Many years ago I decided to make a complete list of Oahu trails, explore them and perhaps write a hiking guide. Through detailed research and with help from librarians, the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and knowledgeable and experienced outdoor enthusiasts such as Lorin Gill and Dick Davis, I came up with a list of almost 200 trails traversing the ridges and valleys of this small island.
I soon discovered that many of them were on private property, while others had become so overgrown through lack of use they were virtually lost in the wilderness. To explore and write about even half of them would have been a challenge, but I was eager to make a start. At the time there was only one book on the market describing Oahu trails: a small volume, "Hiking Oahu: The Capital Isle" (Wilderness Press), by Robert Smith, an author who lived in California. Surely a resident of Hawaii could do a better job.
However, over the years other priorities intruded, and my book did not get written. Smith ruled the trails until, in 1993, Stuart M. Ball Jr. came out with a much better book: "The Hikers Guide to O‘ahu" (University of Hawaii Press).
Today hikers interested in exploring Oahu’s trails have seven books to choose from that deal solely with hikes on this island. Others have been written, but they are either out of print or not readily available. Since all these books cover many of the same trails, the choice is between which ones cover them best. Listed below, in no particular order, are descriptions of these books, all of which are available in local stores or through online retailers such as amazon.com.
"Day Hikes on Oahu," by Robert Stone (Day Hike Books, 2001)
Proclaiming "57 Great Hikes" on the cover, only 33 can truly be called hikes. The rest are beach walks, botanical garden visits and the like. The maps are large and easy to follow. There are no photos. This book concentrates on shorter, easier hikes; when longer hikes such as Manana, Waimano and Maunawili are included, the description covers only the first part of the trail, suggesting the hiker choose his own turnaround spot. A good use for the book is as a beach guide. It lists 17 beach walks, some of which I have seen nowhere else.
"Hiking Oahu: The Capital Isle," by Robert Smith (Wilderness Press, 1978)
For many years this book was the only published guide to Oahu trails. It describes 25 hikes, three of which are really just short walks. Rudimentary sketch maps are provided for each hike, but they afford little feel for the terrain or natural features. Black-and-white photographs appear throughout the book, most underexposed and some out of focus. Trail descriptions are brief and short on details, which is OK for the short hikes but skimpy for the longer ones. As can be expected in an older book, some information is outdated, especially regarding obtaining permissions. At 110 pages the book is considerably smaller than all the others, which, if nothing else, makes it the easiest to carry on a hike.
"Oahu Trails: Walks, Strolls and Treks on the Capital Isle," by Kathy Morey (Wilderness Press, 2005)
This book was first published in 1993 and has now replaced Smith’s book as the Wilderness Press entry in the field. It lists 45 "trails," but 11 of these are short walks — botanical gardens, Ala Wai and Waikiki strolls, a heiau visit — leaving 34 actual hikes. Maps are adequate, but a few of them are cluttered because they serve more than one hike. In fact, one particular map serves nine of them. Photos range from good to underexposed. Trail descriptions generally provide enough information to keep to the trail without difficulty. A good feature of the listings is that all the trails but one require no permission to hike, making the book useful to visitors who usually don’t have time to seek permits. A not-so-good feature is an appendix explaining why certain trails are not included in the book. This section excludes some of the best trails on the island (Manana, Lanipo, Wiliwilinui, Kuliouou, Laie, Poamoho and Waianae Kaala), citing reasons that are often inaccurate. Significantly, all these trails are recommended hikes in other books.
"O‘ahu Hikes: The Best Hikes and Walks on the Island," by Yvonne Harris (Lone Pine Publishing, 2007)
This is the best-looking book on this list. It is chock-full of excellent color photography. Even the maps are in color, with trails superimposed on topographical maps, making them easy-to-follow guides. The book lists 30 trails and five urban strolls, and clearly states in the introduction it is intended for beginning and intermediate hikers. Accordingly, when describing longer trails, such as Lanipo, Waahila and Wiliwilinui, only the lower part of the route is included. All descriptions are clear and detailed, and well keyed to the maps.
"Oahu Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Surf from Waikiki to the North Shore," by Jerry and Janine Sprout (Diamond Valley Co., 2013)
Although this book also contains surfing and snorkeling information, it includes enough hikes to earn its place on this list. Taking a different approach from the other books, it divides its 115 "hikes" — including city and beach strolls, nature walks and park paths — into categories such as "Treks to the Top," "Easy View Hikes," "Tropical Treks" and "Waterfalls." There are more than 200 black-and-white photos, a trail head directory and a "Trailblazer Kids" section for family hikes and outdoor activities. Since the book includes sections on tourist attractions, where to stay, what to eat and local hiking resources, it is useful to those who want an all-in-one reference.
"Best Easy Day Hikes Hawaii: Oahu," by Suzanne Swedo (Morris Publishing/Falcon Guide, 2010)
This is the newest and, at 96 pages, shortest book on the list. It contains 20 hikes, six of which are really strolls in botanical gardens. As the title indicates, it chooses among the easiest hikes on the island. For that reason it will probably not appeal to more serious hikers, but it’s fine for tourists who would like to spend some time off the beaten path. It has maps for each hike, and the directions are clear and easy to follow.
"The Hikers Guide to O‘ahu," by Stuart M. Ball Jr. (University of Hawaii Press, 2000)
Originally published in 1993, this book quickly became the bible for serious hikers on Oahu. It contains 50 entries, all of them true hikes, the most of any book on this list. In addition, 37 more "closed" hikes are listed in an appendix (outdoor clubs can often get permission to hike quite a few of these trails). Photography is limited to an eight-page center section of fine color photos. Maps are portions of U.S. Geological Survey topographical quadrants with the trail route superimposed on them, creating a clear understanding of terrain features along the way. Way points on the maps are well keyed to the trail descriptions, which are the most detailed of any of the books on this list. (It has been said by many hikers that no one can get lost if following Ball’s book.) A section of "notes" accompanies each trail description with information about the flora, history and other significant facts about the trail and surrounding area. This book is the only one on the list written by a resident of Hawaii, and the result speaks for itself.
North Shore resident Richard McMahon is a lifelong hiker who formerly led hikes and backpack expeditions for Mountain Travel Sobek in Hawaii and throughout the world. He is the author of "Adventuring in Hawai‘i," "Camping Hawai‘i" and other outdoor books and hiking articles.
