Gather & Discuss Oahu Trail Access Issues
Over the years many hikers in Hawai’i know about and have experienced the loss of access to trails. Unfortunately for hikers, the list of trails lost on Oahu is long and continues to get longer. Over the years hiking as has gotten more popular, and the trails more crowded, and it has become even more common to hear about trails being closed or to come across new “no trespassing” signs posted at trailheads. There are a wide variety of reasons that trails get closed.
- Neighborhoods appeal to the State to close trails
- Private landowners close trails
- Ongoing construction or maintenance
- Manage overcrowding and potential cultural/environmental damage
- Safety concerns due to natural hazards like landslides or rockfalls
- Invasive species (Little Fire Ants & Rapid ‘Ohia Death)
- Liability and injury/death(s) on trails
As we all know, trail access can be a complex and controversial issue. Does this mean hikers should stand idly by, shrug our shoulders and get depressed as we lose more and more trails? The time has come to gather together and share our thoughts and ideas about how to prevent future trail closures.
If you are interested in joining/organizing a group discussion that will focus on issues related to trail access on Oahu, CLICK HERE to sign up and get involved. If there is enough interest those on the list will be notified. Mahalo!