The most beautiful hikes in Hawai‘i revealed (and rated by effort)

Hawai‘i’s most spectacular hikes reveal the Hawaiian Islands’ grandeur in ways no road ever could.

Lace up your boots and Hawai‘i transforms into a place where ancient volcanoes still shape the land beneath your feet, mist drapes emerald valleys and each trail leads to a view.

Below, the best hikes in Hawai‘i for all fitness levels.

In short

If you only do one hike in Hawai‘i make it Diamond Head (Lē‘ahi) Trail – it’s easily accessible and offers epic views over Waikīkī and the Pacific Ocean.

Is it worth hiking in Hawai‘i?

Absolutely. Millions of years of volcanic forces have carved some of the world’s most dramatic landscapes, with hiking offering the only way to reach the places roads simply can’t.

O‘ahu

Some of the Hawaiian Islands’ most accessible trails unfold just minutes from urban life, yet still deliver the kind of dramatic ridgelines, emerald valleys and ocean vistas that feel anything but close to civilisation.

Diamond Head (Lē‘ahi) Trail

Best for: Easily accessible for those staying in Waikīkī and unbeatable vistas.
Distance: 2.6-kilometre return
Difficulty: Moderate

A popular, short but steep crater climb rewards with Pacific and Honolulu skyline views from the summit bunker. Timed-entry reservations are required in advance on the official website. It’s worth getting up early to get to the top before sunrise.

Mānoa Falls Trail

Best for: Lush rainforest scenery and waterfall chasers
Distance: 2.6-kilometre return
Difficulty: Easy to moderate

In the emerald folds of Honolulu’s Mānoa Valley, the Mānoa Falls Trail winds through bamboo groves and towering banyan trees before arriving at a 45-metre waterfall, its setting often mist-laced after rain.

Koko Head Crater Trail

Koko Crater in Oahu — The steep trail skirts the outer rim of the Koko Crater. (Credit: Getty / Jean Suplicy)

Best for: Fitness-focused hikers seeking a short but intense workout with panoramic coastal views from the top.
Distance: 2.6-kilometre return
Difficulty: Challenging

The Koko Head Crater Trail is a relentless but straightforward ascent up an old railway track carved into the side of Koko Crater. More than 1,000 steps climb steeply toward sweeping views of Hawaiʻi Kai, Maunalua Bay and the windward coastline. It’s best attempted early in the morning to avoid the heat, and with plenty of water in hand.

Maui

From sunrise ascents above Haleakalā’s otherworldly crater to shaded wanderings through bamboo forests and waterfall-laced gullies, Maui delivers a sense of scale and beauty best seen on two feet.

Sliding Sands (Keoneheʻeheʻe) Trail

the Haleakalā crater in Hawaii — The volcanic trail has been likened to walking on Mars. (Credit: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Tor Johnson)

Best for: Big-sky volcanic scenery
Distance: From 11-17 kilometres one way (return varies depending on turnaround point)
Difficulty: Challenging

Descending from the summit rim of Haleakalā National Park, the Sliding Sands Trail drops into a vast volcanic amphitheatre of cinder cones, rust-red earth and ever-shifting light. There’s the option to turn back at any point or continue deep into the heart of the crater for a full immersion in Maui’s most surreal landscape. Vehicle reservations are required if you plan to enter the park’s summit district between 3am and 7am for sunrise.

ʻIao Needle Lookout Trail

Best for: Lush rainforest scenery and iconic Maui geology
Distance: 0.8-kilometre return
Difficulty: Easy

The path on the ʻIao Needle Lookout Trail climbs gently through dense tropical vegetation before opening onto a viewing platform that gazes across the iconic ʻIao Needle – a dramatic, needle-like basalt formation rising sharply from the valley floor. Reservations are required.

Pīpīwai Trail

Best for: A true wilderness experience
Distance: 6-kilometre return
Difficulty: Moderate

Set within the lush Kipahulu district, this rainforest walk traverses through bamboo groves, banyan giants and stream crossings before culminating at the thundering Waimoku Falls, a 120-metre cascade plunging into a fern-framed amphitheatre.

Island of Hawai‘i

Hiking on the island of Hawai‘i feels like stepping into a living geology lesson, with trails cutting through hardened lava fields, steaming craters and ancient rainforests.

Kīlauea Iki Trail

Best for: Experiencing Hawaiʻi’s raw volcanic power up close
Distance: 6.4-kilometre loop
Difficulty: Moderate

The Kīlauea Iki Trail drops from lush rainforest into a solidified lava lake formed during the 1959 eruption of Kīlauea. The loop begins in cool fern forest before descending steeply into the crater floor, where steaming vents, cracked volcanic rock and an almost lunar silence create a surreal sense of scale.

Pololū Valley Lookout Trail

Best for: Epic landscapes without a full-day hike
Distance: 3-kilometre return
Difficulty: Moderate

On the rugged northern tip of the Kohala Coast, the Pololū Valley Lookout Trail plunges dramatically from clifftop panoramas into one of Hawaiʻi’s most striking black-sand valleys, opening onto a wild shoreline where the Pololū Stream meets the Pacific. The return climb is a solid heart-pumper, especially in humidity or after rain when the track turns slick and earthy.

Captain Cook Monument Trail

Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park in Kona, Hawaii — Kealakekua Bay is visible from the southern tip of Manini Beach. (Credit: Getty / Swathi Chirra)

Best for: History lovers and those who like a refreshing dip mid-hike
Distance: 8-kilometre return
Difficulty: Challenging

For Australian travellers, embarking on a mission to see the striking white obelisk that marks Captain James Cook’s death site in 1779 is the kind of moment that echoes back to school history lessons. The Captain Cook Monument Trail descends from the dry Kona cliffs in Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park into one of the most pristine marine sanctuaries in the Pacific, where you can snorkel over vibrant coral gardens brimming with tropical fish and frequent spinner dolphin sightings.

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Kaua‘i

Some of Hawai‘i’s – perhaps the world’s – most awe-inspiring scenery awaits on this lesser-visited island, especially along the Nāpali Coast.

Kalalau Trail

Kalalau on Kaua‘i — Lush emerald cliffs rise to 4,000 feet above the Pacific on the Nāpali Coast. (Credit: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Tor Johnson)

Best for: Hardcore adventurers
Distance: 35-kilometre return
Difficulty: Challenging

It’s not for the faint-hearted, but tracing a path along the knife-edge cliffs of the Nāpali Coast on the Kalalau Trail is the Hawaiian Islands’ ultimate hiking experience. The two or three-day trek rewards with hidden beaches, cascading waterfalls and the remote, cathedral-like beauty of Kalalau Beach.

Awaʻawapuhi Trail

Kōkeʻe State Park, Hawaii — Take a steady downhill walk to the spectacular ridge-top viewpoint. (Credit: Getty / Wirestock)

Best for: Nāpali views without the blisters and camping pack
Distance: 10-kilometre return
Difficulty: Moderate

A more accessible option for less seasoned hikers, this route in Kōkeʻe State Park delivers many of the same spellbinding vistas without the multi-day commitment.

Canyon Trail to Waipoʻo Falls

Waimea Canyon Lookout in Kauai — Waimea Canyon – aka the ‘Grand Canyon of the Pacific’. (Credit: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Ben Ono)

Best for: Majestic views
Distance: 6-kilometre return
Difficulty: Moderate

This epic trail delivers a front-row seat to the vast splendour of Waimea Canyon – often dubbed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific – where layers of crimson and green ripple across a landscape carved over millennia, culminating at the clifftop above Waipoʻo Falls.

Extra tips

Give it a miss

The scenery on Koko Head Crater Trail in Honolulu gets a bit samey after a while.

Most memorable moment

Walking through a beautiful rainforest into a Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) – a cave-like tunnel formed by fast-moving molten rock – on the Island of Hawai‘i

For first-timers

Some of the islands’ most popular hikes require reservations in advance or permits for out-of-state visitors to ease pressure, safeguard delicate ecosystems and enhance safety.

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.