Hiking the Olomana Trail to Three Peaks: Everything You Need to Know Before Hiking This Trail on Oahu -

If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush and a challenging hike, the Olomana Trail is one of the best hikes in Oahu!

The trail consists of three peaks at the end that offers some of the island’s best views. It’s definitely not for beginners, but if you’re up for a challenge it’s definitely worth doing!

Also known as “Three Peaks,” the Olomana Trail consists of basic bouldering and rope-assisted climbing. If you’re in good physical condition, this will be an exciting and challenging hike for you.

In this blog post, I will be discussing our personal experience with hiking this trail. We will discuss the different sections of the Olomana Trail and what you can expect while hiking.

Drone shot of the three peaks on the Olomana trail in Oahu

Disclaimer: Hiking can be a dangerous activity. Please assess your own mental and physical health before attempting this hike. Content on this site is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical, health, or safety advice.

Please note, multiple people have died over the years while doing this hike. If you decide to hike, do so at your own risk and with extreme caution.

Olomana Trail Information

Difficulty: Difficult

Distance: 4.4 Miles (round-trip)

Elevation Gain: 1856 ft

Route Type: Out & back

How Long Does it Take: 2.5 Hours to 6 Hours (depending on your pace and which peaks you go to)

Terrain: Rooty, rocky dirt with some rock climbing

Highlights of the Trail: Views of the Ko’olau Mountain Range, windward side of Oahu, Chinaman’s Hat, Mokulua Islands, Makapu’u Point, and Rabbit (Mānana) Island.

Drone view of the windward side of Oahu on top on of three peaks

How to Get to The Olomana Trail

1) By Car

From Waikiki, it should take about 28 minutes to get to Auloa Road. This is where many hikers park their car, as it’s not legal to park outside of the trailhead by the Royal Hawaiian Golf Club.

From Waikiki, take the H-1 W to HI-61/Pali Hwy to Auloa Rd, then turn right onto Auloa Road.

Olomana Trail Parking

We parked right on the side of the road opposite the bus stop. Note that parking here tends to fill up quickly, so getting there early is probably your best bet.

The bus stop across the street from the parking at the Olomana Trail on Oahu

We got here around 6:45 AM and there was plenty of parking. Only two other cars were there. When we got back around 10:30 AM, about three cars were waiting on us to leave so they could take our parking spot.

Cars parked on the side of the road at the parking for the Olomana Trail right off of Auloa Road — This is where most people park. The bus stop I mentioned is located across the street. Also, don’t be that white van blocking the sidewalk. They got a ticket for parking on the asphalt sidewalk!

Cody standing on the sidewalk section where you are not supposed to park — Do not block the sidewalk or you will get a ticket. We saw at least 1 car (the white van in the picture above this one) that had a ticket on the way back.

Below is a map of where we parked. This is one of the areas that’s heavily monitored by the police. Always follow proper parking protocols to avoid getting ticketed or towed.

Map

2) By Bus

Take Bus #67 Kailua-Waimanalo. Get off at Kalanianaole Hwy + Auloa Road, then walk to the trailhead.

Note that you might need to take multiple bus transfers depending on your starting point.

We use the Moovit App to obtain bus information. Make sure to double-check your route to plan accordingly.

As always, driving or taking an Uber/Lyft is the most convenient way to get there. This hike is very strenuous, and waiting for the bus after hiking for miles doesn’t sound that fun to me.

Getting to the Start of the Trail

You will need to walk for about 10-15 minutes towards the Royal Hawaiian Golf Club from where you parked.

The paved road that leads to the Royal Hawaiian Golf Club to the start of three peaks — The paved road that leads to the Royal Hawaiian Golf Club

Gorgeous views of the Ko'olau Mountain Range while hiking to the start of the three peaks trail — Views you will see along the way

Once you get to the security guard gate at the Royal Hawaiian Golf Club, walk past the gate and continue on the paved road.

Sign of the Royal Hawaiian Golf course and the security guard station

Security station at the Royal Hawaiian Golf Club the road that leads to the start of Olomana Trail

No trespassing signs on the Olomana Trail

The “no trespassing” signs always throw people off, but just continue hiking to the start of the trail.

As long as you do not park on their premises you should be fine to hike to the start of the trail.

Do not under any circumstances park here. You will get a ticket or be towed. There are warning signs all over for a reason.

You should see the below sign after walking for about 0.8 miles from where we parked. This is the start of the trail.

The Olomana Trail sign where you begin the hike.

Hiking to the First Peak

The first part of this trail is extremely wet and muddy most times of the year. Make sure you are well prepared and wear proper hiking shoes for Hawaii.

Me hiking through the muddy section of the Olomana trail

Cody hiking through the muddy section of the Olomana Trail

I usually tell people that hiking shoes are not required for the average person taking a vacation to Hawaii, but if you are anything like us and like to hike the more challenging trails, I would highly recommend getting proper shoes.

Olomana is one of those hikes where you will get in trouble if you do not have the right shoes.

It took us about 10 minutes to hike through the muddy section. After that, the trail gradually started to get steeper.

On the bright side, the steeper parts were not muddy compared to how it was at the start of the trail.

Do not under any circumstances hike this trail after rainfall. We went after a period of no rain and it was perfect, except the start with muddy sections we just discussed.

Hiking to Peak One (Continued)

After hiking through the muddy section, you will eventually get to the dry dirt part of the trail and some areas with roots. Here you will see the path getting steeper and steeper.

The last part of the muddy section on the Olomana Trail — Once you make it past this section it shouldn’t be as muddy

Me hiking on the dry section of the Olomana Trail

Eventually, we started getting into some of the minimal rock climbing. Make sure to have your hands free at all times as you will need them to climb up the rocks.

We saw a couple of different pairs of people who actually had gloves on and thought that could be worth trying out the next time we do this hike.

Cody walking past the rocky sections on the Olomana Trail

Me taking a break while hiking the Olomana Trail — We made multiple stops along the way 🙂

Cody hiking up a steep section on the Olomana Trail

You will start to notice more rock climbing and some sections with ropes from here on.

Make sure to test the ropes before trusting them completely. Do not put your entire body weight on the rope.

Keep in mind that other hikers put these ropes here, and they do not guarantee safety.

No one knows how long they have been there or how reliable they are. If there are multiple ropes in one section, make sure to test them out and choose the one that seems the most sturdy to you.

As always, use your best judgment before proceeding. We prefer to use the ropes as a back-up, while using our hands to climb and keeping the rope in our hands as needed.

This trail will challenge you mentally and physically. This is by far one of the most challenging hikes we have ever been on while on Oahu.

There is a lot of scrambling and climbing, so if you are not comfortable doing either of those things, I suggest finding an easier hike to do.