When we attempted to find information about things to do on Oahu, we found that some information was easy to find, while reviews of other things were more difficult to find or nonexistent. This entry is part of a larger series of reviews that I am posting so that other people may learn from our experiences.
One of the things I was really excited about doing in Oahu was hiking. We had read about tons of different trails all over the island. We had a few tour books and had read about some trails on-line. However, it was very difficult for us to get any detailed information about the trails. In particular, the difficulty level of the trails and what could be seen from the trails were details we were looking for that we often couldn't find. Most resources just listed how to get to the trailheads and how long the trails were. I wanted to post this information so that other people with the same questions we had might be able to find it with a google search.
Getting to the Lanipo Trail is fairly easy. From Honolulu, take the Wilhelmina Rise all the way to the top of the hill. When you get to Maunalani Circle, look for a chain-link fence. At the eastern end of the chain-link fence, there will be a sign marking the trailhead (see below image). We missed it the first time we drove by it, so look carefully.
I would rate the trail as being fairly difficult. There are several sections that are very steep. It also requires you to climb over boulders that are on the top of a ridge. So, if you would slip and fall, you would not only have to worry about falling off a boulder, but you would also be falling off the side of a ridge, and you'd fall and slide for a long distance before being able to stop yourself (see below image). These details surprised us, but didn't really have us too worried. There is nothing that requires any special equipment. But you should be aware of these features before you start the hike. At the same time, I can't describe it as being that difficult, as I did the entire hike with my camera in one hand.
Another detail we did not expect was how thick the underbrush was. There are several locations where you have to push through vegetation. This is not a problem if you are wearing long pants. However, if you are wearing shorts, your legs will get cut and scratched up. I would definitely recommend wearing long pants (as I did).
We did not hike the entire trail. I would estimate we only got about 1.5 miles down the trail. We turned around when we reached an intermediate summit that had a pretty spectacular view. The 3 mile roundtrip took us almost 3 hours (the return leg was a lot faster). We weren't trying to push ourselves to go faster, but the time it took us to cover that amount of distance should give you an idea of the difficulty level.
We carried a total of 4 liters of water for the two of us. In that three hours, we consumed nearly 3 liters of it and were sweating profusely for most of the hike. In retrospect, because we felt dehydrated afterward, we should have drank more water out on the trail (and we have no excuse, because we had over a liter in reserve). Bring lots of water.
We encountered a lot of bees on our hike. This was not a problem for us, and neither of us got stung. However, if you are allergic to bee stings, this is probably not the hike for you. I did not have any problems with mosquito bites on this hike and did not use any repellent.
The hike did offer some incredible views of the mountain valleys around it, as well as views of Honolulu and Diamond Head (see above image). The effort it required was totally worth it for the views. Without hesitation, I would hike this trail again (although I would bring more water and make sure everyone in my group was wearing long pants).
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