Iliahi Ridge is a 5 mile loop trail above Pacific Palisades that parallels the Mānana Ridge trail. I started hiking Iliahi Ridge around noontime on Saturday, having delayed my hike due to the presence of heavy cloud cover and intermittent rain earlier in the morning. Luckily for me, the clouds dissipated and it turned out to be a perfect day for hiking.
I started out at the end of Komo Mai Drive and briefly followed the Mānana access road up to the second utility tower. From there, an obscure side trail led me under the tower and down the ridge into Mānana Valley. At the bottom I crossed a dry Mānana stream and began working my way up Iliahi Ridge through a grove of strawberry guava.
After scrambling over a few rocks and eroded sections, I reached a broad plateau completely covered with tall grass and ferns. I took a short break to catch my breath (too much ice cream during the week) and marvel at the spectacular views of the Wai‘anae Mountain Range and Mānana Valley.
Continuing along the path, I eventually reached the ridgeline proper and followed it mauka through scattered forests and uluhe ferns. Along the way were Klu, Philippine Ground Orchid and Lilikoi flowers in full bloom.
Eventually the trail ended directly across from a covered bench on Mānana ridge. Turning backwards, I immediately began descending a wide, well defined path down an uluhe-covered side ridge.
At the bottom I walked a short distance through Mānana Valley before crossing Mānana Stream a second time, then began climbing back up Mānana Ridge. Topping out on a scenic overlook above a burnt and eroded section, I took a short break before following the wide Mānana trail back to my car. Good thing I took a chance with the weather that day – this was a really great hike!
More photos on Flickr: Iliahi Ridge, 4/17/10
Bonus: Philippine Ground Orchid in black and white
