Waahila Ridge State Recreation Area  | Hawaii |  | Honolulu County | | Honolulu |  |
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Address End of Ruth Place Honolulu, HI 96816 (808) 587-0320 |
Hours Every day 7:00am - 7:00pm |
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From the H1 freeway eastbound take the Waialae Road exit. Turn left St Louis Drive. Continue up St Louis Drive and take a slight left onto Bertram St. Continue up Bertram, then back up via St Louis Drive and back onto Bertram. Turn left onto Peter Drive and left onto Ruth Place. The park entrance entrance will be at the end of the road
Description:
Fresh air and wonderful views along with picnicking and hiking opportunities are all just a short drive from urban Honolulu. Located on the very top of Saint Louis Heights, the drive to the park entrance is barely two miles from the H-1 freeway but light years from the urban Honolulu heat and traffic.
The small entrance to the park can be found by following narrow neighborhood roads up Saint Louis Heights to the end of Ruth Place. The drive brings you up the steep streets and through the quiet hillside residential area past homes that are easily 40 or 50 years old. The two lane gated entry is lined with tall Norfolk pine trees and wild roosters and hens can be seen wandering about. The 50 acre park is cool, breezy and has an abundance of shade, picnic tables, benches, barbecue grills and a comfort station. The quiet setting attracts families who prefer the cool upland breezes to the hot beaches for a leisurely family outing. One can enjoy magnificent views of Manoa Valley and Tantalus along with the sound of the trade winds as is rushes through the tall trees and dense vegetation.
The most popular attraction at this park is the entrance to the Wa’ahila hiking trail. The trailhead is located in the back of the park and hikers who hike the ridge trail will be treated with wonderful views of Manoa and adjacent Palolo Valley and a trail that gradually descends into a Manoa Valley residential area. The forest reserve hiking trail is not considered an easy one, and is steep, muddy and narrow in places, so it’s not recommended for children or novice hikers.
The best views by far are those that can be seen when leaving the park for the drive down the hill. The sweeping views of Honolulu, Diamond Head, Waikiki and the airport are unforgettable especially during sunset.
Written By: Lottie Tagupa
Features
Bathrooms
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Picnic Area
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Shady Areas
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Picnic Tables
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Walking Trails
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Wheelchair Accessible
Comments
I took the trail for about an hour into the hike, reaching a small grassy plateau that gave an absolutely breathtaking view from the airport over to Diamond Head. It was well worth the trek. But be careful. With the rain forest conditions, the trail can be quite slippery! Enjoy!
- John Powers on Sat, February 9, 2008
Waahila Ridge Trail leads to Mt Olympus and the top can often be socked in by clouds so it is best to wait for a sunny forecast and leave early in the morning. The trail can be very steep in places with vegetation covering loose rock/dropoffs on either side of the ridge trail. Carry a cell phone and keep in mind the top can be windy and cool...pack a longsleeve shirt. TheBus has route 14 that will deposit you at the entrance to the park, if you take your bike on the bus you can ride it down at the end of your hike.
- Jon on Wed, October 4, 2006
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