Hiking Manoa Falls with a Toddler
Hiking Manoa Falls on Oahu with a toddler is SO MUCH FUN! I did not grow up going on many hikes so I am not very experienced or have the stamina for long hikes however Manoa Falls is perfect! It is an uphill hike and located in the jungle parts of Oahu. Since I am not an experienced hiker, my endurance is very short, meaning I can only do about a mile. Which works in my favor because that’s about how long my toddler can be carried or pushed in a stroller before she starts to get fussy.
Manoa Falls is rocky and would not work if you need to push your little one in a stroller but if you can hold them in a baby carrier it is perfect! My husband and mom came along when we did this hike with my 13 month old which was perfect!
The drive up is so pretty, it’s windy, green, lucious and in our case very wet and rainy. I was a little worried because I didn’t want to hike while it was pouring but once we parked the rain lightened up to a nice drizzle. You do have to pay to park and at the check-in where you pay they offer bug spray, water, sunscreen and ponchos. We each got a poncho which was much needed!
The hike is only about a mile up and a mile back! I have seen and heard that storming outside the trail can be very dangerous from mud, slippery rocks and an overflowing river. Thankfully the day we went, our only battle was a slight drizzle and some muddy rocks.
My husband has a forward facing baby carrier from Tactical Baby Gear. We absolutely love it because it allows him to carry our daughter on hikes, outings, beach trips and more! Although baby carriers can be a bit expensive I believe it is a great investment. I use my baby carrier almost everyday and my husband uses his weekly!
Since it was raining on our hike, my husband wore a poncho over the baby carrier so our daughter wouldn’t get wet.
Going on hikes is so much fun with a toddler. She would loudly point at leafs, flowers, rocks, geckos, butterflies, the streams of water and more! We would echo her and point out new things to look at. She did not mind the rain but we did bring a small bucket hat so her head wouldn’t get wet.
I’m glad we brought her a hat because halfway through our hike, about 15 minutes in, it started to pour briefly! We made it up to the waterfall in about 30 minutes and it was beautiful! Because of the recent rain the waterfall was flowing! We took our obligatory picture in front of it and started to descend. At this point my daughter was starting to get a little fussy and the only way she stayed calm was if we were moving. We managed to hike back down in about 25 minutes.
Overall it was so much fun hiking up to the waterfall with my daughter and I would highly recommend you taking your toddler or young kids on this hike!
Here is a checklist of things I would recommend bringing with you if you do choose to tackle this short hike!
Checklist:
Bugs Spray
Poncho
Water
Running / Hiking Shoes
Hat
Change of clothes
$10 (for parking)
Positive Attitude!
One more thing to point out is to not hike down into the waterfall once you reach the top. There was a park ranger at the beginning of our hike who described to us the history of the land and the importance of respecting nature. Our park ranger mentioned it being not only dangerous but disrespectful to hike down and get into the waterfall. There are other hikes like Waimea Falls where you are allowed to get into the water and be near the waterfall if that is something you would be interested in doing.
Thank you so much for reading about our experience hiking Manoa Falls!
-Kindly Kaile
