Climbing Mount Ka'ala trail - Highest peak on Oahu Hawaii

We conquered hiking Mount Ka'ala located at the end of Waianae valley road, in Oahu. This 7 mile round trip is rated difficult because of its relentless steepness, and also there are some boulder climbing sections to get to the top. No matter what the weather conditions lie, there is a natural area reserve at the top, where you can enjoy looking at native flora and fauna.
Please be respectful and also make sure your hiking gear is clean before hiking up to the bog to avoid introducing invasive plants into this natural area reserve.
*at 3:10, there are actually native insects called Ohi'a Psyllids that also produce these galls on the strawberry guava trees. In this video, the galls you see are actually from the psyllids, and NOT the biocontrol agent Tectoccus ovatus*
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Instagram: @aprooo

[@marvinacklin792]

We tried it, rough weather, rain squalls, extremely hairy climb. Got 2/3 up and turned around. Once you get up on the face of the mountain, it is gnarly! There is another route to the top from Waialua.

[@thehiescapade]

Sorry to hear, I hope you're able to get to still do it one day! Way better when it's drier conditions but be sure to bring lots of water especially in this summer heat if you plan on doing it soon. Yes the Waialua route you'll need special access since it's going through private property and also the trail isn't well maintained. My friends and I did it awhile back and it was an all day thing, I'd rate this route difficult though since there's not really a trail and it's super lengthy.

[@MrKidslick]

Waianae high school Natural Resources class of 2012 we would go up and build those fences and clean out invasive plants and trees , good memories up there

[@thehiescapade]

@@MrKidslick That’s awesome! Mahalo for you and your peer’s restoration efforts in Ka’ala! 🤙🏻

[@surfislands12]

Thanks sis for an awesome video, finally gonna do this hike this weekend, appreciate you pointing out the endemic plants! 🌿

[@thehiescapade]

Mahalo nui! Yesss gotta point them out because they’re so special! ❤️ Have fun and stay safe!

[@paularinaga1576]

Thanks, great video! And thank you for pointing out the native Hawaiian plants and logging your times.

[@thehiescapade]

Mahalo for watching!

[@derauslander3663]

Great video Aprille! I love Ka'ala. Done it 10x in my lifetime.

[@thehiescapade]

Thanks Troy! Wow! I’m pretty sure I’ve done this less than 10x 😂

[@HolisticHikes]

So fresh and so green green!! Going to Hawaii in November so excited and your video pumped us up!

[@thehiescapade]

Thanks for always watching! Happy planning 😊

[@HolisticHikes]

@@thehiescapade anytime 🌴 💚

[@dtna]

Love your videos! Been to HI over a dozen times, but never knew there were so many hiking adventures there. I used to just bring just slippas! As a child I would backpack in the High Sierra, San Bernadino and Sand Gabriel mountains. Before the crowds. Amazing how much you know about the wild flowers and plants along the trail. Mahalo...

[@thehiescapade]

Thank you! Yes, so much to see here. That’s amazing you got to explore the back country in CA. I refuse to backpack in the mainland due to🐻🐐 lol. My friends and I are into native plants since we’ve hiked most trails on the island. Great way to see what else there is on the trail instead of views.

[@HungaroExplorer]

Nicely done! Ka'ala is one beautiful place to visit.

[@thehiescapade]

Thank you!

[@MohammadAKhan1]

Thanks for describing the flora and fauna.

[@thehiescapade]

So much beatiful native plants and critters to look at 😍

[@kamillakeohokapu]

I grew up in Waianae.. west of Oahu💚 right there in the valley hawaiian home stead next to mount kaala

[@Icureditwithmybrain]

From 2007 to 2010, I embarked on four hikes to the picnic table, accompanied by distinct family members on each occasion. Once, I ascended to the summit alongside a companion. Although my friend and I were in our twenties at the time, we were not in the best of shape, necessitating a rest approximately every half hour. Nonetheless, we successfully reached the summit and descended. Following this adventure, my legs ached for an entire week, quite amusingly. During that period, there were no concerns regarding thieves in the parking area. I have no recollection of a fence existing nor of any stairs being present on the prominent rock formation.

[@thehiescapade]

Wow thanks for sharing and that’s awesome you folks made it! I think just hiking to the picnic bench is already a hike lol. That road kills me everytime. Ah yes! I first hiked Ka’ala in year 2013 and the fencing was just set in place I believe. And also never had the stairs on the boulder back then. The stairs on the boulder really made it easier this time around. But yeah it’s unfortunate there’s frequented thieves now.

[@NormalPersonActivities]

Any sketchy parts that was not showed in the video? What is a hike that is comparable in sketchiness or difficulty (aside from distance and elevation)? I've done hikes all around the island, but haven't made my way to the hikes in Waianae yet

[@thehiescapade]

Not really, just the 2 boulders I think is the sketchiest. It’s a different type of hike and so it’s hard to compare to another Hawaii hike. Just know it’s steep. If you’ve done most hikes around the island specifically long ridge ones, you should be ok

[@NormalPersonActivities]

@@thehiescapade I appreciate the info! The only "long" ones I've done are kuliouou and wiliwilinui. The hardest incline I've done was olomana to the first. Haven't done any trails to KST though

[@thehiescapade]

@@NormalPersonActivities I see. It’s much longer than Kuliouou and Wiliwilinui since Ka’ala can take 6-8 hours total. Olomana to the first peak is like an hour of steepness and so that can be similar to the beginning of Ka’ala after you finish the paved road and work your way up to 3 poles

[@NormalPersonActivities]

@@thehiescapadeAwesome. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions!

[@MrXkieren]

Nice video! you probably read my sons review about the thieves 😂

[@thehiescapade]

😂 Our friend who hiked with us mentioned that her car jam got pryed the last time she did Ka’ala last year. Wouldn’t be surprised these thieves broke into at least 100 cars 😧

[@minc4970]

This could be a perfect hike for me but why the break in? Glad you shared the information. Now I need to find a safe parking place and Uber over there. Great video as always. Did you do this recently?

[@thehiescapade]

It’s sad unfortunately. I don’t think there is cell signal in the valley where people park their car to start the hike. But when you’re on the ridge or on top of Ka’ala you’ll have cell service. We hiked this about 2 weeks ago.

[@jaylyngunnells7635]

took on kaala as my first hike and it was crazy

[@thehiescapade]

Congrats on finishing! Definitely not an easy hike, but I'm sure the views/bog made it worth it.

[@tristianhayes9866]

What do you consider freezing?

[@thehiescapade]

hehe during that time I want to say it was maybe in the late 50s. It was rainy, pretty windy and just being the bog in the clouds was pretty cold

[@raiderfrankdatank]

Nice 1, but i'll pass. Getting too old now lol

[@thehiescapade]

😂 Thanks for watching!

[@paigeastley8493]

Is there anywhere safer to park near by?

[@thehiescapade]

Unfortunately not really. You can try parking on the residential street just outside the street going in the valley, but that is a pretty long walk. And also Waianae can be sketchy. In the valley there is no signal so best bet is if you can have someone drop you off/pick you up when you start/end the hike. You can park your car by the trailhead but you'll take your chances.

[@edwardj3070]

where the apapane at?

[@thehiescapade]

They exist here but unfortunately they weren’t along the trail. I’ve seen a bunch when my friends and I did volunteer work at the designated volunteer sites here earlier this year

[@chongyulius]

Looks like thief problem is a pandemic nowadays. Damn

[@thehiescapade]

Yep so unfortunate

[@johnrobb9408]

Those shoe spikes can only excelerate erosion. Get better shoes.

[@kamillakeohokapu]

I grew up in Waianae.. west of Oahu💚 right there in the valley hawaiian home stead next to mount kaala