Ka’au Crater Hiking Guide
Background
When most people travel to Hawaii they are familiar or have at least heard of Diamond Head crater. However, Diamond Head is only one of three craters on Oahu. The two others are Koko Head and Ka’au crater. Consider Diamond Head to be beginner, Koko Head to be beginner/intermediate, and Ka’au crater, well, it’s in a league of it’s own which is why many have hiked Koko and Diamond Head, but fewer have completed Ka’au crater. But let me tell you, Ka’au crater is by far the best of the three to hike.
I love this hike for many reasons, but mostly because it has everything. You enter through this ‘rabbit hole’ which immerses you into this enchanting forest. It’s like a portal to another world. Through the forest you hike three incredible waterfalls. THEN it’s time for the ridgeline and some epic views that are hard to beat on a clear day. It’s a challenging hike but well worth it. This hike is one seasoned with deaths and falls while climbing, so please be careful.
Ka'au Crater
To get to the trailhead, coming from the H-1 East, you’ll take the exit for Harding Ave, then turn left onto 10th Ave. After about 1.5miles take a slight right onto Waiomao Rd. Stay on Waiomao Rd for a little over a mile and the trailhead will be on your left. Parking is before the trailhead and across from it. There aren’t many spaces available.
Once you find the trailhead/private property/beware sign, enter into the forest! In the beginning you will just be walking in the forest, crossing the stream a few times. Always look for the trail markings. Following this you’ll see a pipeline, you’ll follow this all the way to the first waterfall. Now, we made a mistake and descended too early for the first waterfall. This led to an injury for me that could have been a lot worse. If you descend the rope and see a waterfall you went down the right one. If you see a stream, climb back up and keep going along the path you came off of. Don’t hurt yourself like I did. The trek to the first waterfall is about an hour.
From here you’ll climb back up to the trail and then up the side of the waterfall. The second waterfall appears rather quickly (about 5 min of walking, if that). I really like the area of the second waterfall to hangout. Once you’ve enjoyed this waterfall the path continues on the right side of the waterfall. When you get to the top there is an option to go left and cross the top of the waterfall or you can continue climbing up and go around. Both hold challenges. If you cross the waterfall you will see a gravestone for someone who died at the top. However, once you cross the top the path is mild. Continuing straight however is challenging in its own way as you continue gaining elevation only to have to descend a steep slippery slope to find the third waterfall. This may sound silly, but I would chose climbing up just to keep my shoes dry as you’ve still got most of the hike ahead of you.
The third waterfall will take about 15-20 min to reach from the second. This is a tiered waterfall and quite something to climb, luckily there are plenty of ropes. Be careful however, as I noticed three years ago the ropes needed replaced and I honestly think they haven’t been since. They looked the same this year (2018) as they did in 2015. The third waterfall climb starts on the left. This changes about halfway up as you cross the flowing waterfall (it’s not as bad as you think). This section is very very slippery so take your time.
Once you reach the top of the third waterfall there are two options. If you’ve had enough and would like to head down, and not via climbing down waterfalls, take a left and keep left through any forks as it will guide you toward the entrance not the ridgeline. For those of you ready to take on the ridgeline take a right and climb on up!
The ridgeline here is pretty basic. There are no forks. It’s just a loop around the crater. Now, when I say basic I mean you can’t really get lost. There is of course plenty of slippery mud, steep drop-offs, and ropes/climbing areas. On a clear day the summit, (the first small grassy area you’ll reach) has unparalleled views of the island. Unfortunately I’ve only seen pictures of this. Next time I guess. It’s a great spot for lunch or a snack break.
The trail continues on and is muddy and slippery so be cautious as it’s a long way down. You’ll reach another larger grassy area as you continue around. It may look like there is a left and right path. Go left. The first time I did this hike we went the wrong way around the crater and climbed up the path to the right. That path is essentially a slide off the mountain or at least it used to be. I don’t think it’s worth finding out when you have the option to go left. That was the one section of this hike I felt death was truly a possibility and now that there’s an alternative route, I’m pretty stoked on this hike.
From here you’ll continue down the ridgeline. You’ll want to keep right at any forks once you get down as going left will take you back to the waterfalls. Now all there is to do is follow the trail out! Look for markings along the way as always but the trail out is pretty easy to follow. Heads up, the woods get dark early so make sure you estimate sunset to be an hour or two before what it is. The woods get eerie pretty fast and can already be rather dim.
Hope you survive and enjoy this wonderful hike! Take your time appreciate the nature here, it’s really something special.
