In Wailua, on the east side of the island, turn left onto Kuamo'o Rd. just after the bridge over the Wailua River. After 6.6 miles, the Kuilau Ridge Trail is on the right, starting at a gate. A few parking spaces are available there. If these are occupied, there are more available at the Keahua Arboretum, which is about 100 yards down the road on the left.
The Kuilau Ridge Trail is a little hiked trail from which you can always see the "Sleeping Giant". This is a rock formation, and with a little luck, if the clouds clear for a short time, you can even see Mt. Waialeale, the rainiest point on earth.
Waialeale is a shield volcano and the second-highest mountain on the island after Kawaikini. The name means "splashing" or "overflowing water" in the Hawaiian language.
The summit of the 1569-meter Waialeale is covered by clouds for most time of the year. Its steady and humid northeast winds meet the mountain's steep northeast flank, whose slopes have an average gradient of over 110 %. This creates upslope winds, with abundant water raining down known as "upslope rain." This is how the Wailua River was formed, which also flows into Wailua Falls.
Because this weather is very stable, it rains more than 300 days a year, with large amounts of rainfall of 12,000 mm constantly falling on a very small area. This makes the northeast flank of Waialeale one of the rainiest places on earth, and the volcano is filled with mysterious waterfalls.
The 8km trail, with just under 300 meters of elevation gain, is classified as easy and can be done by anyone. It leads partly through eucalyptus forests alternating with guava, hala and ohia lehua trees. After 1.75 miles, you arrive at a picnic area located in a beautiful meadow with fantastic views of the Sleeping Giant. Shortly after that, the Kuilau Ridge Trail ends in front of a wooden bridge.
Here, you can still walk the subsequent Moalepe Trail (1.25 miles to the parking lot or 2.75 miles to Olohena Rd.) or walk the same way back. It can definitely get wet on this trail.
