Lāʻie Falls Trail

Great long hike. Super recommended. Need to get a permit via email, don’t go to the office, it is closed. See attached picture for where the hiking trail starts. Loved the scenery and different paths we walked on. A bit muddy, be at peace with it. Go do it, now!!

I really loved this hike. The trail takes you through diverse land environments, which keeps things entertaining over the ~5.5-km distance (one-way). Of course, the star of the show is the falls at the end - several areas to swim. The water was a bit cold (December), but it was super refreshing after the trail. You need a permit for this hike, and it is recommended that you park at the park just before the entrance to the trail. Highly recommend!

It's private property. Get permission and park at Laie Park and not at the trailhead, don't be the ones to ruin it for others. Took me just a few minutes to do the permit.

It's 4 miles from the parking lot to Laie Falls and another 2.5 miles to Laie Summit. Took us 2hrs to the falls, 1.5hrs from falls to summit. 1 hr from summit back to falls, 1.5hrs back from falls to Laie Park.

It's not a sketchy hike. I did most of it barefoot and it was downpouring rain for the first hour of the hike. The final 50 yards to the falls are a little steep but not unsafe- just go slow.

The summit hike was very overgrown the last 45mins. It kinda sucked but it was fun -trail is very easy to follow. Don't let other reviews deter you, you'll see it's not a big deal. If you're ever on a hike and you get uncomfortable -just turn around......

2/3 of the trail is Great for jogging.
Preparation:
Make sure to obtain the permission to enter since it's a private property. It can be done via a phone posted in Laie Shopping center nearby or in person there.
Wear some hiking running shoes.
Don't go if it's wet or rain is coming.

A Start point from Laie park. There is a public parking lot.
Most of the trail goes through the forest with nice shade, occasional views and absolutely no people.
I didn't make it to the end since at 2/3 of the trail uphill the path gets way to narrow for running. Pretty adequate elevation - it was comfortable.

Make sure to turn left up to the Hill (not towrds the house on the left) when you see a blue sign saying permission required.

The beauty in this hike is the entire journey. The falls are gorgeous also, just not the best part of the hike. It’s a great intermediate hike to even go jogging at. Highly recommend it and don’t listen to the people saying it’s sketchy!

The first couple pictures are about where the hike begins. There is a house on the right with random signs. The gate is to the left of the house and it will be about .75 miles of pavement. You will pass random construction projects on the sides.. don’t let this discourage you. The hike starts where you can see my wife standing below. From then on it’s gorgeous. It’s also a very popular location for local mountain bike trails. It’s highly traveled and well maintained. A truly beautiful taste of what the north shore has to offer!!