• Trailhead: The hike starts at the end of Waiomao Road behind a row of mailboxes. 

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• Parking: There is a tiny gravel lot at the trailhead, but if it’s full, head up the road a little ways. You can park along the side of the road too, but the street is narrow and it’s hard to find a spot. It’s a residential area, so be considerate of the people living here. 

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• Part 1 Through The Jungle: The trail ascends gradually at first. First you’ll hike through the forest, alongside a stream until you reach the 1st waterfall. You’ll cross the stream a couple times to stay on the trail.  You may find some pink ribbons marking the trail and you can follow the pipeline (that appears about 15-20 minutes into the hike). 
  
  It’s about 2 miles to the first waterfall. Leading up to the waterfall, the path gets narrower, steeper, and the mud gets thicker. This is a good spot to stop for a snack.
  
  It gets much more difficult from here on out. This is a good spot to turn around if you’re looking for an easier hike. 
  
  With the 1st waterfall, you can either rope climb to the top or cross at the bottom and then climb up. 

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• Part 2 Waterfalls and the Ascent to the Ridgeline: It’s about 20 minutes to the 2nd (bigger) waterfall, where you’ll cross over when you reach the top.
  
  It doesn’t take long to get to the 3rd waterfall, where you’ll climb up the rocks right next to it. There are ropes to help you up some of the steep parts, including a climb up alongside the 3rd waterfall. (Always test out the ropes before putting your full wait on them.) The trail is to the left of the waterfall. Expect about 20-30 minutes to pull yourself up the 3rd waterfall to the top of the ridgeline. It’s steep and slippery. 

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• Part 3 The Ridgeline: From the top of the 3rd waterfall, follow the path to the right of the waterfall until you reach the ridgeline. This is where you'll get your first view of the crater.
  
  From here, you can either loop back the way you came or you can continue on to a very steep, narrow summit that overlooks the crater.
  
  If you see rain clouds, head back. It’s too risky to attempt the summit hike in the rain.
  
  You can also head left along the ridge to a trail that’s an easier descent than the waterfall trail you just took. 

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• Part 4 Hiking Around the Ridgeline and to the Summit for insane views inside the crater and of Waikiki and Diamond Head (if you didn’t turn back after the 3rd waterfall). This portion is the most beautiful, but also the most difficult and dangerous. It should only be attempted by advanced / experienced hikers.
  
  It has the steepest inclines and descents. There are some ropes, but not always, and you’ll need a good amount of upper body strength to pull yourself up them. There are some really narrow sections with steep drop offs too. Wind and mud can make it more dangerous. Expect lots of mud, even if it hasn’t rained recently.
  
  This is an out and back trail with a steep climb up very narrow ridges that overlook the crater. There are steep drop offs too. The crater is to your left as you hike up the summit.
  
  The last section involves an almost vertical rope-climb, with the payoff being views of the entire east coast, Honolulu, and the mountains. The trail is very narrow near the summit.

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• Part 5 Descend Back Down to the Stream: Heads up that the descent is steep and slippery, so continue with caution.
  
  As you descend from the summit down the ridgeline, you’ll pass 2 sets of power line structures. After the 2nd one, the trail leads to the left, back down to the other side of the crater’s rim.
  
  At the lowest portion, there are 2 more power line structures. After the 2nd one, look for the trail junction. Heading left will take you back to the falls (which is the more difficult way to go back) . Heading right avoids the waterfalls and leads you back to the valley and the river.
  
  Keep heading downstream until you reach the road.