The Best Hikes in Hawaii: Top Trails on Every Island

The best hikes in Hawaii range from the easy, iconic Diamond Head crater on Oahu to the epic 11-mile Kalalau Trail along Kauai's Na Pali Coast. Each island has its signature trails — Oahu has the most and most varied, Kauai the most dramatic, Maui the bamboo-forest walk to a 400-foot waterfall, and the Big Island the surreal volcanic hikes.

Hawaii is one of the great hiking destinations on Earth: in a single state you can walk a crater floor still steaming from an eruption, a knife-edge ridge over turquoise bays, and a coastal trail to a beach no road reaches. This guide picks the best hikes on every island, sorted by difficulty, with the honest mud-and-safety talk that keeps a great day from going sideways.

What's in this guide

• What makes a great Hawaii hike
• Best hikes on Oahu
• Best hikes on Kauai
• Best hikes on Maui
• Best hikes on the Big Island
• How to choose: easy vs. epic
• Hiking safety in Hawaii
• What to bring
• Best hikes in Hawaii FAQ

Photo: Pascal Debrunner on Unsplash

What makes a great Hawaii hike

Hawaii's trails fall into a few unforgettable types: crater and volcano hikes across cooled lava, ridge hikes along green spines with ocean on both sides, waterfall hikes through rainforest and bamboo, and coastal trails that trace sea cliffs. The variety is the whole appeal — you can pick a hike to match any fitness level and still get a view people travel across the world for.

The trade-off is that Hawaii hiking comes with real hazards the postcards skip: flash floods in the valleys, relentless sun with no shade on the ridges, mud that turns easy trails treacherous, and a few genuinely dangerous routes. Match the hike to your ability, respect the conditions, and the islands reward you. We'll flag the difficulty honestly for each.

Best hikes on Oahu

Oahu has the most hiking trails and the widest range in Hawaii — from 20-minute jungle walks to brutal stair climbs, many within reach of Waikiki. Our best hikes on Oahu guide covers them all; here are the standouts.

Diamond Head

The most iconic hike in Hawaii. A paved, switchbacking 0.8-mile climb (about 560 feet) up inside a volcanic crater to a summit with old military bunkers and a postcard view down the Waikiki shoreline. It's easy enough for most fitness levels and books up — reserve ahead. See our Diamond Head guide for tickets and timing.

Koko Head (Koko Crater Trail)

The leg-burner. More than 1,000 steep railway-tie "stairs" climb nearly 1,000 feet straight up an old incline to a panorama of Hanauma Bay and the southeast coast. It's short but genuinely punishing — a stairmaster set to regret, best done early before the sun hits.

Lanikai Pillbox

A short, steep scramble up a windward ridge to old concrete bunkers with the islands' most photographed sunrise view over the Mokulua islands. Our Lanikai Pillbox guide has the details.

Makapuu Lighthouse Trail

A paved, family-friendly climb around the southeast point to a candy-striped lighthouse, with whales offshore in winter — the gentlest of the big-view Oahu hikes. See the Makapuu Lighthouse guide.

Manoa Falls

The classic easy jungle hike: a muddy, under-two-mile walk to a 150-foot waterfall, 20 minutes from Waikiki. Our Manoa Falls guide covers it.

Photo: john ko on Unsplash

Best hikes on Kauai

Kauai's hikes are the most dramatic in Hawaii, built around the Na Pali Coast and the deep green interior.

Kalalau Trail (Na Pali Coast)

The epic one — an 11-mile coastal trail along the cliffs of the Na Pali Coast, crossing valleys and streams to a remote beach. Most people day-hike the first stretch to Hanakapiai Beach (2 miles) and on to Hanakapiai Falls (4 miles in); the full trail to Kalalau needs a camping permit. Either way, access to Haena State Park requires an advance reservation, and the stream crossings flood dangerously after rain.

Kuilau Ridge Trail

The easy, family counterpoint — a 3.7-mile ridge walk near Wailua with big Mount Waialeale views and no scary drop-offs, just a lot of mud. Our Kuilau Ridge Trail guide has the route.

Waimea Canyon (Waipoo Falls)

The trail to Waipoo Falls drops into the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" for a closer look at the red-rock gorge and its waterfalls. Pair it with the Waimea Canyon lookouts.

Best hikes on Maui

Maui's best hikes split between a bamboo-forest waterfall walk and the surreal summit of a volcano.

Pipiwai Trail to Waimoku Falls

One of the best hikes in the state — a 4-mile round trip through a giant bamboo forest to the 400-foot Waimoku Falls, in the Kipahulu district past Hana. Moderate, well-maintained, and unforgettable; it's the headliner of our Maui waterfalls guide.

Haleakala: the Sliding Sands Trail

Hiking into the Haleakala crater on the Sliding Sands trail feels like walking on Mars — a vast, silent cinder landscape at 10,000 feet. Go after the famous Haleakala sunrise; it's high, cold, and exposed, so pace yourself in the thin air.

Best hikes on the Big Island

The Big Island's hikes are volcanic and otherworldly, clustered around its parks and valleys.

Kilauea Iki (Volcanoes National Park)

Walk across the floor of a crater that was a lava lake in 1959, still venting steam, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park — a roughly 4-mile loop from rainforest rim to hardened lava floor. One of the most unusual hikes anywhere.

Pololu Valley

A short, steep descent into a dramatic black-sand valley on the northern Kohala coast — big reward for modest effort, though the climb back is a workout. See our Pololu Valley guide.

Mauna Kea

For the very fit and acclimatized, trails climb toward the 13,800-foot summit of Mauna Kea — serious altitude, serious cold, and not to be taken lightly. Most visitors drive; the hike is an expert undertaking.

How to choose: easy vs. epic

With this many trails, pick by effort and what you want to see:

• Easiest + most iconic: Diamond Head (Oahu) — paved, short, the classic.
• Best family hikes: Makapuu and Manoa (Oahu), Kuilau Ridge (Kauai) — gentle, no big drop-offs.
• Best waterfall hike: the Pipiwai Trail (Maui) — bamboo forest to a 400-foot fall.
• Best epic day hike: Kalalau to Hanakapiai (Kauai) — Na Pali cliffs, real commitment.
• Hardest leg-burner: Koko Head (Oahu) — 1,000 stairs of regret.

If you only do one and you're new to hiking, Diamond Head is the safe, rewarding pick; if you're fit and want the Hawaii of your imagination, the Na Pali coast trail is unmatched.

Photo: Pascal Debrunner on Unsplash

Hiking safety in Hawaii

Hawaii's trails hurt unprepared hikers every year. The big hazards:

• Flash floods. Valley and stream-crossing trails (Kalalau, the waterfall hikes) rise fast and lethally after rain upstream, even under blue sky. If water is rising or brown, turn back.
• Heat and no shade. Ridge and crater hikes (Koko Head, Haleakala, the pillboxes) have zero cover. Start early, carry more water than you think.
• Leptospirosis. Fresh water can carry this bacterial infection — don't drink it, keep cuts out of pools.
• Mud and exposure. Many trails are genuinely slippery; some have real drop-offs. Wear grippy shoes and stay on the trail.
• Reservations and closures. Diamond Head and Haena State Park (Kalalau) require advance reservations, and trails close after storms. Check status before you go via Hawaii State Parks.

The rule that covers most of it: tell someone your plan, start early, and turn around if conditions turn. No view is worth a rescue.

What to bring

Hawaii hiking gear is simple, but a few items are non-negotiable:

• Trail shoes or boots with grip — the single most important item; these trails are muddy and steep.
• A packable rain jacket — windward weather turns fast.
• A hydration daypack — you'll want more water than you expect, especially on the shadeless climbs.
• Reef-safe sunscreen and insect repellent for sun and jungle.

Add a charged phone, a snack, and a layer for altitude on Haleakala or Mauna Kea, and you're set.

Best hikes in Hawaii FAQ

What is the best hike in Hawaii?

The Kalalau Trail on Kauai's Na Pali Coast is widely called the best hike in Hawaii for its sheer drama, with Diamond Head (Oahu) the best easy and iconic option and the Pipiwai Trail (Maui) the best waterfall hike. The "best" depends on your fitness and which island you're on.

Which Hawaiian island is best for hiking?

Oahu has the most trails and the widest variety, from quick crater climbs to leg-burning stairs, all near Waikiki. But Kauai has the most dramatic hikes (the Na Pali Coast), Maui the best waterfall and crater hikes, and the Big Island the most surreal volcanic terrain. Each island excels at something different.

Is hiking free in Hawaii?

Most trails are free, but a few of the best require a paid reservation. Diamond Head and Haena State Park (the Kalalau trailhead) charge non-residents an entry and parking fee with advance booking, and some falls (like Akaka) sit in fee state parks. The majority of Oahu's ridge and jungle hikes are free.

What is the hardest hike in Hawaii?

Koko Head (Koko Crater Trail) on Oahu and the full Kalalau Trail on Kauai are among the hardest. Koko Head is 1,000+ steep stairs straight up; Kalalau is 11 miles of cliff-edge coastal trail with stream crossings. Mauna Kea's summit hike is the most extreme, due to high altitude.

What are the best easy hikes in Hawaii?

Diamond Head, Makapuu Lighthouse, and Manoa Falls on Oahu, and the Kuilau Ridge Trail on Kauai are the best easy hikes — short, gently graded, family-friendly, and big on views for the effort. Diamond Head is the most iconic of the bunch.

One honest aside: a long hike earns a good rest — and a beach picnic on the sand afterward is our idea of a reward (we set those up on Oahu). However you cap the day, lace up real shoes, start early, and Hawaii's trails are some of the finest anywhere. For more, our things to do in Hawaii guide maps the rest.