Our last couple hikes were all in the wet and windy trails of the Ko’olau mountains, so we decided to switch it up a bit and hike the Kea’au Ridge trail in the Waianae mountain range. Since nobody volunteered to leave their car parked on the side of the road in Waianae, we all met and parked at a friends house in Waipio. She dropped us off at the entrance to the former First Hawaiian Bank recreation center right after Kea’au Beach Park and sped off to Yokohama Beach to catch some rays. We climbed over the locked gate and walked down the paved road, which eventually turned into a dirt road and hopped over another locked gate.
Middle Ridge
We walked up the road to the Makua-Kea’au Hunting Area B and crossed a dry river bed and worked our way up to the ridge. We also had to watch our steps, as the trail had liberal droppings of cow pies. As we gained elevation on the ridge, the cow pies were replaced with goat droppings.
Ohikilolo Valley
Looking back at the middle ridge that cuts the valley in half. The blue waters looked cool and inviting!
Cliffs
On the way up the ridge, we stopped to look at the amazing fluted cliffs to our left, which harbored numerous “pocket valleys” that carried the sounds of bleating goats.
On the ridge
Some parts of the ridge narrows to the point, where it accentuates the drop offs on both sides, especially on the side facing Ohikilolo ridge. But that’s why ridge hikes keep you on your feet and rewards you with fantastic views.
Mount Ka'ala
We reached the top of Kea’au ridge at an elevation of 2,650 feet with clear views of Mount Ka’ala, Makaha and the Waianae coast. It was also hot as hell! Good thing we had hats and sunscreen, otherwise we would have been toast.
Pu'u Ohikilolo
Due to time restrictions, we decided or rather my friend decided not to hike the connecting ridge to Pu’u Ohikilolo. As we made our way back down, we came across a herd of stampeding cows in the public hunting area that forced us to briefly stop, before we made it back out to the road. Our friend picked us up and we all had a nice big lunch at Big City Diner’s. Food sure does taste better after you had a long, hot hike!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey, trying this for the first time on Friday..
How steep do things get on middle ridge? Not gonna pull off the full rectangle but thought middle was a good way to enter.
Peace-
JS
Aloha Jordan,
If I recall, it’s a gradual climb, with patches of steep areas broken up by the rocky climb. Just make sure you bring a lot of water especially if the sun is beating down on you. Hope you get overcast conditions with clouds which will dial the temperature down a bit. Have fun and stay safe.
Mahalo