I was lucky enough to spend about 3 weeks on Oahu in early 2024, staying on the North Shore fairly close to the main town of Haleiwa. Hiking on Oahu was one of my favorite experiences there! I didn’t rent a car myself, so I had some fun experiments riding the bus and an awesome old cruiser bike that came with the Airbnb, but also really appreciated friends giving me rides and sharing their rental cars for parts of the trip. I mention my location and transportation situation up front because while Oahu isn’t a huge island, where you stay and how you get around will of course significantly impact the hikes available to you.
The great news (for someone like me who doesn’t always want to rent a car) is that there ARE hikes you can get to by bus! I’m sure there are plenty more that I’m not aware of, but three of the five I’m featuring here are fairly close to Honolulu and accessible by bus from there, if you’re up for a bit of a walk (let’s call it a “bonus hike extension”) to the trailhead. Admittedly I was fortunate to car access when I did them, but my friend walked to the Koko Crater trailhead carrying a foil board… not gonna say he loved it, but he made it work!
So, a few quick notes about riding the bus on Oahu (all as of early 2024):
- One ride is $3, either pay with cash or buy a transit card. They sell tourist day pass transit cards in many of the convenience stores around Waikiki for about $10 but the best deal is to just buy a normal transit card somewhere like a 7-11 and then just load value onto it as you like. Once you’ve taken two rides/paid $6, you max out and don’t pay for the rest of the day.
- You can take the bus from Waikiki to the North Shore – not gonna say it’s quick, but I did it! Transfers vary depending on time of day, but depending on where you start in Honolulu you may just be able to transfer once to end up in Haleiwa.
- From Haleiwa, there are buses that go all along the North Shore and eventually around the leeward side – a beautiful road/ride, by the way. So, you can take the bus to popular spots like Shark Cove, Pipeline, and Turtle Bay, and theoretically continue around the leeward side to loop back to Honolulu if you have enough time. (Check schedules, but just as a ballpark, I rode the bus straight from Haleiwa to Honolulu via the leeward side and it took 2+ hours.)
And now for the hikes! Huge shoutout to @hihikerhailey who shared almost all of these with me. I didn’t get a chance to go on more than five hikes while I was there, so this is by no means a “best of” list, but I’ve organized it based on which hike I’d recommend out of what I explored based on what you’re looking for. As always, please be sure to do your own research as well!
Easiest access hiking on Oahu from Honolulu – Diamond Head Trail
The Diamond Head crater is actually IN Honolulu, so it’s definitely the most accessible if that’s where you’re staying! That said, it can get extremely crowded, and you have to pay extra to park, so I suggest seriously considering taking the bus to get there.
- Accessible by public transit? YES (take the bus to the park entrance on Diamond Head Road, then walk up the road and through the tunnel)
- Drive time from Waikiki – it’s basically in Waikiki! But do be wary of trying to park within the actual state monument area; you have to pay extra and it can be very crowded.)
- Permits/fees – You have to get a timed “reservation” (and pay $5) to enter the park even just as a hiker; if you want to park within the state monument area then you pay an extra $10. When I went on a weekday morning in February I was able to just book a reservation on my phone as I walked up, but I’m not sure if they book up more on weekends or busier times. (Also when I went, it didn’t matter that the time I was going in was technically booked up online – they told me to just grab whatever slot. So don’t necessarily be discouraged if the time you want isn’t available, but I would suggest going early and being flexible with your plans.)
- Other logistics – There are bathrooms and water fountains, as well as a gift ship and concession stand, at the trailhead. Some tunnels but not a ton of shade; can be very windy.
- Hike length – 1.9 miles round trip
- Steepness – moderate, except for some sections with stairs
Great views hiking on Oahu near Honolulu – Koko Crater
Koko Crater is a “burner,” basically just a straight up climb, but I would say worth it for the gorgeous views of the water and back towards Honolulu – and you don’t even have to wait until the top, you can enjoy the views while you rest on the way up because there’s not much tree cover. Part of the trail is on old wooden.. tram ties? Not sure of the official term but there used to be some sort of tram that went up to the top and some of the track is still there. You can bypass that section on a normal trail, which is probably a good idea in general and I would say non-negotiable if it’s at all wet (and therefore could be slippery on the wood).
- Accessible by public transit? YES (but you’ll have to walk 25+ minutes from the bus stop on Lunalilo Home Road)
- Drive time from Waikiki – about 40 min
- Other logistics – There are bathrooms near the parking lot (just walk back towards the park entrance a bit). Another very popular and therefore crowded trail. Not much shade.
- Hike length – 1.6 miles round trip
- Steepness – Very! You’re just going straight uphill the whole time
More “wild” trail also near Honolulu, with great views – Kuliouou Ridge
The trailhead for this hike also provides access to a couple of other trails, but it’s not in a bigger recreational area like Koko Crater – you just park in the neighborhood (or walk from the nearest bus stop!) – and the signage showing you where to go once you leave the street is pretty good. A lot of the hike is through the trees, with plenty of switchbacks, but once you get to the ridgeline the views to both sides are amazing and the view out to the leeward side from the top is incredible. If you’re staying in Honolulu and have the time, I would recommend this over Diamond Head or Koko Crater.
- Accessible by public transit? YES (but you’ll have to walk 30+ minutes, mostly uphill, from the bus stop on Kalanianaole Highway
- Drive time from Waikiki – about 30 min
- Other logistics – no parking lot, bathrooms or water; the trail is dirt and could be very muddy
- Hike length – 4.4 miles round trip
- Steepness – moderate, some switchbacks and then up along the ridge
Most interesting geography hiking on Oahu – Ka’ena Point
At the intersection/edge of the North Shore at the windward side of Oahu is Ka’ena Point, a state park that includes a bird sanctuary. From the entrance on the North Shore you can hike a few different routes with varying proximity to the water, and then either branch off uphill, hike down, and loop back through the bird sanctuary, or do the reverse (but I liked the more gradual uphill from staying high as I approached the point). You could also continue around to the windward side, but even just looking out that way from the edge of the peninsula is a cool chance to see how different the water (and even weather) can be as you change sides around the island.
- Accessible by public transit? No; you can take the bus as far as Waialua but there are no buses from there. But if you can get bike access, the bike ride from Waialua to the trailhead is pretty sweet!
- Drive time from Waikiki – about 60 min
- Other logistics – there are port-a-potties but no real restrooms near the trailhead; closest water fountain and shower is at Mokulēʻia Beach Park. No shade!!
- Hike length – 5.6 miles round trip
- Steepness – you can do a route that’s basically flat, or a little climb if you do the loop up above the bird sanctuary
Best quick climb on the North Shore – Keālia Trail
I’ve read some reviews that say North Shore locals treat this kind of like Koko Crater near Honolulu – a nice quick workout. I would say the trail itself is more interesting – switchbacks and plenty of greenery, compared to basically just stairs at Koko Crater – and the views are also pretty great as you climb, but maybe not as dramatic as Koko Crater. What I loved about this trail is 1) the swing near the shelter at the top and 2) the option to keep hiking to explore the higher ground, and even get a view towards the windward side if you go all the way to the top of the Kuaokala Trail (that comes up from the windward side).
- Accessible by public transit? No; you can take the bus as far as Waialua but there are no buses from there. But if you can get bike access, the bike ride from Waialua to the trailhead is pretty sweet! (Yes, this is the exact same thing I said about Ka’ena, I think it’s true for this as well! Shorter bike ride to this trailhead than to Ka’ena.)
- Drive time from Waikiki – about 60 min
- Other logistics – Parking lot is sort of behind/within the Dillingham Airfield; no bathrooms or water, closest water fountain and shower is at Mokulēʻia Beach Park. Signage beyond the shelter isn’t great so download offline maps or save some directions you’re confident that you can follow.
- Hike length – About 1.8 miles to the shelter that’s at the top of the “burner” climb section (so 3.6 miles round trip if you turn around there); if you continue to the top of the Kuaokala Trail, AllTrails says it’s 7.6 miles round trip.
- Steepness – moderate; more of a climb (with switchbacks) up to the shelter and not so steep after that, but there are definitely still some hills
