Ka'au Crater Hike
Diamond Head and Kokohead are the most traversed and well known craters on Oahu. The third, and lesser known Ka’au Crater is tucked behind Palolo Valley and can only be accessed via a challenging hike. My boyfriend and I adventured into the valley to find the hidden gem and it was the most fun hike I’ve done on Oahu to date. Lots of mud, waterfalls, ropes, ridges and stunning views in all directions are some of the reasons why. The entire hike, through the valley and around the crater, took exactly five hours with a few stops for water and snacks. Definitely an Oahu ‘must-do’ for the adventurous!
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- Top of the crater, view of Diamondhead and Honolulu
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- First waterfall
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- Climbing up the third waterfall
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- Fellow hikers
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- Deeper in the valley, looking south
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- Ridgeline, backside of crater
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- Ridgeline hike looking west
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- East view of Bellows, Mokulua Islands
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- Shhh, leaving our mark (in pencil) on one of the power line poles 🙂
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- Views of Kaneohe
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- Westside of crater looking South towards town
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- Westside crater view
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- A good day, muddy feet
Wow….what a hike and what great views. Thanks for sharing. Wish I could see that myself some day!