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CharlieB24
Check this hike out on the Nature Conservancy site, get a map from the local Molokai office..... The trip out to the hike is an adventure in itself!!! A big plus is the road also stops along the Waikolu lookout, great views there, plus a chance for a break, restrooms, etc. This whole excursion/hike will take at least 1/2 a day at a good pace, so have plenty of time..... The Kamakou Preserve is in the thickest rainforest-type environment we've ever been in.... The wire mesh boardwalk is the trickiest on the way out, footing seemed better coming back.... Lots and LOTS of plants, birds, and a great view at the end! Awesome...
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superbird2
The Kamakou Preserve was very fun and beautiful. The drive up to it is also very fun. You start at Homelani Cemetary and follow that road all the way to the top of the mountain. This road is very rough and only one lane. There are parts for cars to turn into if you meet another vehicle like we did on several occasions. I would only recommend driving this road with a higher clearance vehicle! About half way up you come to the first sign in. From here the road becomes more wooded and has a steeper grade. Lots of this section is right next to cliffs so be careful. Eventually you will come to a clearing that has bathroom facilities and the first scenic overlook. The view was amazing from the overlook with views down to the ocean and waterfalls on your right. Lots of clouds rolled in shortly after we arrived so dont be shocked if there is no view. The next part of the trip is pretty hairy. Only if you have a 4x4 vehicle should you attempt this section of "road". There are lots of washouts, mud, and steep grades. The jeep we had handled it just fine though. A couple miles in you come to a sign that points you in two directions. Turn left to get to the boardwalk. The boardwalk travels thru rainforest that is very pretty. You should be prepared for slick conditions and also to get your feet wet as the boardwalk will sink into mud at points. This hike is fairly easy and will lead you to Pepe'opae Bog. The bog isn't to big but is neat being on top of a mountain. If you keep following the boards that have the metal screen you will get to the other scenic overlook. This part of the trail is more overgrown than the first part and is not as maintained. I also thought it was longer than the first section. There are lots of ups and downs on this part and you cross more streams as well. When we got to the overlook it was filled with clouds. Even though you couldn't see much it was still cool being basically in a cloud. There was a brief breaking up of the clouds that allowed us to see the valley down bellow. This view alone was worth the trip and I could only imagine how great it would be on a cloudless day! All in all, I would recommend this to anyone that likes adventure and is physically fit to hike on loose footing. The hiking part took us about 80 minutes in and out. Altogether we spent 3.5 hours from Homelani Cemetary and back (probably would have spent more time if there were no clouds). Try to get a 4x4 through aloharents.com. It will actually be a jeep rented thru Alamo but you can't reserve a 4x4 on Alamos website.
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Winnie1010
We did this hike with guides from the Nature Conservancy that manages the land. It is indeed a very rough ride to the trail and we were glad to have them driving. Don't be fooled by the term "boardwalk." These are 8" wide walking boards with expanded metal nailed on for traction. Quite a balancing act most of the way and not the easiest thing to do. We were five 50 something women, none of us in top shape, but we all made it and it was way worth it. The rare/endangered species posed for hundred of portraits that day. The overlook at the end was spectacular. Bring water and snacks cuz this is an all day adventure.
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LW88
We made it 10 miles in of a 16 mile long road. It had been raining for a few days before we went. Very bumpy-almost enough to make you car sick. We had a 4 wheel dive jeep and plenty of experience driving one, but you get to a point around that 10 mile mark and you start thinking about some of the giant pot holes in the road that you had to avoid already and you see these giant puddles filled with muddy water so you can't see how deep they are....So we turned around, well where we were we couldn't turn around, so we had to back out until we found a spot that we could turn around in and that was a ways behind us because the sides of the road were so soggy that you had to be careful not to get stuck in the mud. We got to the first look out and it was so cloudy that you couldn't see anything, you could only hear that there was a waterfall somewhere in the distance. It was a fun and interesting ride there, wished we could have gone farther safely and wished it wasn't cloudy so we could see better.I do not recommend this drive to couple that argue easy over driving skills :), people who get car sick, people who don't have a 4 wheel drive, people who don't know how to drive a 4 wheel drive or people that get worked up and nervous easily. We did just fine, but I worry about others.
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JacksonJones
The other reviews cover this experience pretty well. The first ten miles of the road require a vehicle that at least has high clearance. Foolhardy enough to go in a basic 2wd car? Don't. You'll make it about six miles in. Ask me how I know. Once you get a high clearance truck (preferably 4wd) you can make it to the first lookout without a problem, if it is dry. If wet, it can get very slippery. The last 2.5 miles of road we hiked and we are glad we did. I've owned 4wd drive vehicles and used them as intended, but this latter section is a little hairy. The boardwalk hike is relatively short and a lot of fun. The boardwalk is usually at ground level, but it is very narrow in most places. The overlook at the end of the hike is breath taking and worth all of the hassle. Highly recommended.
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SnowWizard
I already posted on the Forum about the drive up here. The rain forest of Kamakou Preserve lies near the summit of Molokai's highest mountain. Here you will find more than 250 species of Hawaiian plants - at least 219 of which can be found nowhere else in the world. This lush rain forest is also home to countless native insects, supporting a unique array of birds.I see a lot of great places, but this one is world-class. I still see it plain as day in my mind, and think of it often, and want to share it with others; that's why I am taking the time to write this.I'm not rich, but take it all around, I haven't been to many places I'd pay $500 to see (and I didn't), but this is probably there for me. My favorite part is the Pepe'opae Bog Trail. Perfectly Astonishing, makes Monet look like a 3rd grader. The overlook at the end of the trail is not much short of Perfectly Astonishing either, and that in a land full of awesome scenery. Don't miss it!
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NJ-Eric
This is remote but worth it. The guide books will give you directions to the road that takes you here. The first 10 miles to the Waikolu Lookout can be handled in a high clearance 2 wheel drive vehicle so long as it is dry. The road just wasn't bad enough that a 4 wheel drive was really necessary on the day I went there. An SUV would have done the trick. While I had a 4 wheel drive, I only used 2 wheel drive in getting this far. The view of the valley from the lookout is spectacular.What made this trip the highlight of my vacation was the next leg. There is a 2.5 mile 4 wheel drive road that ends at the 1.5 mile Pepeopae Trail on a boardwalk to another lookout at another of the island's valleys. This is an amazing trip and endpoint.There is a sign-in sheet at the start of this part of the trip , which begins with formal entry into the Kamakao Preserve. Nobody had signed in during the prior week and a half when I visited. The 2.5 mile road was hairy and a half! It required 4 wheel drive essentially every inch of the way, and I felt you could only pull this off if you were comfortable with the challenges of 4 wheel driving. There were huge washouts resulting in uneven road that one could get stuck in or even topple the car over, and other very uneven patches due to boulders and rocks. Much of the way was on rough road at a high pitched slope that a regular car could not handle. There were patches of water to pass through. There were patches of every combination of 2 or 3 of the issues of sloped roads, gutted roads, rocks and water. High clearance for your vehicle is an absolute necessity on this road.The 2.5 mile road took a third hour each way. The hike was through a bog, ending at a view even better than at the prior lookout. And after all this, driving the 2.5 miles back is no snap. This was a fun trip. Ironically, after I got through it without any mishap, the car caught a nail in its tire the next morning in town. Go figure.
