West Hawaii Trails
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| Type | Trail Association |
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| Activities |
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| Website |
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| Address |
Kailua-Kona,
Hawaii
United States
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0
Dr. Jeff McDevitt, a retired local physician from Kailua-Kona, runs the 501(c)3 nonprofit West Hawaii Trails, and is out weekly maintaining the Makāula-ʻOʻoma trails. Volunteer days are held the first Saturday of every month from 9am - 11am. More info on joining a trail day.
Donations help pay for trail tools, which wear out quickly as we fight to beat back the invasive Himalayan ginger. Larger donations go toward funding an Environmental Impact Study, at a cost of $25k, which is required to get approval for new trails. We are in much need of an intermediate climb/descent trail.
History of the Makāula-‘O‘oma Forest Reserve Trails
In the mid 1990s the state of Hawaii took back the lease of portions of land from Huehue Ranch to form forest reserves for recreation in Kona. The 1365-acre Makāula-‘O‘oma Forest reserve, on the northern border of the Kaloko subdivision, was dedicated for hiking and mountain biking.
In 1993, the Department of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), asked Dr Jeff McDevitt and Grant Miller to build trails for mountain biking. The mountain bikers put in 6 miles of trails with hand tools over the next several years. Separate trails had been planned for hiking but never got built so the mountain bike trails became multiuse.
The trails have been maintained since then by the two original trail builders from the nonprofit WEST HAWAII TRAILS, with assistance from DLNR in controlling invasive plants since 2017. They set up a volunteer trail maintenance workday on the first Saturday of every month, meeting 9 to 11 AM at the trailhead at end of Makahi St.
Donations help pay for trail tools, which wear out quickly as we fight to beat back the invasive Himalayan ginger. Larger donations go toward funding an Environmental Impact Study, at a cost of $25k, which is required to get approval for new trails. We are in much need of an intermediate climb/descent trail.
History of the Makāula-‘O‘oma Forest Reserve Trails
In the mid 1990s the state of Hawaii took back the lease of portions of land from Huehue Ranch to form forest reserves for recreation in Kona. The 1365-acre Makāula-‘O‘oma Forest reserve, on the northern border of the Kaloko subdivision, was dedicated for hiking and mountain biking.
In 1993, the Department of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), asked Dr Jeff McDevitt and Grant Miller to build trails for mountain biking. The mountain bikers put in 6 miles of trails with hand tools over the next several years. Separate trails had been planned for hiking but never got built so the mountain bike trails became multiuse.
The trails have been maintained since then by the two original trail builders from the nonprofit WEST HAWAII TRAILS, with assistance from DLNR in controlling invasive plants since 2017. They set up a volunteer trail maintenance workday on the first Saturday of every month, meeting 9 to 11 AM at the trailhead at end of Makahi St.
Riding Areas
| name | trails | total descent | highest trail | total distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaloko (Makāula-‘O‘oma) | 6 | -1,190 ft | 3,435 ft | 5 miles |
Earn Trail Karma by Donating to the Local Trail Association
Help fund trail maintenance and development
Donate
Thank you for supporting West Hawaii Trails! Donations pay for trail tools, and large donations will go to fund the $25k EIS needed to get new trails approved, included a much-needed climb/descent trail that is mellower than the current trails.
