Best Hikes in Hawaii

Hiking in Hawaii means constant environmental contrast rather than a single style — volcanic summit terrain, coastal cliffs, rainforest valleys, and dry leeward ridges all exist within the same state, often on the same island, and conditions can shift with weather far faster than mainland hikers expect.

Kalalau Trail

On Kauai, the roughly 11-mile Kalalau Trail along the Na Pali Coast is one of the most famous — and most demanding — hikes in the world, crossing sheer cliffs above a coastline still largely inaccessible by road, ending at a beach that remains genuinely remote.

Sliding Sands and the Haleakala Summit Trails

Maui's Haleakala trails descend into one of the strangest hiking environments in the state, a dry, red, cinder-cone landscape at high altitude that looks nothing like the tropical forest most visitors expect from Hawaii.

Diamond Head

On Oahu, the short but steep climb up Diamond Head — a volcanic tuff cone known in Hawaiian as Lēʻahi — leads to a former military observation station with sweeping views over Waikiki and the south shore, making it one of the most popular short hikes in the state.

Koko Crater Railway Trail

Also on Oahu, the Koko Crater trail climbs over a thousand steps built on the ties of an abandoned World War II-era railway track, a brutally steep but short ascent that has become one of the most popular sunrise fitness hikes on the island despite offering no shade along the entire route.

Pipiwai Trail

The Pipiwai Trail in east Maui layers a bamboo forest, stream crossings, and the 400-foot Waimoku Falls into a compact, family-accessible route that delivers a genuinely memorable payoff without requiring wilderness experience.

Big Island Volcano and Coast Hikes

The Big Island may offer the widest range of any single island — Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for active lava and crater terrain, Pololu Valley for dramatic coast-and-cliff scenery, and dry west-side trails for an entirely different, near-desert experience.

Why Hawaii Hiking Rewards Preparation

A good Hawaii hiking plan accounts for island-specific geology rather than treating the state as one uniform tropical destination — flash floods, mud, and sudden weather shifts are real risks even on well-marked, popular trails.