There is a short, shady hike to the top of a ridge on the Road to Hana called the Waikamoi Nature Trail. This hike is short and very easy, but there is a longer section for the Waikamoi Ridge Trail. Honestly, there isn’t much to see. We’d recommend taking the Twins Hike first, which is nearby and offers views of three waterfalls. We liked that one more than we liked the Waikamoi Nature Trail.
There is a large pullout near Mile Marker 9 on the west side of the Road to Hana that provides parking for the Waikamoi Nature Trail. A sign reminds you to keep valuables out of sight as there have been thefts at trailheads in this area.
The trail winds up the hill, not too steeply through the thick trees. It comes around to the top of the ridge after only about 0.4 miles. Here, there is said to be an overlook, but the only thing we were overlooking was the road below. Not only that, the foliage was so thick that we couldn’t even see the cars below.
At the overlook, this trail splits and the second loop to the Waikamoi Ridge Trail goes further up. We didn’t continue that way, as we’d been out of the car long enough, but it leads up to a picnic ground. The nature trail down and right goes back to the car. Along this trail we found some wooden stairs to help with the mud as you descend. The trail was super muddy when we hiked, and we were slipping in our flip-flops, so good shoes would be a better plan on this trail.
We found this trail a nice place to get out of the car and see a bit of rain forest. However, the Twin Falls hike is much more interesting and has a better destination. If you have time for only one, make it Twin Falls. If you are spending the whole day on the Road to Hana, stop at Waikamoi Nature Trail. For more info and a trail map, check out this link.
