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Hawaii Hiking Books


Backyard Oahu endorses the three hiking guides by Stuart Ball (listed below), especially the Hikers Guide to Oahu. This book is featured within Backyard Oahu and strongly recommended for visitors and residents alike.

All three books are the best guides available. They provide all the information the Hawaii hiker needs to know (driving/bus directions to trailhead, directions on the trail, maps, botanical/historical references, property issues, etc.).


  • Hikers Guide to O'ahu   Quick-details from Amazon!
  • Backpackers Guide to Hawai'i   Quick-details from Amazon!
  • Hikers Guide to the Hawaiian Islands   Quick-details from Amazon!

  • Click whenever you see the  icon to pop-up Amazon.com details for that book.

    Aloha!
    ...and thank you for visiting Backyard Oahu's bookstore! Please note that all proceeds from purchases made through the links on this page go directly to this website's operating expenses. As such, thank you in advance for buying a terrific book for yourself while keeping Backyard Oahu a free and non-profit hiking resource for the public!

    Important: Backyard Oahu does not receive credit unless you click through the link to the specific book you want. In other words, please come back through this page if you want to order a different book or purchase at a later date.

    Mahalo!



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    Other books purchased by Backyard Oahu visitors:

    Interested in another island?
    Change this panel to: Kauai



    Lonely Planet Hawaii
    Quick-details from Amazon! Lonely Planet Hawaii
    (6th edition)




    Lonely Planet Oahu
    Quick-details from Amazon! Lonely Planet Oahu
    (2nd edition)




    Lonely Planet Honolulu
    Lonely Planet Honolulu
    & Oahu (City Maps)




    Camping Hawaii
    Camping Hawaii:
    A Complete Guide




    Driving and Discovering Hawaii
    Driving and Discovering Hawaii
    Oahu: Honolulu & Waikiki




    So You Want to Live in Hawaii
    So You Want
    to Live in Hawaii




    Flying Hawaii
    Flying Hawaii: A
    Pilot's Guide to the Islands




    Interested in another island?
    Change this panel to: Kauai
    Hikers Guide to O'ahu
    Original Book (Dec 1993) Revised Book (Oct 2000) Stuart Ball's The Hikers Guide to Oahu, both original (1993) and revised (2000) versions, is "da book" to have! Otherwise known to local Oahu hikers as "the Bible", it contains 245 pages of pure hiking information pertaining to the island of Oahu. In other words, it's a hardcopy of trailhead directions, route descriptions, statistics / ratings, detailed notes, and maps for 53 public & private trails and an addendum of descriptions for 26 closed trails.

    Stuart's book is an awesome reference and is matched by no other. You will not find a better hardcopy resource for hiking Oahu's trails. Stuart, himself, is an avid hiker with over 20 years experience on the state's trails and a former president of the Hawaiian Trail & Mountain Club. He's also a great guy to hike with and know in person. I've personally been on a couple of hikes and campouts with him. Some of those, actually, were hikes he did to update and revise his books!)

    I'm not the only one who'll attest to this. Everyone I've hiked regularly with has a copy. I've even met total strangers on the trail spotting them toting his book in their hands.

    Purchase of your own copy of The Hikers Guide to O'ahu at one of these online bookstores. They offer it between $12 - $16.

    Click for details Amazon.com details


    The Hikers Guide to O'ahu (Revised!) at Amazon.com The Hikers Guide to O'ahu 
(Revised!) at Barnes & Noble

    In case of problems with these links, try this instead.

    Backpackers Guide to Hawai'i
    The Backpackers Guide to Hawaii at Barnes and Noble! Stuart has published another book equally as informative on backpacking Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, and Oahu trails called The Backpackers Guide to Hawai'i. I have personally used this to plan many 4 to 6-day backpacking trips taken on Kauai, Maui, the Big Island, and, of course, Oahu.

    This is the perfect book to have if you plan to backpack (or just would like some pictures) Kauai's Na Pali Coast (Kalalau Trail) or Kokee State Park, Maui's Haleakala (Sliding Sands Trail), or the Big Island's Volcanoes National Park (e.g. Hilina Pali/Halape Trail). Of course, Stuart features several other backpacking trails in this book, but the ones I mentioned are my personal favorites.

    Click for details Amazon.com details


    The Backpackers Guide to Hawai'i at Amazon.com The Backpackers Guide to Hawai'i at Barnes and Noble!

    In case of problems with these links, try this instead.

    Hikers Guide to the Hawaiian Islands

    The Hikers Guide to the Hawaiian Islands Stuart struck yet again in 2000! His latest book, the 298-page The Hikers Guide to the Hawaiian Islands is for the hiker who wants to day-hike several islands including the Big Island, Maui, Kauai, and Oahu. It's done in the same informative style as The Hikers Guide to O'ahu and contains a smattering of trails around the state. Check it out if you plan to hike multiple islands!


    Click for details Amazon.com details



    The Hikers Guide to the Hawaiian Islands at Amazon.com The Hikers Guide to the Hawaiian Islands at Barnes & Noble


    In case of problems with these links, try this instead.

    Additional Suggested References
    The following books were cited and referred to within this website.

    Oahu Trails
    Oahu Trails: Walks, Strolls
    and Treks on the Capital Isle

    By Kathy Morey


    This is book is best for novice hikers and those who don't want to deal with access issues and other problems common with many "non-official" trails. While there are 45 "trips" listed and described, it does not detail the more difficult and dangerous trails of Oahu.

    Click for details Amazon.com details  



    Oahu Trails at Amazon.com

    Oahu Trails at Barnes & Noble


    In case of problems with these
    buttons, try this instead.

    cover
    Roadside Geology of Hawai'i
    By Richard Hazlett, Donald Hyndman


    An excellent 304-page book authored by two well-versed geology professors on the vulcanology of the Hawaiian islands. While it does not relate geologic expertise specifically to the trail side experience, it gives an in-depth description of formations seen around the island.

    Click for details Amazon.com details  



    Roadside Geography at Amazon.com

    Roadside Geography at Barnes & Noble


    In case of problems with these
    buttons, try this instead.





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