#6 Hike to Manoa Falls

Hawaii has some of the best hikes that I have ever been on. The land so lush and tropical here and I'm amazed by the beauty every time we go on a hike.  Justin and I love to go hiking and this hike in particular is a favorite.  It's a shorter trail and doesn't climb as much as some of the other hikes we've been on, but its a fun hike.  It's nestled deep in Manoa Valley, which receives rain on a daily basis, making it a muddy and slippery climb up a trail made mostly of banyan roots and large puddles.  There is a bamboo forest along the way and at the end of the 3/4 mile trail is a 120 foot waterfall.  There is usually a lot more water, especially during the winter months, but it has been kind of a dry winter so we weren't expecting much.  In 2002 there was a large landslide at the waterfall, so it has been roped off and you're not supposed to get too close to the waterfall, even though most people do.
All in all, its a really beautiful hike that exemplifies the tropical nature of Hawaii and at the end you're rewarded with the tallest accessible waterfall on the island of Oahu.

This is at the beginning of the trail. There are a couple of white macaws that live in this area, but we didn't see them today.

The whole valley is being taken over by an invasive species of vine that grows and overwhelms the trees, cutting off their sunlight and nutrient sources.  You can see the vines growing in this picture and they are pretty but very dangerous to the native species here.

It rains on a daily basis here in Manoa so all the trees have moss growing on them.  Also, did you know that the trees in Hawaii don't have rings like trees in other places?  This is because Hawaii doesn't really have changing seasons that cause the rings to form.

This is the trail.  Pretty muddy and slippery in most places, but really beautiful.

This was taken as we were passing through the bamboo forest. The sun was shining through the forest and it was really pretty.

The waterfall at the end of the trail.  Again, it wasn't flowing very much today because we have had a drier winter than normal.  The waterfall is about 120 feet high.

Check that one off our list!