ʻAiea Loop Trail Hiking Guide
The ʻAiea Loop is a forest walk on the ridge above Hālawa Valley, starting and ending in Keaīwa Heiau State Recreation Area at the top of ʻAiea Heights Drive. It is a loop, it is free, and it is shaded most of the way by lemon eucalyptus and Norfolk Island pines. Expect roots, mud and one stream crossing near the end.
The Loop
State Parks lists the loop at 4.8 miles with 900 feet of gain and rates it easy to moderate; AllTrails maps it at 4.7 miles and about 830 feet. The trail leaves the upper end of the park road and runs out the ridge along the west side of Hālawa Valley. Near the midpoint you reach Puʻu ʻUaʻu, the high point, among native koa and ʻōhiʻa. The return drops through a steep switchback to a stream crossing and comes out at the lower campground; walk the park road back to your car.
Views and the B-24
Openings along the ridge look over Pearl Harbor, which Hawaiians call Puʻuloa, across to the Waiʻanae Range and down the coast to Honolulu and Diamond Head. On the far side of the loop, look below the trail for pieces of a B-24 bomber that crashed in 1944. Foresters replanted much of this area in the late 1920s; the citrus scent along the way is lemon eucalyptus.
Keaīwa Heiau
At the park entrance stands Keaīwa Heiau, a heiau hoʻōla, or healing temple, where kahuna treated illness and trained students in lāʻau lapaʻau, healing with plants. A four-foot stacked-rock wall encloses an area about 100 by 160 feet. Its age is uncertain; one source attributes it to the 16th-century chief Kākuhihewa and his kahuna Keaīwa. Treat it as the sacred place it is: view it from outside the walls and leave the stones and any offerings untouched.
Hours, Mud and Storm Damage
There is no entrance fee. The gate opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 7:45 p.m. from April 1, or at 6:45 p.m. from the day after Labor Day, so finish with time to drive out. State Parks says to allow 2.5 to 3 hours and warns of mud and exposed roots. The park and trail closed after Tropical Storm Lala in August 2026 while downed trees and a damaged power-line structure were cleared, and reopened on August 28. Check the State Parks notices after any big storm.
Dogs and Bikes
Pets are otherwise banned in Keaīwa Heiau State Recreation Area, but leashed dogs may cross the park to reach the ʻAiea Loop and are allowed on the trail. Mountain biking is no longer permitted on the loop. There is no drinking water on the trail, though the park has restrooms near the picnic areas.
Hiking tips for ʻAiea Loop Trail
- Start at the upper trailhead so the loop ends at the lower campground, as State Parks lays it out.
- Save your knees for the steep switchback down to the stream at the end.
- Keep dogs leashed from the car to the trail; pets can't linger in the park.
- Start by early afternoon so you are out before the gate closes.
- Visit Keaīwa Heiau quietly and from outside its walls.
Nearby trails to explore
- Judd Trail
- Mānoa Falls Trail
- Diamond Head (Lēʻahi) Summit Trail
Hike this trail with TrailMates
The ʻAiea Loop is an easy place to start hiking with someone new. Use TrailMates to find Honolulu hikers walking the ʻAiea Loop. Download the TrailMates app to connect.