Mount Kaala

Trailhead

Geologic Description: Because of its prominent height and flat-topped conical shape, Mt. Kaala may look like an ancient volcano summit - but it's not. In actuality, Kaala stands NNE of and about 3 miles from the edge and about 5 miles from the center of the ancient caldera which produced the Waianae Mountains (the center is between present-day Lualualei and Waianae Valleys). It is a volcanic remnant of the original Waianae shield volcano which was formed over three million years ago. In other words, the flat top is the worn surface of the original Waianae volcano (just like the surface of present-day Kilauea on the Big Island). Today, the top of Kaala resembles a shallow bowl tipped ever-so-slightly toward the Waianae side. Within the "bowl" is a lush cornicopia of native vegetation forming a misty bog. Laden with moisture almost like a swampy, moss-covered marsh, the thick foliage hides any obvious geologic evidence that this was once a seething flow of lava. Mt. Ka'ala Natural Area Reserve The bog within the NAR is the highlight of Mt. Kaala and a jewel to botanists of native Hawaiian foliage. It is a very small section on the southwest corner of the NAR. Because of its constant foggy, cool, and misty conditions and relative inaccessibility, the bog has collected a plethora of plants both endemic and indigenous to Hawaii. The floor of the bog is marshy and puddled with a layer of water and thick moss. The trees in general are stunted and do not stretch far above the head. And, it's rare to see clear, sunny skies from here. A 3/4-mile-long boardwalk has been erected to allow environmentally-friendly passage through the bog. The boardwalk connects the terminus to the Waianae-Kaala Trail and the Mt. Kaala Access Road. Along the boardwalk are many native variants of plants such as pukiawe, olapa, ohelo, alani, uki'uki, ie'ie, olomea, ohia, kanawao, kolii, and many more. Established in 1981, the 1,100-acre preserve is under the jurisdiction of the Hawaii Natural Area Reserve System (NARS) which maintains several natural area reserves such as Pahole (Oahu), Kaena (Oahu), and several throughout the neighbor islands. The NARS is a unit within the Division of Forestry & Wildlife under the state's Department of Land & Natural Resources. U.S. Air Force Installation Not only will you find an asphalt road and radio towers at the top, there is a substantial U.S. military reservation located at the actual peak of Mt. Kaala who's towers can be seen from as far away as Pearl Harbor on clear days. Specifically, the U.S. Air Force facility, staffed by the Hawaii Air National Guard, operates as the State's ASRS-4 (ADIZ/CERAP Radar) Site. The two large radars, about 35-feet high and covered by protective spherical radomes, are used by the federal Honolulu Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZHN) directing transpacific flights to/from Hawaii within 200 nautical miles of Oahu. The consolidated control facility (where the air traffic controllers are located), which was once housed at Diamond Head but was relocated to the south side of Honolulu International Airport in 2001, directs approach control, departure control, and "center" responsibilities with the use of the radars at Mt. Kaala. Mt. Kaala Access Road While it would make for an extremely long and boring walk to Mt. Kaala, the road is neat enough to mention here. The well-maintained, single-lane access road meanders one of the long ridges from the Mokuleia area. It is traversed several times a day and actually has a posted driving schedule dependent on the direction of travel (uphill during one hour, downhill during the next hour and so forth). There are two vehicular gates at the entrance to the access road. The road crosses the top of the Dupont Trail (not vice versa since the trail was there before the road was built). In fact, Dupont hikers need to traverse about 0.3-mile of it to get to either the bog or the actual Mt. Kaala. Trails to the Top Most commonly used: Waianae-Kaala Trail Dupont Trail Uncommon, but possible: (Difficult and not recommended!) Kamaohanui Ridge Central Waianae Crest (Puu Kalena) North Waianae Crest (Makua-Keeau Ridge)