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Did This: Waimano Pool Hike and Ice Garden

By Catherine Toth Fox • September 9, 2011 • #CatTravels, Food

I hike fairly often.

But I tend to avoid hikes that cause me physical pain.

Don’t get me wrong: I like a challenge. But I don’t need to hike a trail that requires any more gear than a bottle of water and a few Band-Aids.

So when my friends invited me to hike down to the Waimano pools off the Manana Trail in Aiea, I quickly agreed.

This is a fairly easy 3-mile trail that leads down into the lush Waimano Valley. Your reward: two swimming holes at the end of the descending hike. The payback, though: you have to walk back up the hill. And it’s a bitch.

It’s a beautiful hike through a eucalyptus forest and groves of strawberry guava trees. Just challenging enough to burn calories and rev my appetite.

And I have an appetite!

So the deal was this: we go on this hike, we nearly die on the way back up, and we get shave ice at Ice Garden in Aiea.

I thought that was completely reasonable.

Here’s what our adventure looked like:

At the trailhead

At the trailhead
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Waimano Pool is a hike off the grueling Manana Trail. The trailhead starts at the end of Komo Mai Drive in Pacific Palisades.

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About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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16 Comments

  • Reply oldshoes September 9, 2011 at 1:41 am

    AH ha! so that’s your achilles heel! hills…as in uphill! never heard u swear before. Anyways,love eucalyptus! clears the sinus’ and gives just an overall sense of well being.Many great purposes! ……hmmm….and a shave ice flavor, maybe?

    • Reply Catherine Toth September 11, 2011 at 9:23 pm

      Eucalyptus shave ice????? Hmm. I might have to pass!

  • Reply David Jackson September 9, 2011 at 6:27 am

    Now that is living sistah. My favorite hike on Oahu is likely now off limits because it is inside the military base. you can hike up to this plateau on the North Shore and picnic overlooking the Pacific, really high up. I think post 9/11 you can’t go there. My second has always been the Pali to Waimanalo trek. It is about 11 miles and goes close to Mt. Olomana. Anything is made better with friends for real 🙂

    • Reply Catherine Toth September 11, 2011 at 9:23 pm

      Which hike are you talking about? Never hiked on a military base… Would be interesting, though. I may have to look into that……..

  • Reply bumper September 9, 2011 at 8:30 am

    Thanks for sharing. We haven’t tried this one yet, so this is great info!

    • Reply Catherine Toth September 11, 2011 at 9:24 pm

      It’s not a terribly hard hike, but that one section is tough. Just take it slow. We had people with us who think the paved path up Makapuu is a workout. So you can do it!

  • Reply M September 9, 2011 at 10:31 am

    Hello Cat,

    Fuud pixs Friday!?

    That up hill part looks difficult if you are not in shape.

    • Reply Catherine Toth September 11, 2011 at 9:24 pm

      It was a fuud PLUS adventure Friday 🙂

  • Reply WildeOscar September 9, 2011 at 11:26 am

    Beautiful, and I knew there would be FUUD in those pics, and there was.

    • Reply Catherine Toth September 11, 2011 at 9:25 pm

      There’s FUUD in every moment of my life 🙂

  • Reply Brad September 9, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    next time you should be adventurous and complete the hike to the ridge! haha

    • Reply Catherine Toth September 11, 2011 at 9:25 pm

      I’ve heard that hike is BRUTAL. Have you done it?

  • Reply Eric September 9, 2011 at 3:48 pm

    Oatmeal and shaved ice…. that is an interesting combination for sure.

    • Reply Catherine Toth September 11, 2011 at 9:25 pm

      Yeah, not really for me. But my friend who ate it said he doesn’t even like oatmeal — but he likes it in shave ice. Weird!

  • Reply NSDGR September 9, 2011 at 4:46 pm

    Wow. Haven’t been there in years.

    Good one.

    • Reply Catherine Toth September 11, 2011 at 9:25 pm

      Gotta go!

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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