Makapu'u Point Trail

My family and I found our way here at the tail end of a 10-day Hawaiian trip that included a 7-day Inter-Island Hawaiian Cruise. On our last day we disembarked our ship at 8am and had until 9pm when our flights left. We decided upon a tour of the east side of Oahu which included lunch in Kaneohe and then a drive down the coast past the beautiful Waimanalo Beach culminating at Makapu'u Point.

Pu'u Hinahina Trail

.Waimea Canyon State Park is one of the geological highlights of Kauai, and that's saying something on an island full of great sights. Many call the Canyon the "Grand Canyon of Hawaii" and it is a title well deserved. I would compare some of its better overlooks to that of Zion National Park, no joke.

While I wish we had time for a more full hike in the canyon we decided to at least do a little something during our visit. From the Pu'u Hinahina Parking Area there is trailhead signage for the Canyon Trail. I honestly thought we were starting onto the Canyon Trail but other trail sites suggest that's not what we did. Rather we were on a Pu'u Hinahina connector trail that heads to the lookout and the actual Canyon Trail. Either way, we made the nice hike down to a cliff overlook and enjoyed the sights. The trail started flat and then eventually began a steep and very rooted descent. It then began to climb again and this confused me. I thought we were still heading north and it felt like we were climbing back up to the Canyon Road where we started. In actuality, we had descended down to the Halemanu Stream bed and the ascent was coming back up the other side to the overlook. The jungle forest was so thick it was truly hard to keep bearings. We encountered a steady stream of hikers along the trail. The overlook had a guard rail as it very dramatically was on a cliff with a deadly dropoff. The trail was entirely in the trees until we reached the overlook.

1974 Lava Flow (Hawaii Volcanoes)

There was no trail here, but there was plenty to explore. As we drove the Chain of Craters Road through Hawaii Volcanoes National Park we saw the parking and the signs for Luamanu Crater. What we found even more interesting than the crater was the 1974 Lava Flow. It was easily walkable and gave plenty of room for adult and kid alike to explore this unique landscape. If time had allowed we would have been able to go much further. We wondered if this flow came from the Keanakako'l Crater which the maps suggest. It would be reasonable to conclude all of these flows and craters connect back to the Kilauea Volcano.

Sliding Sands Trail (Haleakala)

The Sliding Sands, or Keonehe’ehe’e Trail is the easiest and best ways to hike into the Haleakalā crater. We used it as a way to get just a tip of the iceberg taste of hiking here. I stumbled upon it as an idea on another site which recommended the Sliding Trails trail as a combo with the Halemau'u Trail. From one trailhead to the other was 11.4 miles and would cover gorgeous terrain. We were planning this in the middle of a family visit to Maui and in particular the Haleakala Sunrise. We had our reservation in places for the Sunrise and our whole family group of 15 would be up there in 3 rental jeeps. We just had to figure out who was hiking and who wasn't and how to handle the vehicles. If we did this great combo hike we'd have to shuttle vehicles between trailheads or figure something else.

Diamond Head Crater

We got to Diamond Head parking at 753. It was interesting driving through the one-lane tunnel to get into the Crater area. The entry gate didn't make a big deal we were 7 minutes early. The hike up Diamond Head was fantastic. The early part was paved nicely and then eventually it changes into a nice switching backing trail. It was mostly slabby rocks and firm trail the whole way, very sustainable for the large crowds. Railings were on the sides of the trail for much of it. Near the top there was a long staircase and then a walking tunnel we went through. At the top of the tunnel there was a trail option. Another steep staircase which would lead into the bunkers or a more gradual ascending trail to the summit area.

Mt. Democrat 2025

There were some who questioned our decision to hike the Decalibron on the 4th of July with all the potential crowds. It was a reasonable question. But the crowds weren't the issue for us today. While there were a fair amount of people on trail in the relatively short time we were up there, that wasn't really the problem. In fact, we've now spent 2 years in a row on 14ers on the 4th of July and it becomes quite fun to wish random people on the trail "Happy 4th" as you enjoy what should be a favorite pastime of America: enjoying our beautiful outdoors.

Mt. Massive and South Massive Peak

The North Halfmoon Creek basin is quite the lovely place. I've been eyeing some camping and exploring up there for several years now. My brother and I had at one time planned a summit of Oklahoma with a traverse over to Massive but it never quite came to fruition.

As my father and I looked for backpacking and camp options for our 2025 travel I planned a return to the basin. The initial plan was to camp and likely hit Oklahoma. It seems a great Centennial summit and a fun bit of bushwhacking to get it. When my two sons and I finally got down to it we ultimately decided on Massive so they could get a new 14er summit. We made plans for the Southwest Ridge route on Massive which my father and I had previously done in 2018.

Lake Ann to Hartenstein Lake Backpacking

Approaching Brown's Pass with
13er Magdalen Mt in background

With options wide open for us and a summer 2025 Colorado trip we explored wide and far what we might do. Did we want dayhikes and summits? Did we want backpacking? As much as I love a good summit, I equally loved it when my boys said backpacking would be fun. I explored options in the San Juans, in the Gores, in the Sangres and our beloved Sawatch. While some tempting options came forward in every range we finally settled on the "easier" answer of sticking to our familiar Sawatch. No reservations or permits needed. No extra hours of driving. Close and familiar.

My father had spoken for years of having a hike up to Lake Ann. Pretty much everytime we went in to summit Huron Peak we looked with interest at the trail breaking off to Lake Ann. I decided now was the time and looked for ways to pair Lake Ann with something like a full backpacking loop. Couple this with meeting the needs of our family on this trip. My father was joyful to join us for some backpacking but he is also in his 70s and his ability for distance is not quite what it used to be. On the other hand my boys and I are happy to cover some miles on the trail (that being true, mostly regarding me). We settled on a plan where the four of us hike together to Lake Ann to camp. the next day my father hike's out to the Jeep and drives it around to the Denny Creek TH. He hikes up to Hartenstein Lake to await us. His mileage is relatively short and he gets to enjoy both lakes with us. The younger crew hikes the 15+ miles of trail in between. It was a great plan, now just to bring it to fruition.

Trip Summary:
June 30 Clear Creek Trailhead to a camp just below Lake Ann following the Colorado Trail/Continental Divide Trail. July 1 Camp to Lake Ann to the Lake Ann Pass. Following the Timberline Trail to the Texas Creek Trail and then to the Brown's Pass Trail. Camped at the Brown's Pass Trail Jct with the Hartenstein Lake Trail July 2

Hartenstein Lake Trail out and back, then the Denny Creek trail out to the Trailhead.

Stat Totals: 30.04 miles 5923 ft. ascent 6261 ft. descent