[Music] So we just did an amazing hike on Oahu. Ho, braddah! My legs stay sore, but the view was nuts! But not all hikes on Oahu are difficult. In fact, there are several that are pretty easy in case only go hiking like once a year. In this video, I want to share five hikes that I think are pretty easy to do on Oahu and provide some insights, like what you can expect, things maybe you want to bring, and also the parking situation. And just a reminder, be really careful when you go out hiking in Hawaii. Bring water and bring the proper shoes. If you park in the neighborhoods, make sure that you don't block anyone's driveway. And please don't leave trash on the trails. Eh, yeah, I no like pick up the rubbish after you. I get better things for you. The first hike is the Lanikai Pillbox Hike in Kailua. This is probably one of the most popular hikes to do on Oahu. It's the one with the little cement structures that are on top of the mountain that a lot of people like to take selfies with. The hike is in Kailua, which is on the windward or east side of Oahu. Eh, that's where all the rich guys stay live, yeah? Yeah, it's pretty expensive to live over there, but it's very very nice. Even though I grew up in Hawaii, I had never done that hike until about several months ago. And I think the reason why a lot of people like this hike is because if you go early enough, then you can go sit up there and watch the sunrise. Eh, where for park my car. In terms of parking it's pretty tough, especially in those early hours. By the time that we got there at about 6:30 a.m. in the morning, pretty much all the close parking was taken, so we have to park kind of far away. But that was okay because, actually, after the hike we're planning on going to the beach and so it kind of worked out. But I can't imagine the parking during the middle of the day. I mean, it must just be packed around that area. Eh, try help me look for one parking spot. Ho! Get one right there! Ah, stay blocked. Ah lose money. There's like this loop around that area so I would give it maybe a couple of tries around the loop and maybe you can find parking. If not, a lot of people just park really far away and then they just walk it. The hike itself is pretty easy, but there's no shade, so you're gonna want to make sure you bring plenty of water. It's rocky and there's definitely some steeper parts, but I wouldn't say it's too dangerous. But get ready for the crowds though. Ho! the buggah stay busy. Get choke people. Ho! You get Aunty over here struggling up the hill and Uncle over there having one heart attack. Hoo! No can hike. I guess everyone knows about this hike now and so it's really no surprise that it's that busy. But I was a little disappointed that it was so crowded with people. I kind of have to wonder, if there are that many people on the hiking trail, when does it stop being a hike and more like a tourist attraction? It's no secret anymore, but on the trail there was a pretty good mix of local people and tourists, which i think is a really good thing. At the top, you can expect a really great view of the beach, the ocean, and some of the surrounding area. Alright, the next trail is Moanalua Valley Trail in Moanalua. This is definitely a hike on the down low that not a lot of people really know about. In fact I didn't know about this trail until like two years ago. Eh, no tell them then. Shh. Keep your mouth shut! But I think hiking is supposed to be for everyone. Besides, it's easy and a very nice hike if you just want to go for a quick stroll out in nature. I might consider this the easiest hike I've ever been on. The trail was sort of tucked deep into the valley in this little neighborhood, but what's really nice is that at the beginning of the trail there's this little small park where there's bathrooms and a small little parking lot. And of course, there's also street parking if you need it. The last time we went there there was this local guy who was pretty mad and he was cleaning up all the trash that a lot of the tourists and hikers left behind. Oh, *#@%&! tourists! #*!%&@! No cleanup! So please be courteous and throw away your trash in the trash can. This is a pretty flat trail that's covered under shade for most of it so it shouldn't be a problem for most people. The first time I hiked there the streams were pretty high, which meant that as we were crossing the stream, my foot would go into the water and of course my socks and everything got wet. But the last time we went, maybe a couple months ago, all the streams are pretty much dry and my feet didn't really get wet at all. So just be aware your feet might get wet or they might not get wet. Depends on the season. There is a really bad patch of mud sort of halfway up the hike so you might want to be aware you're gonna have to walk around unless you want your entire foot to go into the mud. There aren't really that many great views on this hike. There's maybe one where you can kind of see the mountain and you might see an owl or two, but there's not too many views. The reason why some people might actually know about this trail is because it's the back door to the Stairway to Heaven Trail, which is the illegal trail that a lot of people still like to go on. I would highly recommend not doing that. Just going to the edge of the trail and walking back, but people still do it. If can, can. If no can, no can. The next trail is the Manoa Falls Trail in Manoa. This might have been the first trail that I did as a kid, but looking back, I can't imagine that because it has kind of a lot of rocks and I just don't see my younger self being able to do this. Manoa Falls is a nice hike that's pretty close to Waikiki so it's pretty popular among tourists. For reference, the last time we did this hike was about a month ago and we did it on a weekend at around 7:30. It wasn't too crowded, but parking can be a little bit tricky. As a local, I like free parking. Eh, I no like pay. Where can park for free? So I parked on the street and walked up. The street parking is kind of far from the start of the actual hike, but if you don't want to walk you could pay $5 and there's like a parking lot a lot closer. But I don't know how that works because there was no parking attendant there so I guess people just park and pay. The entrance used to be this old bird park. It was called Paradise Park, but that's closed down and since then the whole area just kind of looks old. The trail is mostly shaded, which is a good thing, but I recommend make sure you bring some bug spray. Overall, the hike is pretty easy, but like I said there's a lot of big boulders that are kind of smooth and so if it's wet you can get a little bit slippery. It took us about 30 minutes to get to the end of the hike, which is where the waterfall is. They rope off the falls and there's a sign there that says "Don't pass the rope", but as you can expect, a lot of people just do it anyway. I have to say that the waterfall itself is a little disappointing. I don't know what people expect when they envision a waterfall in Hawaii, but Manoa Falls is pretty small. It's almost barely a trickle. Eh, turn on the water full blast. So Manini! There are better hikes on Oahu and the Neighbor Islands that have more epic waterfalls in case you're interested. So just be aware of that. It's pretty underwhelming, but it's close to Downtown Honolulu and it's a pretty quick hike. The next hike is Diamond Head in Kapahulu. This is probably the most famous like in Hawaii. And honestly, I don't know why, but it is. Maybe it's because Diamond Head is so attached to the image of Waikiki. The last time I did Diamond Head was about six months ago. We decided to do a sunrise hike, which I've never done before and I probably won't to ever again. In order to do that we had to get there before the sun rose, so we got there about 5:15 in the morning and we parked in the long line going up into Diamond Head Crater. But the line wasn't moving so I told the people in the car to just get out and start walking and I'll just meet them in there. But when everyone got out of the car, the line of cars started to move and so there wasn't enough time for them to get back in the car so I just kept driving and then they end up having to walk in after us. Parking inside Diamond Head can actually be pretty tight so most of the time I park outside, usually near Kapiolani Community College or in the neighborhood and then just walk up. But if you do walk up, you just got to be really careful because the tunnel is super tight. Ho! Gotta suck in the gut. The entry fee is only $1, which isn't too bad. There are also bathrooms and food trucks at the bottom, so after the hike, you'll be okay. This is a pretty easy hike, but it's hot so you're gonna want to make sure that you bring plenty of water. No shade. There are some rocky areas and a lot of stairs so just be prepared for that, but for the most part it's pretty easy. The top is pretty nice and you get some nice views of Waikiki and Hawaii Kai. But it's pretty crowded at the top so you're gonna want to be patient if you're gonna take selfies or photos. Eh, braddah. Try move. I like take one epic selfie. The most challenging part is the heat so make sure that you go as early as possible if you don't want to deal with that. There are also some local runners who like to run up and down Diamond Head so just be aware of them. Ho! Aunty stay coming real fast. Gotta move out of the way. And the last hike is the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail in East Oahu. In terms of the smoothest trail in Hawaii, I don't think you can get anything smoother than Makapuu. Oh, brah. The buggah stay smooth. Easy Can, can. For those people who want a really great view, but they don't want to get their shoes dirty, Makapuu is definitely the hike to go on. The whole thing is paved so it's nice and smooth. Parking, however, is a bit of a scramble. A lot of people like to go before the parking lot even opens so you'll see them kind of parked on the side of the highway. I don't know if that's allowed but people do it anyway. Butonce that gate opens, all the cars go in and you're gonna have a hard time finding parking. The last time we went, we went about 7:30 a.m. on a weekend and by 8 o'clock, pretty much the whole parking lot was full, even all the way up to the highway. So good luck and there aren't any bathrooms or facilities either so just be prepared. Now about the hike. Although it's paved, there are some kind of steeper inclines. I gotta catch my breath. Ho! Cannot breathe! What's nice is that there are several rest points with pretty nice views of the ocean. There's no shade so you want to bring water, but at the top, the breeze is pretty nice so you can kind of cool off that way. You get a nice view of Rabbit Island and Waimanalo and at the top there's this little lighthouse, but I've never been there. I wouldn't recommend going off the trail. There's some tide pools kind of down that you could go to, but I wouldn't go there. I can say that we tried to go there one time, but then as we're about halfway there, I realized that I'm not 18 years old anymore. There's also this little secret beach off to the side that I really like. Ho! Brah, no tell them about the secret beach, cuz. It's okay, it's okay. The beach is for everyone. But they took away this little diving board. It was more like a pole that people would jump off of into this little pool of water. As long as you stay in the cove, it's pretty nice. If you made it this far into the video, I just want to say thank you and so I want to throw in a little bonus hike for you. It's the Kaena Point Trail in Waialua. I wanted to mention this hike because it's pretty easy. The hardest part is actually driving out there because you're basically driving to the end of the road. I went there a few years ago and it felt like driving to the end of the earth. Eh, we lost or what? No more road. Brah, you see the signs? From what I remember, the hike is fairly flat, but there's no shade. But the view of the ocean on the right side and the mountains on the left was really nice. There's also a bird sanctuary and then you might even be able to see some monk seals, but if you do see them please don't bother them. So if you're looking for an easy hike to do on Oahu, I hope that you get to try one or several of the hikes that I mentioned. If you have any questions about Hawaii, let me know in the comments below and I'll try my best to answer them in a future video. Thanks for watching and Aloha! [Music]
