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Waterfall at the End of Koloa Gulch
Posted: August 27, 2009
I joined the trail maintenance crew of the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club (HTMC) to clear the trail that leads to a charming pool and waterfall in the very back of Koloa Gulch in Hau’ula.
The trail into Koloa Gulch starts on a road just beyond Kokololio Park between Hauula and Laie on the Koolauloa Coast of Oahu. A memorial stands at the trailhead honoring a boy scout who tragically drowned in flash flood in the gulch back in 1994.
Thomas Yoza lead the group up the initial part of the ridge which is dominated by iron wood trees with tall grasses in the understory.
After gaining several hundred feet of elevation on the top of the ridge we hiked over several sections where the top soil had eroded away leaving the ridge devoid of vegetation.
When we reached turn-off point, I followed Karen Liliker as we veered-off the ridgeline and dropped down into Koloa Gulch. As we made our way down the trail we admired the kupukupu and lauae ferns that thrive under the shade strawberry guava trees.
When we reached the stream, I was pleased to see a considerable stream flow — thanks to rainfall over the previous few days. Rusty leads Kris Corliss, Ellyn Tong, and Chris Godwin across the stream, the first of nearly 40 stream crossings we would have to make to reach the waterfall at the end of the gulch.
Every where we looked we saw yellow ginger in bloom. The sweet scent of yellow ginger filled the air as we made our way into the gulch.
One of the more disturbing sights we saw were stands of dead rosey apples trees — killed by the ohia rust which is infecting and killing these trees throughout the island. When the next torrential rains deluge the island, branches of these dead trees are likely to lodge under bridges and contribute to flooding in low-lying areas.
Groves of large mango trees greeted us as we made our way deeper into the gulch. Big old mango trees such as these are often a sign that Hawaiians once lived the area. When mangoes were first introduced to the islands, Hawaiians loved their fruit and planted mango trees where they lived.
While making our way deeper into the gulch we saw many charming trees covered with mosses and epiphytic ferns.
When we reached the section of the gully that narrows with steep walls over a hundred feet high, we came to the fork in the gulch where two tributaries meet. We took the tributary to the right which has the taller waterfall.
The vegetation becomes increasingly greener and lusher the deep you go into the gulch. Roy and Chris continue on the last few stream crossings over slippery rocks before we reach our destination for the day.
The end of the gulch on the right fork leads to a charming mountain pool with a small waterfall no more than 6 feet high. A much more impressive 40 foot waterfall is just beyond sight around another bend in the gulch which requires hikers to climb about 30 feet up a rope.
Roy reclines on rocks at the edge of the pool as Ellyn Tong climbs the rope to reach the charming waterfall around the final bend in the gulch. We lingered for quite some time at the falls, spashed in the pool, and ate our lunches before turning around to return the way we had come.
While I had a great time seeing the waterfall and splashing in the stream it was with heavy heart that I left Koloa Gulch for the day. This was the first time I did not see a single hihiwai — the freshwater opihi (limpet) — anywhere in the stream. In all my previous hikes into Koloa Gulch, they have always been present. I hope that they are still around and are just out of sight.
Thank you so much for this spectacular tour and commentary. Mobility issues prevent me from hiking on anything than the most basic short trails. For those of us with disabilities, it is such a treat to see and learn about natural wonders in parts of Hawaii we might never otherwise know.