Maunawili Falls Hike

Hey guys! Today we wanted to share with you a super memorable hike we experienced while traveling on the beautiful island of Oahu 🙂 Scott and I love going on hikes with plenty of photogenic spots for photography purposes, as you may know 🙂 and this particular hike we found looked extremely promising because of the gorgeous waterfall at the end. However, unlike most of the hikes we go on looking for stunning views and photos, just making it to the end of the trail was an adventure of its own for this one.  Never have I ever worked so hard to not slip or fall while on a hike. The entire trail was completely covered in mud, which we expected, but the amount of extra effort it took to not slip with every step we took was crazy. On previous hikes we had done on Oahu, there was a little bit of mud that we tried to avoid and were successful, but this hike was a whole other story. Despite all this mud, we had an amazing time here and below I’ll explain how to get to this hike, what to expect, and our personal experience, hope you guys enjoy this one 🙂

Getting There

Coming from Honolulu, Maunawili Valley is towards the South Eastern end of the island, located in a quiet, residential neighborhood. Directions are very accessible online and are actually pretty detailed with what parking is like. Since you’re in a neighborhood there is no designated area for parking, you must find a spot on the street while being courteous to home owners. The entrance to the hike is a gate that leads you right into the tropical jungle, where you will become engulfed in beautiful green plants.

Here’s the address to plug into Google Maps, 1201-1209, Kelewina St, Kailua, HI 96734

What to Expect

Once you’ve started on the hike, you should expect a 2 mile hike all the way to the end. The main attraction of this hike is the big waterfall & swimming area you can experience at the end. So don’t forget to bring a towel and bathing suit if that is something you want to experience! The biggest thing you can expect from this hike is the mud. Since the trail goes DEEP into the jungle it is mostly covered by trees/plants above, so when it rains (which happens quite often) the ground never dries up thus leaving a consistently mucky  floor. There are lots of roots and rocks that you will come across, even a few streams so it can be very tricky trying to keep your balance at times, trying to avoid big mud pits 😛

The hike did take us some time because we took our time walking through the mud, we didn’t want to fall (even though I did once) so getting to the waterfall took about 2 hours. Every inch of the hike was drop dead gorgeous. Being totally submerged in the Maunawili Valley is a place like no other. When you become closer to the waterfall you will start going up some stairs up a hill then back down stairs on the other side. Once your done with the stairs, you will walk along a big creek that leads you to the very end of the hike where the waterfall is located.

Once you’ve made it to the end, chances are their will be others jumping off the rocks and into the swimming pool below. When we arrived at the end, we were greeted by a lot of families with children enjoying the water. This attraction is really popular for small children so be prepared for a younger crowd. But like all things, depending on the time of day when you set out on this hike, you might be totally alone and get to enjoy the waterfall in peace.

Our Experience

We would recommend this hike if you really want to be engulfed in nature. It really felt like we were in Jurassic Park the entire time, yes you’re going to get REALLY muddy, but why not experience the “muddiest hike of your life” it’s worth it! One thing that I would suggest is having bug spay with you, the wet climate really brings on the mosquitos so having some on hand is never a bad idea 🙂 Another thing I would suggest is keeping a few extra towels in your car for after, maybe another pair of shoes to change into too. Your car will become really muddy if you keep your shoes on while driving LOL Basically this is a moderate hike that will take you some time because the slippery mud can slow you down, but I guarantee you will love every second of this hike!