parks does not require permits as of this writing. Car camping or use of the cabins in a state park does require a permit and sometimes a fee. See Appendix A in this book. For more information, write or call:
Department of Land and Natural Resources
Division of State Parks, Oahu District
1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 310
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
(808) 587-0300, FAX (808) 587-0311
Division of Forestry and Wildlife
As noted above, hiking some trails requires permits from the Division of Forestry and Wildlife. For information from this agency, write or call:
Department of Land and Natural Resources
Division of Forestry and Wildlife
1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 325
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
(808) 587-0166, FAX (808) 587-0160
If you need to see the division in person—and you must if you want to obtain hiking permits—double-check the lobby directory for their current office number.
Useful websites
See the chapter on “Hiking on the Capital Isle,” beginning, for a list of useful websites. In particular, see the website for the Department of Land and Natural Resources, www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/divisions.html, to double-check on the latest addresses and voice/fax numbers.
Weather
The short of it
Oahu is:
Rainiest on its windward side, which boasts rainforests. Ahupuaa o Kahana State Park is in a rainforest.
Driest and hottest on the south and west sides. These areas lie in the rain shadows of the island’s mountains. Waikiki is one such hot, dry area, as is the rest of Honolulu. Honolulu lies in the rain shadow of the Koolau Range, which defines northeast Oahu. The hot, dry southwest coastal plains, home to famous surfing areas like Makaha, lie in the rain shadow of the Waianae Range, which defines southwest Oahu. Between the ranges lies the Schofield Plateau, shielded by the Koolaus and also warm and dry.
Rainier in the mountains, particularly the Koolaus. The Koolaus, though barely over 3000 feet high at most, harbor rainforests not only on their windward slopes but on the upper reaches of their leeward slopes. The Waianaes are largely shielded by the Koolaus, however; only the highest points, like Mt. Kaala, have rainforests and swamps.
The dry Honolulu area, particularly Waikiki, has the greatest concentration of visitors, hotels, and resorts. The figure on the next page summarizes the situation.
The long of it
Hawaii’s coastal weather is temperate to a degree that puts the so-called “temperate” zones of the world to shame. The humidity is moderate, too: 50% to 60%, not the sweltering horror of some other tropical lands. It is warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter, but the “extremes” are only a few degrees apart—nothing like those on the mainland.
Hawaii’s mild climate is determined largely by its tropical location and also by the northeast trade winds that sweep across it. The northeast trade winds—so-called because sea captains took advantage of them on their trade routes—are dependable, steady winds that blow from the northeast across the thousands of miles of open sea that separate the Hawaiian Islands from the continents. They are responsible for keeping the temperature and the humidity moderate. Since they are the prevailing winds in this area, the side of the island that faces them is called the “windward” side. The opposite side of the island is the opposite of windward; in nautical terms, “leeward.”
Sometimes the trade winds fail and are replaced by “kona” winds coming from the south. “Kona” means “leeward,” because it’s the leeward side of the island that more or less faces these occasional winds. Kona winds bring hot, sticky air. Fortunately, they are rare in summer, when they would be really unpleasant, and occur mostly in winter, when the lower overall temperatures moderate their effect. Kona storms are subtropical low-pressure systems that occur in winter, move in from the south, and can cause serious damage. There is apparently no pattern to them; in some years, they do not occur at all, but in others they occur every few weeks.
Oahu Weather Map
On Oahu, average temperatures in Honolulu (leeward) range from highs of 80–85°F to lows of 70–75°F. In Kaneohe (windward), temperatures range from highs of 80–82°F to lows of 62–70°F. The “cooler” ones are winter temperatures, the warmer ones summer. It’s rainier from November through March than it is the rest of the year. Expect cooler temperatures, more wind, and considerably more rain if you are in a mountainous region.
Equipment Suggestions and Miscellaneous Hints
This book isn’t intended to teach you how to hike. If you can walk, you can hike, especially the “very easy” hikes. Don’t forget that you can cut almost any hike down to your ability by walking only part of it. Just be sure the trips you pick are within your hiking limits.
This book is intended specifically to let you know where you can hike on Oahu, what to expect when you hike there, and how to get to the trailhead for each hike. And that, I hope, will help you decide which hikes to take.
This section contains suggestions that I hope will make your hikes even more pleasant, and perhaps better protect you and the environment. Of course, you’re the only person who lives in your body, so you’ll have to judge what’s really appropriate for you. But there are a few things you might want to know before you go—things that may be very different from the hiking you’ve done at home on the mainland. (Maybe you already know them, but it’s hard to shut me up when I think I have some good advice.)
It’s up to you
No book can substitute for, or give you, five things only you can supply: physical fitness, preparation, experience, caution, and common sense. Don’t leave the trailhead without them.
Don’t spread pest plants
As I mentioned in the chapter on geology and history, Hawaii has been overrun by introduced plants. It’s important