Likeke Falls Trailhead — Attraction in Oʻahu

If you choose to go to this sacred place, please have some consideration. Not going at all is a great way to respect the people who do need to be in the area, but currently cannot due to the massive volume of human traffic. If you do choose to go, please observe the following: avoid wet, muddy days after rain. You will damage the trail further as you slosh through deep mud created by other stampeding touri. Also, all waterfalls in Hawai’i are dangerous after rains. The chances of rocks coming down with the water is high, and even small rocks can cause big injuries. They do not always stay in the water, and can fall far from the falls at high speed. go with someone who knows where they are going. I rescue people in this area all the time, who can’t find their way properly and get lost in the bush. do not enter fresh water if you are wearing sunscreen, insect repellant, perfume or any other topical anything. Contaminating water is not ok. There is no bathroom here. Go before you go. Do not go anywhere near water. Do not go anywhere uphill from any water. Do not use toilet paper or its equivalent under any circumstances. be careful! Injuries are real. MedEvac is EXPENSIVE. Most could be prevented by going SLOWER. Be quiet. In traditional Kanaka Maoli culture, the forest is not a place to make noise. Loud chatter disturbs wildlife and Indigenous practitioners. It also means you are probably not paying attention and are more likely to be lost or injured. Respect Indigenous practitioners. If you see someone doing something that might be native practice in the forest, like praying, gathering something, or just standing there for some unknown reason, acknowledge their presence (“hi” is fine unless they are obviously deep in prayer) and keep going. Do not stare. Do not photograph. Do not say something idiotic like “hey there, whacha doing, digging up a root?” Do not start up a convo about root-digging you saw in some other country. Do not suggest how they can do it better. Just keep walking. Preferably quietly. PLEASE. One exception is if the person is chanting. In which case, just stop right where you are and don’t move until they are done. If for some reason a full on ceremony is taking place, just turn around and go back. Or wait at a respectful distance until it is over and someone tells you it is ok to pass (trust me, they know you are there). This applies everywhere. Remember that Hawai’i really is an occupied country working hard for freedom, and NOT a “State” of the United States, legally speaking or in the hearts of most of its people. We have one of the longest histories of non-violent resistance in the world, and you probably have no idea of the collective patience and true aloha it takes to keep it that way. Please do not abuse that aloha. Do your part to help us, and our land and the ecosystems that Indigenous Peoples have been a part of for millennia. And that starts with basic respect and common...

Two main things to keep in mind - trail is muddy and continuously goes uphill & the correct pathway to the waterfalls isn’t marked all the way so pay close attention. There are a couple of branches in the way of the trail so expect to me marching knees to chest. Trail is slippery (8 out of 10) so taking kids is a little risky if you aren’t coordinated, you’ll be trying to keep them on their feet and keep yourself from slipping. After walking upwards there will be a separation in the trail, to your immediate right there will be a tree marked “waterfall” very faintly if at all. Pink tags on the main trail will throw you off as it marks the left side so keep your eyes sharp. Don’t recommend taking stops on the trail as mosquitoes quickly ambush you. Thin leggings and thin long sleeve is possibly best attire, however, does get a little hot the higher you climb as its just trees all around blocking air circulation. Shoes will guarantee get muddy. The best part about the end is that the water is nice and cold. You do have to climb up the rocks to get to the top part of the water fall and there’s a little “pond” to chill and take photos but its not deep at all. Not really a space to swim. And not much areas to set things down to avoid it from getting wet. Total time is roughly 2 hours depending if you stop to soak in the...

We went during the wet season (Feb) so it was a muddy hike. We parked at the golf course and did the hike from here (vs Old Pali Road access). We did read other reviews that the golf course doesn't always let you park here (busy weekends), we were there on a Friday afternoon and it was empty. Park fatherest corner from the club house and follow the paved pathway. You'll get to a graffiti building, you'll see the path to the LEFT before that (don't go around it). Follow the path up, you'll eventually get to a stone path way (in our case it was very mud covered) and it was very over grown (felt like we were going to the witch's house). Then you'll get to a section that has 5 (I think it was 5) fallen very large tree trunks, as the last one TURN RIGHT (there is an arrow cared, but worn, into the tree) if you miss this turn you'll end up at the Old Pali Road. Follow that to the stream that leads to the waterfall. We had the falls to ourselves. It wasn't as tall as Manoa, but it was quiet and peacful and way less muddy. I think it took us about 40 minutes at...