Illustrated scene. Not a photograph of this place.
A 2.5-mile rainforest loop in Ahupuaʻa ʻO Kahana State Park with three unbridged stream crossings. State Parks rates it moderate to difficult and says it should not be started in heavy rain.
- Access
- Published route or place
- Cost
- Confirm the cost
- Difficulty
- Moderate to difficult
- Effort
- Strenuous
- Audience tags
- Visitors, Adults
Effort follows the agency difficulty when one was published: easy is gentle, moderate and easy-to-moderate are steady, and moderate-to-difficult or an agency description of a strenuous climb is strenuous. It is a sorting aid, not a safety rating.
Access and permission
State Parks trail. Hikers sign in at a hunter/hiker station. Hunting is permitted on weekends and state holidays, and the page says to wear bright clothing. Stay on the signed loop. The page says pig trails can lead people off the route and that people get lost here.
No entrance fee was printed on the trail page reviewed.
Conditions, separate from permission
State Parks says crossings can flash-flood, the spillway can have fast water, and leptospirosis may be in the stream. Do not drink the stream water. Do not enter with open cuts. Mosquitoes are common. These are hazard notices from the agency. They are not a rating that the trail is safe when the weather looks fair.
Figures copied from the source
- Distance: 2.5-mile loop
- Elevation gain: 400 feet
- Agency difficulty: Moderate to difficult, with stream crossings
What to bring
- Plenty of water, per State Parks. The canopy can still be hot and humid.
- Footwear you trust on wet rock. No brand is specified by the park.
- Bright clothing on hunting days.
Logistics
- Allow 2–3 hours, per State Parks.
- From the orientation area, walk the paved valley road past a locked gate to the check-in station, then follow arrows.
- The pin is Huilua Fishpond in the park, not a surveyed trailhead.
- Park approach from Honolulu: Likelike or H-3, then Kahekili to Kamehameha Highway through Kaʻaʻawa. The park entrance is in the coconut grove at Kahana Bay.
- Map pin: OpenStreetMap geocode of Huilua Fishpond, inside Kahana. Not the trailhead.
Related gear
These are exact Amazon listings checked on 2026-11-07. They are optional. As an Amazon Associate, purchases through these links can earn a commission. The tag is toa03-20. Stock and formulas change. Affiliate disclosure.
- Thinksport Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+, 3 fl oz
For exposed walks and shoreline time. The Amazon listing checked on Nov 7, 2026 is titled Thinksport Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+ Zinc Oxide, 3 fl oz. That listing text says the formula uses zinc oxide (it states 24.25%) and lists oxybenzone among ingredients it does not contain. It did not explicitly say octinoxate in the text reviewed. Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes §342D-21 makes it unlawful to sell or distribute sunscreen containing oxybenzone or octinoxate in the state without a prescription. Read the current tube before you buy. Listing text changes.
- Nalgene Tritan Wide Mouth BPA-Free Water Bottle, Cadet, 32 oz
For trails whose managing agency says there is no drinking water, or that stream water should not be drunk. The Amazon listing checked on Nov 7, 2026 is titled Nalgene Tritan Wide Mouth BPA-Free Water Bottle, Cadet with Cadet cap, 32 oz. The listing describes a BPA-free Tritan bottle. This is one colorway, not a claim that every Nalgene bottle is the same product.
Sources and verification
Checked 2026-11-07. If a source disagrees with this page, use the source.