Lulumahu Falls — Attraction in Honolulu

2015 brought many hikes, but this one was the best of the year. It started early as Leslie and I mounted up and made our way to "that" side of the island. Eric Robert R, our master of ceremonies, had texted the information, and the remote area appeared much like we expected. After parking in a desolate area near the "big green water power plant", we were both chilled to watch a man pass in front of the car with what appeared to be a rusty machete... at least we hoped it was rust.

And as in any horror movie, it started to rain. The ominous figure disappeared into the mist, and as I looked over to Leslie, I saw ERIC's face in the drivers window. Actually, Eric was driving by, and Leslie mentioned that it was him, so we followed him a little further down the road and parked, taking a short path to the old ruins of Kamehameha III's summer bungalow. It's not much these days, but we did find a rusty hack saw... DUN DUN DUUUUUNH!

Assuming the machete butcher must be closing in on us, we tossed the saw, and walked safe and sanely back to the safety of our vehicles, proceeding to the next destination.

Nuuanu Reservoir, aka Nuuanu Lake, was a muddy, yet wonderful short stroll trough a bamboo forest. Eric ensured that everyone was navigating obstacles safely, and provided narration of what we were seeing. Our reward was a scenic view out of Lord of the Rings or Jurassic Park. Since it was raining, there werent many others on the trail, but... since it was raining, I also didnt snap many pix.

Our destination, Lulumahu Falls, was a gorgeous 60ft, tiered waterfall, which you could stand under, and lean back enough to get a fraction of an inches worth of breathing space. Seriously, it was so refreshing, we could have basked there for hours... but momma always said to share... she also made some funky mac n cheese.

On our way back, we found a tree pixie, or a chameleon or something, and got a few pix with the mystical creature, before sending him back on his way. Enjoy your enchanted...

Warning: this is not a tourist spot, it is a bit off the beaten path. But ask anyone in my family, it is our favorite thing we did on our visit to Hawaii. You feel as though you are walking through a rainforest. We even got rained on a couple of times, but the rain didn't last long. Parking is on the side of the road near the trailhead. To enter the trail, you first have to climb over a fallen tree to get around a chained barb wire-gate (don't worry, and police officer was standing outside the gate doing construction on the road when we went and he said it is perfectly legal to hike there). Then you walk through a bamboo forest before climbing the mountain. You have to cross over the creek a few times using the rocks in the water, and at the very end you have to climb up some pretty steep areas with either roots or boulders you use to climb. Right before you get to the waterfall there is a rope tied to a branch that people use to get up and down the hill. I was a little worried at times that not all in our party would make it without getting hurt. A 20, 23, 55, and 59-year-old went on this hike in my group. We learned that Hawaiians have a much different definition of a "moderate/intermediate" hike than we do on the East coast of the USA. We almost turned back at the end because of that last hill, but man are we glad we did not turn back. The waterfall is stunning, probably about 300 ft high. There is a pool at the bottom of the waterfall that you can wade around in (not really deep enough to swim). There was one other group of three kids at the falls when we got up there, and as we were leaving there was one group hiking up, so it is not very crowded like the popular Manoa and Waimea waterfalls. It was a truly wonderful experience.

A true adventure awaits you at this waterfall. I recommend it to anyone who wants to experience the...

REALLY awesome hiking, fairly technical in terms of tricky footing and some use of hands for safety, ( since muddy, roots and even rocks are slippery when wet). And chances are it will be wet!

This was my one and only hike in our short stay and made my weekend. Walking through the bamboo in a trail barely wider than my shoulders was a unique experience (note PINK trail markers this portion ) for about five minutes/ You exit onto a dirt road { go left} for maybe a thousand yards then into the forest path { note: now marked with BLUE and ORANGE ribbon}

Takes maybe 20 to 30 minutes to reach the falls depending on your pace and how quick you are at going across the river ( which you do numerous times) - I was cautious because EVERYTHING is slippery

Cross on damn at one point (picture) and also

I am showing a key picture of a BLUE ROPE draped over the rocks - this is your key to cross the river here one last time. I tried going up the steep cliff on the right just when it started raining harder - could be very slippery / hence dangerous so I wouldn’t recommend doing that unless you are very sure footed/ and it doesn’t get you to the falls.

Had no problem finding my way back EXCEPT for finding the bamboo trail part - luckily I had taken a picture, which helped.

One last warning: I was so wet I had a hard time trying to dry off phone/ fingers JUST TO UNLOCK MY PHONE ( to use google maps/ check my pictures) - have a backup plan ( you can also listen for the highway noise...