Manoa Falls, Hawaii, United States

5Jason T 5:00 PM Dec 27, 2022

Great hike with a fantastic result
Great falls, but in December it wasn’t much more than a trickle. Even with all the rain we got that week. It was wet on the way up, but not overly so as we were in sandals and didn’t get dirty by stepping carefully. I would recommend hiking shoes but depending on the day they are not really needed if you are careful. The shop at the bottom sells water shoes if you would rather buy those and use them on the way up. The hike is challenging, but not overly so. Maximum grade is 23% so you might have to take your time if you are not great with grades. Be careful on the way down as it is easy to slip and fall. It would be nice to take water with you as it is a hot and strenuous workout. It does get busy, so early morning would be best but if you don’t mind waiting at the top for your selfie, people are usually nice to get out of the way when they are done. Unfortunately many were ignoring the signs that say not to cross the barrier and were trying to swim in the water at the bottom of the falls. Please observe the signs. There is a foot truck at the beginning of the hike that serves pineapple smoothies and shave ice that looked good, but the line was too long for us to take part. The total hike is at least 3km (1.2 miles) round trip. Enjoy!

5Steve W 5:00 PM Sep 27, 2021

Manoa Falls - worth the trip
Manoa Falls trail is about 8.5 miles from Waikiki and if you take Uber it would cost around $30 one way. A very nice hike with only about an 800' gain in elevation when going to the falls. For those that say the hike does not offer much to see along the way I disagree. There are scenic areas with trees hundreds of feet high in vast open areas. It looks like a scene out of Jurassic Park. We hiked this yesterday (27 Sept '21) and it was great. They have parking which is $7 regular, $5 for military. But you can park below and walk to the falls without having to pay a fee (its free). Very nice scenery, great pictures and videos can be had on this hike. A couple of areas along the way were areas where people could rest. The path had rocks but wife thought they should have been smaller in size to make it easier to walk and I agree. I would suggest tennis or better hiking shoes. Saw a number of people with slippers/flip flops that almost fell because of some muddy spots and a couple that twisted their ankles because of the rocks . Most of the trail had shade from the trees, bamboo, etc. but I would recommend putting on sunscreen because the UV in Hawaii can be extreme. Also suggest talking water or an electrolyte drink along the way. The humidity is high, 60-80% depending on the time of year, and some people were sweating excessively so its a good idea to hydrate before, during and after the hike. At the top are the falls, 150' high and it was pretty cool. Got some great pics. Some people went into the pool at the base but that is not recommended. We hung out for about 40 minutes enjoying the cool mist, took some more pics and headed back down. Took more pics and videos on the way down and took our time. We went on a Monday at 11:30 - there were a bunch of people but not too crowded. I would rate the hike as easy to novice and is worth the trip if you have time.