Koko Crater Rim Trail

One the most underrated hikes on the island that's more sure! Make sure you bring plenty of water and sunscreen as it is nearly non stop sunlight beaming on you the whole time, I would not recommend this hike with cloudy weather as you wont be able to see the gorgeous views of the ocean and mountain ranges of course! Also Koko head as you walk up looks great too. There is some bees on this trail and other bugs so be weary of that and try to avoid them to the best of your ability.

I just did this trail for sunrise!
It was spectacular!
Short, little ridge you hike to this bautiful arch on the side of Koko crater. From there you continue up to the rim and you take left or right. Left is the West side of the rim which is the more harder with scrambles, then when you cross to the East side is a more graded hike.
The crater rim is not for beginners for sure!

So many people say this is a tough climb, but I did it while 40lbs overweight and drunk. It can't be that hard...

Great view at the top, definitely worth the vodka!

This is NOT the way with train track/stairs. That's the OTHER side.

Today, not only did I almost fall off a mountain but also saw whales in the distance (at sea) and had two stray bullets fly over my head. Also, despite the vog keeping me at bay from taking clear photos, I'd say today was a great hike. In fact, superb!

The Koko Crater rim trail is located inside the Koko Head Botanical Garden and stables behind the Hawaii Kai Golf Course. As you walk through the garden, stick to the trail on the left. It's about a 5-10 minute trek to the trail head. You'll know you're there when you reach the "Dry Palms" area. Look for the "Madagascar" section and the "DANGER: No access. Dangerous Conditions" sign shrouded under trees. There you will see the path up the mountain that begins your journey. Although the initial incline may be a bit rough, it should be no biggie if you're the adventurous type, right?

Map for location to the botanical garden:
http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/parks/hbg/kcbg.htm

Koko Crater rim is in my top three picks on the island and I'd say is geared for the intermediate hiker because despite it's length (about two miles), there are many steep and dangerous areas to consider. If walking high along narrow ridges don't bother you, then I would highly recommend this trail! The way I describe the rim: breath taking, exhilarating and sometimes scary. It's also one where you need to be mindful of what's in front of you at all times, as the terrain here can get tricky.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQD2IGpYW_Y

Jaw dropping and spectacular are the views here! As you walk along the ridge line, you will see a great panorama of Kalama Valley, Sandy Beach, all the way to the blowhole and Hanauma Bay. A few yards in is where it starts to incline. The 3/4-point starts when you're climbing up rocks and not only does the trail gets narrower but also windier. I suggest you follow the paths to the left (marked by pink ribbons) that go around the rock formations, as they provide a safer alternative than walking the ledges above it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeJsCmT4H7k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHYaOSgcd4Y

Like I mentioned earlier about bullets whizzing past me on this hike, it's true because down below is a shooting range. The first one was so close, I could've sworn it broke the air behind my neck. Funny part is, usually I'm a bit nervous hiking here, as I'll admit I'm afraid of heights. Today, I was more worried about getting taken out by a stray bullet LOL! Also didn't help that the sound of ricocheting rounds were echoing in the distance.

Listen, as you can hear the gun range in the background:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PpBcutjS7Q

The top is where the rim meets the railway hike, which is still my least favorite hike...EVER! I suggest you take the rim way because it's a lot nicer and way friendlier on you legs and cardio. Also things to consider when hiking the rim is that I recommend you wear long pants, I say that because there are a lot of dry shrubs and branches along the way (at the beginning, a lot of cactus) that will scrape and scratch up your legs. Trust me when I say I'm suffering from gashes on my shins right now.

That and again, although miles away, you're still in the scope of a shooting range. "Probably" the reason for the warning signs.

5 stars
Koko Crater Rim Trail in Koko Head

***This is NOT a review of the Koko Head Stairs***

That's a different hike and in my not so humble opinion, a far inferior one. The "Stairs" hike is basically a grueling stair-master experience and mostly for the purpose of cardio fitness. It doesn't compare to the diversity, views and exhilaration of this Crater Rim hike. I only have a small window of time for hikes during the year and so I want to max out as much scenery and adrenaline as possible. That's why although there's never getting around the cardio aspect of a lot of hikes (which I value as well - I need to lose planny lbs.), I want them coupled with narrow ridges at times, maybe a little rock climbing, and definitely the views.

As @EricA details nicely, this is from the INSIDE up from the Botanical Garden, the entrance for which is opposite of the Queen's Gate residential area of Hawaii Kai (just mauka of Sandy's).

@EricA sums up nicely what this hike is all about. It has a nice cardio scramble for the first 20 minutes (much less than the 30-40 minutes of hell going up the Stairs). It then has a gradual ridge hike going counter clockwise up to the top (that's where the top of the Stairs is as well). Views of Sandy's, the Halona Blowhole, Hanauma Bay and Portlock are unparalleled. It also has some moderate rock climbing sections.

It was overcast and drizzly this past Saturday but otherwise we would have had some views of Lanai, Molokai and possibly Maui on a clear day. And if we really got lucky, we could have seen some whales. But that would have all been house money as this is an amazing hike without those "extras". Because the trail was wet from the drizzle, going down would have been slippery and dangerous so we just went down the Stairs to get back to the bottom. That sucked because it's really hard on the knees (the stairs are yards apart and sometimes requires jumping down, trashing the knees).

Finally, a walk back to the Botanical Garden parking lot from Koko Head park (where the trail head for the Stairs is) would have been like an hour walk back. Luckily someone in our group spotted a friend who had a pickup truck, so we piled in and he gave us a quick ride back. On hindsight, I would advise you leave one car at the park to shuttle back to the Botanical Garden parking lot (there's not a direct path, you have to go around via Lunalilo Home Road).

There's one other way to get to the top of Koko Head Crater and that's via the rock bridge arch coming from the blowhole-Kalanianaole Highway side and I'd like to try it some day. I heard that the Hawaii Trail and Mountain Club does that each New Year's Day.

I've recently been hiking quite a bit, and this past weekend was my first time doing the Koko Crater Rim Trail.

PROS:
+ Great views from start to end
+ Challenging
+ More than an just uphill walk
+ It's not awfully long
+ Several different

CONS:
- Not a lot of shade
- Biting ants
- You will probably have to go down the railway

When my friend first brought up the idea of going on this hike I was intrigued. I read everyone's Yelp reviews, and looked up peoples youtube videos on it, and started looking forward to it more and more. This was my first experience hiking a crater rim! I guess it's a lot like a ridge hike, but narrower, and steeper. Excitement!!

We started by meeting up at Koko Head Regional Park, where you would park to do the railway hike. And all jumped into one car to head over to the Blowhole parking lot. We parked there, and got started. We walked along the highway in the town direction and darted across when we got to the end of one of the guardrails which serves as the trail head if you're going to start with the arch. We followed the rough almost path up to the base of the arch, and stood there staring at what was ahead of us.

Didn't look too tough from here: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/EhDZSmXRzGD0EjlZ4UZsYQ?select=2KxkiXoYxY_0CWnzW-d7wQ#dJbwr4V-4zSa3he9LZjdew

It's a long way up: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/EhDZSmXRzGD0EjlZ4UZsYQ?select=2KxkiXoYxY_0CWnzW-d7wQ#2KxkiXoYxY_0CWnzW-d7wQ

Luckily one of us had gone up this was just the week before, so she served as our guide on this expedition. This arch part of the hike was definitely the toughest part due to the fact that some parts are so steep you have to use all four of your limbs to literally climb your way up! Lean back a little too much, and you feel like you're going to fall off the rock.

Once we managed to climb up the side of the crater we were on the rim. From here we followed the rim all the way to the old army bunkers that are at the top of the railway tracks. From here we headed down the rails (my least favorite part of the hike) back to the parking lot where we originally met up.

The way down: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/EhDZSmXRzGD0EjlZ4UZsYQ?select=S4N53kxAfSWge-G6wN1F3A#S4N53kxAfSWge-G6wN1F3A

There's practically no shade on this hike, so the sun will be beating down on you the whole time unless it's an overcast day, so make sure you slather on the sunscreen, and bring a lot of water. There was almost no wind on the day we went up there, so there were a bunch of flying ants all over the rim, and top of the railway. Those little suckers bit pretty hard too! Watch out for them if the wind isn't blowing. Also, I don't really recommend this hike for kids. It'll probably be pretty tough/scary for them.

All in all, I would totally go on this hike again, and maybe see if there's a way to get down without going down the railway since that was my least favorite part of the trail.

This is the review for the Koko crater rim hike. Starting from botanical garden and goes up the west ridge. Then descend the east ridge and come back to the Botanical garden.

I arrived pretty early around 7am at the botanical garden. The west side ridge is about 100 meter west to the parking lot and really easy to find. The trail is not walked much so it is a little overgrown. pants are recommended if you don't want your let get scratched. The ascending is gradual and not very physically intense. The more technical part start about half way. Quite a bit of ridge walking and not recommended for people afraid of height. I brought a pair of hiking poles and it helps to stabilize me on the ridge, especially when the wind is blowing. Took me about an hour to reach the top of the railway at moderate pace(not rushing, taking pictures every a few minutes).
It gets harder when it get closer to the top so you can always turn back if you feel you're not ready for it.

Going down the east side is quite less technical but there is still a couple of narrow part that is not for everyone. I met a group of people coming up from the arch and it looks quite fun. The worst part of the loop is then end of east side. After a steep descend the trail just disappears into the bushes. I'm not even sure I can find the trail head if I started on the east side. Anyway I got to the botanic garden and made it back to my car around 10am. It was a Sunday and I'm the only one I saw on the west ridge and I only saw 1 guy come down the east side after me. A lot less traffic than the popular rail way. The weather was breezy and overcast so I only drank 1 liter of water. The view was great in every direction so I took many photo stops. Good for experienced hiker and if you only have one car.
Hiking poles recommended if you dislike crawling.

I did the complete Koko Crater rim, counterclockwise. My route: Up the Koko Crater Railway stairs, turn right to go around the East rim. Descended down the rim into botanical garden, crossed the road, and went up the West rim, all the way back up to the top, and down the railway stairs.

It took a total of about 5hrs, with many things that slowed us down. There were several times on the West rim when I lost the trail and had to back track to find a navigable path. Also, it took 30-45 minutes just to find the trail from the botanical garden up the West rim. Another factor, the trail was extremely overgrown in some parts, requiring frequent pauses to figure out where it went. The brush would often be covering up cacti, which there was A LOT of. I got stuck multiple times. I could see this taking closer to 3.5-4 hours at a steady pace.

I love scrambling, climbing, narrow ridges, challenging rock faces.. but in my opinion, this was tough! The East rim? A cake walk. But if you're going to take on the West, go with someone, and someone who knows it. There were actually a few spots that made me worry I might have to turn back. Not only are there a bunch of very narrow sections, but some steep, vertigo-inducing scrambles that require strategy, and careful movements.

I brought my 32 oz Nalgiene bottle. I shoulda brought two! Luckily, I was able to refill in the botanical gardens at a water spigot.

Other options
You can get to the crater rim by way of the stairs, the Koko Crater Arch trail, or the botanical gardens. So you could stage a car at any one of those places, go up from another, and down back to the stage car. I'd guess going up the stairs, down the East rim and into the gardens would take most people under two hours, probably under 1.5 without overgrown brush like we had.

Like any other trail, be respectful of other hikers, carry out all trash, pick up trash if you can.

You love hiking? Show the land some love.

To find THE ARCH, you start by the blowhole parking and start across the street. Best visual of this is on "haiku626"'s YouTube page! Just follow that and it'll lead you to the obvious trail.

Following you'll see the huge mountain on your right and the arch right ahead! This comes the trickiest part - going under and over the arch! Going under it we went to the right of it and it was a little scare and to go back up the opposite side.

After the arch, keep following to get to the top and meet up with the koko head stairs. Went down the koko head stairs where my friend drove me back to my car at the blowhole.

The scariest part is climbing over the arch. The hardest part is the part after the arch. Ha! But really, in all there are heart pounding moments for this steep, cardio intense hike! But in the end is all worth it and will be a fun challenge for intermediate hikers & risk takers, and probably a bit more intimidating for beginners. Have fun and be safe!

5/20/12 - Park one car at the botanical gardens, park another at the Koko Head Crater Hike (the long stairs one). Leave your slippers in the car at the Koko Head Crater Hike where you end.

The botanical gardens that you enter from was very nice. Then we hit the cactus. It might be over grown, so be careful!

I anticipated a painful hike, but was pleasantly surprised. Most of the way, it was nice and breezy. But because of the breeziness, I got sun burn. I couldn't even tell I was getting burnt - I even put sun screen on before I left!!

Some of the top of the rim was creepy. Both sides you could fall to your death, and it was windy. But most of the way it felt safe - but that's just me.

Going down KoKo Head tracks was the worst part! My legs were shaking and my knees were sore. There were a lot of people on Sunday afternoon, some running, some going very slowly. My legs are still hurting two days later. But you know what they say, the second day is the worst.

I would go again.