Kapaa Hiking- Moalepe to Kuilau Ridge
I had an opportunity this past weekend to hike a very scenic trail in Kapaa; one which I originally enjoyed by horseback many years ago. If you have two cars and can leave one at each end of the trail, as this is not a “loop,” start at the top of the Moalepe Trail and end with the Kuilau Ridge trail down in the Arboretum. If you start at Moalepe and end at Kuilau, the views just keep getting better and there seems to be less uphill hiking. If you only have one car, then I recommend you start at the Kuilau trail which is steps from the Arboretum and hike up the Kuilau and over the Moalepe as far as you want, before turning around and returning. That way you can enjoy additional time at the Arboretum. Bring your swimsuit and walk down the river a short distance for a rope swing out into the river if you enjoy a cold dousing to rejuvenate yourself.
To drop your car off at the Kuilau trailhead, turn Mauka (toward the mountains) on Kuamoo road (highway 580) from the Kuhio Highway and just keep going. You’ll get almost to the very end of the road where you’ll see the Kuilau trailhead at a small turnout on the right just before the stream and Keahua Arboretum. You can also drive to the stream and park and walk back to the trailhead. If you do not have another car, this is a good place to start your hike. In that case, pack your lunch if you have one and start hiking. You’ll reach a scenic plateau with views in every direction
If you are starting at Moalepe, turn left off of Kuamoo (highway 580) onto Kamalu (highway 581) Take it to the end which is Olohena and turn left. Go to the end of Olohena where it intersects with Waipouli road. There is a small area on the shoulder of the road for parking at the Moalepe trailhead.
The Moalepe trail starts out on a right of way across pastureland eventually opening up to some awesome coastline views. The elevational change is only about 500 feet making this a relatively easy hike. After about 2 miles it intersects with the Kuilau Ridge trail. A short distance from this intersection is a flat picnic area which overlooks the entire valley. After enjoying some relaxation at the picnic site (there are two tables there) and some lunch, continue on down Kuilau Ridge trail to the Arboretum for some fun in the river.
The scenery on this hike changes from wide open views of the coastline, to views across endless valleys to forested trails. It’s about 4.5 miles if you do both trails or you are coming in on Kuilau, 2.1 miles on that trail to Moalepe. You can go down Moalepe as far as you want before turning around. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Aloha Elaine
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