Mount Olomana: Three Peaks of Fun!!

Right in our back yard is the most striking mountain jutting out of the valley. Her name is Olomana meaning Three Peaks. Apparently its the remnant of the ancient Ko'olau Volcano and is not for the acrophobic. It's a 5ish mile round trip with about 2200 feet of elevation gain.

Walking to the trailhead is a dream in itself. The trailhead is inside the Olomana Golf Course which has no parking for hikers. We parked in the neighborhood and walked in admiring lush, sweeping views of the Ko'olau mountains and valley.

The first peak is a good, hard push up the side with fantastic little puka views of Kailua and Kaneohe on the way. It's not easy. It is steep, there are sketchy at best ropes along the way to assist the climb, you will scramble up and over rocks, but it's not too bad on a dry day. I have not hiked this on a wet day and do not think it would be very safe.

360 degree views of the mountains, ocean, Kailua and Kaneohe from the first peak are awe inspiring. The second peak promised to increase that and did not fail! The final peak arcs dramatically against the already intriguing Ko'olaus with the insanely turquoise water of Kailua Bay providing contrast. The world seems supersaturated like all the HDR photos that I drool over on Instagram, but this is real life! Mind blown.

From the second peak things are a lot more interesting and maybe a little frightening. We started down a cliff side with very little protection in case of a fall. Old ropes tied to a tree root at the top were necessary to go down the slippery face to the saddle between the rocks. The trail follows a knife edge with extreme drops on either side. It was all I could do to remember to pay attention to the trail and stop when I couldn't ignore the incredible vista I was standing in. It's a narrow little climb to the top of the third peak which was fun and cool. I expected fabulous views from there, but a patch of scraggly trees blocked anything to see at the end of the trail. We backtracked to somewhere with a view and had a little snack before heading back.

Climbing down from Peak 3 and up Peak 2 meant there was plenty adventure left to be had. We checked all ropes prior to trusting them at all and even then only gave them some of our weight. We relied mainly on good hand and foot placement. Climbing back up the sheer face to Peak 2 would have been a tough scramble without the ropes along with some dire consequences if you slipped.

The rest of the trail down went quickly and we were back to the humbling views of the towering cliffs before we knew it. A trip to my favorite tea shop, Anuenue Exquisite Tea in Kailua, for tea and the best paninis ever and the day was complete.