STAR-BULLETIN / FEBRUARY 2002 Closure signs were posted at the beginning of the Manoa Falls Trail after a landslide earlier this month. The hiking trail could be reopened in two to four weeks.

Manoa Falls
could reopen soon

The state proposal would keep
hikers away from the falls
by at least 100 feet

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By Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.com

The popular Manoa Falls hiking trail could be reopened in two to four weeks, but for safety reasons, hikers will be asked to stay 100 feet or more from the base of the falls.

"The goal is to allow people to view the falls from a safe vantage point without danger," said Curt Cottrell, program manager for the Department of Land & Natural Resources' Na Ala Hele trail program.

He described the still-developing plan as a compromise between keeping the trail closed, as it has been since a Jan. 31 landslide, and restoring full access.

Stopping people 100 to 150 feet from the falls at a new barrier will mean no more swimming in the pond or even putting your feet in the water, Cottrell said.

Steve Brown, a past president of the Hawaii Trail and Mountain Club, called the state's proposal "an interesting solution. I know what they're talking about. There's a point just before you get to the falls where there is a good view."

Still, Brown added: "I don't think that would be a very satisfactory solution for many people who are hiking. You want to get down and dirty and put your feet in the water.

"I think the whole thing is an overreaction. I understand they're concerned about people being hurt," but hiking by its nature has risks, Brown said.

The department probably will use rocks already in the area to build a dry rock wall, with additional pole-and-cable or rope fencing to mark where people should stop, Cottrell said.

The state has been wary of public safety since a Mother's Day 1999 rockslide at Sacred Falls State Park killed eight people and injured dozens. That park remains closed, and a civil lawsuit seeking damages from the state remains under consideration by a state judge.

DLNR Chairman Gil Coloma-Agaran could not be reached for comment yesterday. He said immediately after the closing of Manoa Falls trail that it was "something we would do anytime something like this happens."

State geologist Glenn Bauer told the Star-Bulletin on Feb. 2 that at the top of the landslide there were trees "hanging by a thread with rocks behind them." He is expected to view the area from a helicopter tomorrow for the first time since then and give an updated risk assessment, Cottrell said.

Meanwhile, some hikers have evaded periodic patrols by DLNR officers who emphasize that the trail remains closed.

"It disappoints us that some people so blatantly ignored the warning signs," Cottrell said. Just because things "look OK" to the untrained eye, that does not mean they are.

So far, enforcement officers have not issued any citations to people but have warned them not to use the trail, said Conservation and Enforcement Administrator Gary Moniz.

The officers could give violators citations of $100 for a first criminal offense or $2,500 for a first civil offense, Cottrell said.

"We really need the public to participate with us by stopping at this point," Cottrell said.