22 Apr Kaua’i/Kilauea Hiking Club: Wai Koa and Stone Dam

Our hiking club is going through a re-naming, opting for the more local designator “Kilauea” instead of Kauai — since we all actually live in Kilauea and met through our community, working at the farmer’s market. Jenny is club President, Vice President is Luna, I’m the secretary, and Aaron is the treasurer. We’ve had weekly meetings (sometimes happy hour is easier to schedule than a hike) and have a 100% success rate and perfect 5-star rating for all hikes attempted!

On Mar 30 we did a local hike that’s been on my radar since arriving: Wai Koa trail & Stone Dam. Wai Koa’s official starting point is at Anaina Hou Community park, where the farmer’s market is held every Saturday. This trailhead has been closed since we arrived, and we recently learned that you can hike the trail from the back side, which has another parking and entrance near the Kilauea dog park. Jenny, along with her two adorable pups, picked us up for an easy, neighborhood hike on a hot sunny Tuesday at the end of March. We did the easy 5 mile loop that wound through a eucalyptus farm, aka “swamp mahogany”, and eventually up to an old stone dam that has a beautiful garden sanctuary planted around it.

The trail was muddy but still a beautiful day in the neighborhood!