CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Hikers, left, thanked state worker Jason Misaki and others for improving the Manoa Falls trail last weekend. Sierra Club members and other volunteers hauled gravel by pack, bucket and wheelbarrow to reinforce eroding pathways.

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Volunteers haul
gravel to pave
Manoa Falls Trail

The project is aimed at improving
safety and protecting plants

By backpack, bucket and motorized wheelbarrow, volunteers are trying to save Oahu's most popular waterfall hike from being loved to death.

Their mission is to move 100 tons of gravel from the base of Manoa Falls Trail to "harden" the dirt trail and reduce erosion.

How to help Want to be a Manoa Falls Trail menehune? Work sessions sponsored by the Sierra Club are planned for Sunday, Oct. 1 and Oct. 23. Volunteers meet at 8 a.m. at Church of the Crossroads, 2510 Bingham St., to car-pool to the site. Work ends by 2 p.m. and refreshments follow. Groups that want to schedule a workday at other times can contact Sierra Club outings leader Randy Ching at 942-0145 or oahurandy@yahoo.com

Flooding last year and a bumper crop of tourist hikers this summer have taken their toll on the 0.8-mile trail.

Placing gravel "allows for a much safer trail," said Aaron Lowe, trails specialist with the Na Ala Hele trails program in the Department of Land and Natural Resources. "It allows people to enjoy the experience and not have to totally focus on (their footing on the) trail the whole time."

Making a better trail also makes hikers more likely to stay on it -- and so better protects plants near the trail that might otherwise be trampled.

Twice in August and again on Saturday, groups of several dozen volunteers hefted 15 to 90 pounds of gravel per trip up the trail. Manoa Falls is rated an easy trail in the state's trails system.

So far, professional hike leader Kyle Ono probably takes the prize as most gung-ho, said Randy Ching, the Sierra Club outings leader who is organizing volunteers for the workdays.

"He packs maybe 80-90 pounds: a pack on the front, one on the back and two buckets," Ching said.

Most volunteers work with more moderate loads -- from 15 to 50 pounds per trip along the rain forest trail that ends at a 100-foot waterfall.

They are moving gravel that Lowe has deposited in stockpiles along the trail with a motorized wheelbarrow.

The gravel and plastic edging to hold it in place have been paid for with a $23,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to reduce erosion into Manoa Stream.

But without the volunteer help, the labor-intensive project would not get done, said Curt Cottrell, Na Ala Hele manager.

This summer's record number of tourists on Oahu contributed to the most use of the trail ever, with up to 300 hikers a day.

"It's the tragedy of the commons, people loving Manoa Falls," Cottrell said.

The trail has seen increasing use since Sacred Falls trail closed in 1999 after a rockfall killed eight people and injured 32.

Manoa Falls Trail was closed for three months in 2002 by a rockfall that did not hurt anyone. But when it reopened, the state cordoned off the area around the falls where the rocks came down.

Because of its popularity, for several years the DLNR has limited use of Manoa Falls Trail to 60 commercial hikers per weekday and allows no group tours on weekends and holidays. Even with that cap in place, the $5-per-hiker fee the state charges commercial tours brought in $26,320 the first eight months of 2005, Cottrell said.

When the gravel work is completed, Cottrell and Lowe have other ideas to improve the trail:

The platform idea is something for which the DLNR might seek Hawaii Tourism Authority grant money this year, Cottrell said. Because it would require an environmental assessment, the public will get a chance to review the plans and comment on them, he noted.

The tourism authority has pledged to assist the DLNR with projects that enhance key tourist attractions.

Cottrell said he believes a larger viewing platform is crucial to preserving the falls for tourists and locals alike.

"There is limited space at the end of the trail to accommodate folks to view the waterfall," Cottrell noted. "Twelve people is very cozy."

Building a deck, four or five feet above the current viewing area, would offer space for twice as many people because of the shape of the hillside, he said.

Parking and restroom plans involve negotiating with the leaseholder of adjacent Paradise Park, Cottrell said.