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The views are like none other on the island. You can see the west, north, and south shores once you make it to the peak. Ok first thing, do not bring kids of you hike the whole thing. It's around a 6 hour hike on very shady overgrown trails since not a lot of people can do this hike. Ensure you have plenty of water. I personally went threw my whole hydro bladder before it was over. Ok well first you have to get on base. If you know someone on base it would be great because they can drop you, I would not park my car up there since range control will sit and wait for you. There are two place you could get Dropped at and that's the yellow fence on kolekole road or (if that fence is open) the start of the trail. If you have to start at the yellow gate just walk up kolekole road till you see the entrance on the right. You'll know if you go to far since they have the west side of the pass blocked off. Once you start the trail you find a orange road blocker telling you not to go further, just go around it to the right and you will continue on to some stairs, they have a lot of little side paths but you will be good sticking to the larger one. If you make it to the phone tower and the pu'uhApapa stone you will be good. You need to follow all the orange/pink markers people placed out on the trail. Follow those and you will be fine. There are some places so overgrown. That you have to crawl thru them but once you make it to the ridge line, you will be good. Just keep following that all the way to the top of the first really high peak. Hope this helps and message me if you want more specifics.
I'm a bit of a hiking noob. Let's take today for example: I forgot water. I know, I know, most important rule, BROKEN. Lesson learned, I suppose, but the goal is to get out there, and conquer some freakin' mountains! Today the energetic Yuko A. and I decided to hike up Pu'u Hapapa, which was described as having sweeping views of BOTH leeward side and North Shore...AT THE SAME TIME. We also found out about the hike through a site called Unreal Hawaii (mucho credit: http://www.unrealhawaii.com/2011/05/puu-hapapa/), which features beautiful pictures of the above mentioned hike. Much better pics than I could ever take! ...You know when you're looking at a travel picture of someplace, and you get an instant shot in the arm of MOTIVATION to go to that exact same spot? Yeah, that's exactly what happened. Anyways, this trail seems to be a low-key destination, especially as it's located IN Schofield Barracks. Most people would think, "Hey, can't only military peeps get on base?" But for some reason, if you say you're there for the hike, they let you right on in. Just make sure to bring a picture ID, and proof of insurance and registration for your car. After a short drive in, you'll arrive in a small parking lot right at the beginning of the trailhead. Along the way, you'll see the trail marked by pink ribbons, so you'll never stray off unless that's your goal. I would say this is an upper intermediate hike, as there are some pretty dangerous parts along the way. Plenty of those, you trip...and you're-going-to-have-a bad-time-kind of sections. A bit of rock climbing is also involved, but nothing TOO intense. Just make sure to FOLLOW THOSE TRAIL MARKS. I missed one and found myself shimming down some crazy cliffs, while clinging to anything I could find. Quite scary. But it's all about the payoff. And boy, was it worth it. A nice 360 of beautiful scenery. The pictures in my phone simply do not replicate the awesomeness of what I saw. Overall, it's a fun, yet challenging hike. Includes roughly four hours of variety as you'll be scrambling around the ridgeline of Pu'u Hapapa. Definitely the best hike I've had so far (out of four I've done =P ).
Just went on the Puu Hapapa trail today. Great Trail. It is indeed about 4 miles round trip. One thing to note is their are two ways to reach the summit. Both start at the Paperbark tree forest. In particular, they are at a the exposed root system that (right up) takes you up the notch ridge or (left forward) takes you along a gentler ridge with more foliage. Both take you to and from the summit as a loop. Another thing to note, a friend of mine works to monitor traffic going up to the trail. They remarked that walking up the road from the yellow steel gate is very dangerous. The reason being is right next to the road is a open firing range and live explosives that could happen to cross the road path. Until the military has cleared the area I would recommend coming back another day. Other than that be prepared for ridges, tall grass and some stream bed activity. Enjoy!
The view at the summit is one of my favorites on the island! It is amazingly gorgeous on a clear day, but being a ridge hike it can be super hot also. It is great that the army started opening this trail up sometimes to dod etc. You start at the kolekole pass gate. Proceed up the marked trail. The first part of the hike is kid and family friendly and is worth the view. If you plan on going to pu'u hapapa summit then it is not kid friendly. I was trying to avoid the 2 notches so we went past the first turn that led up the steep area with the paper trees. We kept walking and eventually went right up another steep paper tree area. It steeply rises and eventually reaches a ridge that will lead you to the ridge that leads to Hapapa. As we were climbing the edge, we could see other people at the top of the notches. Not much shade on this ridge hike. At the top you head left and reach a fence. You follow the fence to the heli pad. On our way back down we took the first ridge down and ended up facing the notches. The notches are no joke. I don't know what other people are talking about, but there were no ropes. Both notches are super sketchy. The 1st one on our way back was the smaller one, but bigger spaces that you had to step. And for me it was the more scarier one. The 2nd one, although bigger was less daunting because it had more foot and hand holds. Just be careful and test every rock. A few rocks were ready to come out of the mountain. Bring lots of water. Don't go if it was raining. Wear sunblock. 4 miles. Steep sections.
We tried this hike today but didn't get very far. From the other reviews, the trail takes anywhere from 3-6 hours to get to the top. I'm a member of the military so it was easy to get on base and find our way to the yellow gate. (seems to be closed every day) To day was Sunday and there were people on the range shooting and doing Army stuff. I tried to go up here on Thursday morning, but there was a guard at the yellow gate, and he wouldn't let me through. First, you'll need to park at the yellow gate. Walk through it for 15 minutes. When you get to the orange barrier and the white barrier, turn right towards the short tower looking building. Follow the vehicle path up the hill. You will come to a gate that you can walk through (around) after about 23 minutes of total walking. (from parking the car). Then you'll walk another 10 minutes and you will hit another gate, fenced area. You'll need to hop over this gate. 5-7 minutes further, you'll see some trees on the left side that look as if they've been cut down with a chain saw. You will also see blue ribbons. (From what we can tell, this is the trail.) It is marked very well with blue ribbons; somebody really took their time to put them up. The trail seems rarely used, which we could tell because the trail wasn't much of a trail. The grass/weeds were about ankle high and didn't seem as if they were trampled on. From the start of the blue ribbons, and cut down trees, we made it about 20 minutes in. Recommendations: bring lots of water and expect a long hike.
Open to the public only a few days a year (when the military isn't having live ammo exercises), we were lucky to hike it on 4th of July. We came up Kunia Road and entered Schofield Barracks. You tell them you wanna hike Kole Kole trail. Then you pull over and get a permit. Your car must be fully legal and bring ID for everyone. They take your photo. Then we drove back into the base a while to the trail head. Nice parking and safe from thieves and vandals. The first 0.4 miles is extremely easy, like easier and shorter than Diamond Head. You get to a bench viewing area that is absolutely gorgeous. Unique views of West side. If you continue on to the left of the bench is a trail partially obscured by tall scratchy California grass. The trail is still easy for awhile, we took the left fork which is more gradual. Then you start ascending the side cliff which gets progressively more challenging, loose gravel, rock climbing but there are ropes to help you. Glad I brought spikes for the way down. Should have brought my gloves and worn long pants as I got lots of scratches on my legs from plants. We went to the top a little past where the junction is. You can see North Shore, West side, and all the way to Diamond Head. Approximately 2.5 miles total. Not too dangerous and mostly shaded until the ridge part. Sae many other side trails would love to explore. read more
This has been on my list of hikes to do for a long time. Ever since seeing David Chat's post on Unreal Hawaii about it http://www.unrealhawaii.com/2011/05/puu-hapapa/ I've been determined to hike this undeniably unreal hike on Schofield Barracks. Don't worry, you won't need a pass to get onto base. Just enter through Lyman Gate with your id, insurance, and car registration. Ask for directions to Kolekole Pass Road, which is about a 10 minute drive from the entrance. Park your car in the parking lot with the 'Warning Dangerous Trails Ahead' signs. The trail will start immediately. Follow the wooden steps up and you'll soon pass a huge Kolekole Rock. Keep walking till you pass a cell phone tower. Walk to the right of the tower and take a LEFT in the next fork in the road and then another LEFT in the next fork. You'll soon come out to a clearing where there is a meadow, walk to the end of this to see some spectacular views. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=QkQLnujuiBDP1mNChJYJww Go back to the beginning of the field and find the trail that will lead you into the woods. Follow the pink trail markers. David Chat and his crew went up a steep short slope so we followed suit, and came out to a forest of paper bark trees. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=QkQLnujuiBDP1mNChJYJww Next up: the fun part, the 2 notches. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=hRYyTfQk5-uJ4wHwa8UnCw&userid=QkQLnujuiBDP1mNChJYJww Yes you will be climbing those so get ready to work them glutes. The first notch is a little daunting from afar but don't worry there is a safe path with ropes on the far left side. Remember this is your way to go UP & DOWN. The only reason I say this is because you don't want to be like my dear friend Dan M. and end up going down like this. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=CJkek-GPzPCtoCE6uYeokw&userid=QkQLnujuiBDP1mNChJYJww Daring? Yes. Dangerous? Yes. But good news, he made it even with his Vans on. But in all seriousness please be careful. The second ledge is a little hairy since there is no rope or anything to help support you up the notch. Just make sure your footing is solid before making any moves because if you don't, well lets just say it won't be a good day. After you pass the two notches its pretty much all uphill climbing so don't expect to take a break till you reach the top which took about 30 minutes after climbing over the 2nd ridge. Once you see this sign, you know you are close. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=QkQLnujuiBDP1mNChJYJww Follow the gate and soon you'll be so glad you woke up early and drove all the way to the North Shore to go on this hike. I've been on my share of hikes but Pu'u Hapapa has one of the best 360 degrees views http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=QkQLnujuiBDP1mNChJYJww It was so serene up at the top I could have stayed there all day and just hung out. Even through the clouds you could see all the way to Diamond Head and downtown. I'd rate this an advanced intermediate hike which should be on every hikers list. Nothing beats a 4 hour round trip hike that gives you some EPIC views and gets you out of town. Plus you are close to the North Shore so you can cool down with some shave ice after. read more
We tried this trail this past Sunday as it was open to the public. Keep checking thier FB page for dates and times the trail will be open. https://www.facebook.com/usaghawaii/ First thing, it had been raining that morning, so we knew there was a possibility we wouldn't be going up and down the notches. The thing about Kolekole trail is that if it had been raining, it dries up pretty quick. It's like the trail just absorbs all the rain. The hike up was fairly easy and clear however very gusty. We made our way up the summit only to feel the gusts even more. And that then was the end of the trail for us. Always practice safety first. There is always another day. The views were spectacular so it wasn't a total loss. read more
12 years ago
The views are like none other on the island. You can see the west, north, and south shores once you make it to the peak. Ok first thing, do not bring kids of you hike the whole thing. It's around a 6 hour hike on very shady overgrown trails since not a lot of people can do this hike. Ensure you have plenty of water. I personally went threw my whole hydro bladder before it was over. Ok well first you have to get on base. If you know someone on base it would be great because they can drop you, I would not park my car up there since range control will sit and wait for you. There are two place you could get Dropped at and that's the yellow fence on kolekole road or (if that fence is open) the start of the trail. If you have to start at the yellow gate just walk up kolekole road till you see the entrance on the right. You'll know if you go to far since they have the west side of the pass blocked off. Once you start the trail you find a orange road blocker telling you not to go further, just go around it to the right and you will continue on to some stairs, they have a lot of little side paths but you will be good sticking to the larger one. If you make it to the phone tower and the pu'uhApapa stone you will be good. You need to follow all the orange/pink markers people placed out on the trail. Follow those and you will be fine. There are some places so overgrown. That you have to crawl thru them but once you make it to the ridge line, you will be good. Just keep following that all the way to the top of the first really high peak. Hope this helps and message me if you want more specifics. read more
I'm a bit of a hiking noob. Let's take today for example: I forgot water. I know, I know, most important rule, BROKEN. Lesson learned, I suppose, but the goal is to get out there, and conquer some freakin' mountains! Today the energetic Yuko A. and I decided to hike up Pu'u Hapapa, which was described as having sweeping views of BOTH leeward side and North Shore...AT THE SAME TIME. We also found out about the hike through a site called Unreal Hawaii (mucho credit: http://www.unrealhawaii.com/2011/05/puu-hapapa/), which features beautiful pictures of the above mentioned hike. Much better pics than I could ever take! ...You know when you're looking at a travel picture of someplace, and you get an instant shot in the arm of MOTIVATION to go to that exact same spot? Yeah, that's exactly what happened. Anyways, this trail seems to be a low-key destination, especially as it's located IN Schofield Barracks. Most people would think, "Hey, can't only military peeps get on base?" But for some reason, if you say you're there for the hike, they let you right on in. Just make sure to bring a picture ID, and proof of insurance and registration for your car. After a short drive in, you'll arrive in a small parking lot right at the beginning of the trailhead. Along the way, you'll see the trail marked by pink ribbons, so you'll never stray off unless that's your goal. I would say this is an upper intermediate hike, as there are some pretty dangerous parts along the way. Plenty of those, you trip...and you're-going-to-have-a bad-time-kind of sections. A bit of rock climbing is also involved, but nothing TOO intense. Just make sure to FOLLOW THOSE TRAIL MARKS. I missed one and found myself shimming down some crazy cliffs, while clinging to anything I could find. Quite scary. But it's all about the payoff. And boy, was it worth it. A nice 360 of beautiful scenery. The pictures in my phone simply do not replicate the awesomeness of what I saw. Overall, it's a fun, yet challenging hike. Includes roughly four hours of variety as you'll be scrambling around the ridgeline of Pu'u Hapapa. Definitely the best hike I've had so far (out of four I've done =P ). read more
10 years ago
Just went on the Puu Hapapa trail today. Great Trail. It is indeed about 4 miles round trip. One thing to note is their are two ways to reach the summit. Both start at the Paperbark tree forest. In particular, they are at a the exposed root system that (right up) takes you up the notch ridge or (left forward) takes you along a gentler ridge with more foliage. Both take you to and from the summit as a loop. Another thing to note, a friend of mine works to monitor traffic going up to the trail. They remarked that walking up the road from the yellow steel gate is very dangerous. The reason being is right next to the road is a open firing range and live explosives that could happen to cross the road path. Until the military has cleared the area I would recommend coming back another day. Other than that be prepared for ridges, tall grass and some stream bed activity. Enjoy! read more
6 years ago
14 years ago
The view at the summit is one of my favorites on the island! It is amazingly gorgeous on a clear day, but being a ridge hike it can be super hot also. It is great that the army started opening this trail up sometimes to dod etc. You start at the kolekole pass gate. Proceed up the marked trail. The first part of the hike is kid and family friendly and is worth the view. If you plan on going to pu'u hapapa summit then it is not kid friendly. I was trying to avoid the 2 notches so we went past the first turn that led up the steep area with the paper trees. We kept walking and eventually went right up another steep paper tree area. It steeply rises and eventually reaches a ridge that will lead you to the ridge that leads to Hapapa. As we were climbing the edge, we could see other people at the top of the notches. Not much shade on this ridge hike. At the top you head left and reach a fence. You follow the fence to the heli pad. On our way back down we took the first ridge down and ended up facing the notches. The notches are no joke. I don't know what other people are talking about, but there were no ropes. Both notches are super sketchy. The 1st one on our way back was the smaller one, but bigger spaces that you had to step. And for me it was the more scarier one. The 2nd one, although bigger was less daunting because it had more foot and hand holds. Just be careful and test every rock. A few rocks were ready to come out of the mountain. Bring lots of water. Don't go if it was raining. Wear sunblock. 4 miles. Steep sections. read more
12 years ago
We tried this hike today but didn't get very far. From the other reviews, the trail takes anywhere from 3-6 hours to get to the top. I'm a member of the military so it was easy to get on base and find our way to the yellow gate. (seems to be closed every day) To day was Sunday and there were people on the range shooting and doing Army stuff. I tried to go up here on Thursday morning, but there was a guard at the yellow gate, and he wouldn't let me through. First, you'll need to park at the yellow gate. Walk through it for 15 minutes. When you get to the orange barrier and the white barrier, turn right towards the short tower looking building. Follow the vehicle path up the hill. You will come to a gate that you can walk through (around) after about 23 minutes of total walking. (from parking the car). Then you'll walk another 10 minutes and you will hit another gate, fenced area. You'll need to hop over this gate. 5-7 minutes further, you'll see some trees on the left side that look as if they've been cut down with a chain saw. You will also see blue ribbons. (From what we can tell, this is the trail.) It is marked very well with blue ribbons; somebody really took their time to put them up. The trail seems rarely used, which we could tell because the trail wasn't much of a trail. The grass/weeds were about ankle high and didn't seem as if they were trampled on. From the start of the blue ribbons, and cut down trees, we made it about 20 minutes in. Recommendations: bring lots of water and expect a long hike. read more
12 years ago
We did this hike in July 2014. There are signs at the bottom gate saying the trail is closed. We also went last summer. It appears that the trail closure signs are preventing the trail maintenance volunteers from getting in as the trail looked a full year over grown since our last hike there. This hike went from an intermediate hike to an intermediate/expert level hike due to the challenges of the trail wash outs and overgrowth. As stated in the other recent review, the ridge line is pretty passable but more caution needed than in the past. The notch climbs are the same as in years past. Be careful there. We went up through the notches and down veering north through the back ridges to the contour trail returning back to the meadow to complete the loop. The first meadow is a great highlight and all along the climb there is one great view after another. This hike ranks up with Ka'ala for us as the best on the island. I wish that the base would open access back up so the trail can be maintained and put back into use. This is a gem that should not be kept from the hiking population here in the islands. Imua! read more
13 years ago
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Kolekole Rd
Wahiawa, HI 96786
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