Hiking on Maui

Haleakala National Park

Pick a trail, any trail! Due to its accessibility, visitors usually opt to hike Sliding Sands Trail which begins just around a small hilltop opposite the Visitor’s Center at Haleakala’s summit. As its name implies, this trail is mostly sand which is perfectly fine when hiking down to the horse hitch on the crater floor (3.9 miles according to the park’s map). Assuming you’re planning to go that far, keep in mind that if you plan to go out the same way, hiking in this volcanic sand is not nearly as much fun on the way back out. Since you’ve already seen stunning cinder cone after cinder cone on the way down, you’re going to need a little mental strength to get back out. Having strong legs will not hurt either. In that case, you may be an experienced hiker who wouldn’t mind continuing east past the horse hitch another 1.7 miles to Kapalaoa Cabin or even 5.6 miles to Paliku Cabin and campground. For the seriously hardcore hiker, you can hike the Pipiwai Trail from Paliku down the Kaupo Gap to the island’s desolate southeast end. There is also the option of hiking around some of the cinder cones and doubling back or hiking around the cones and heading out of the crater on Halemauu Trail. If you go that 5.7 mile route, you’ll need to park a car or hitchhike back to your car at the summit from the Halemauu Trailhead. Planning your hike in this particular manner allows you some expansive views of the crater. And, as the sun changes position during the day, dramatic color schemes will come to life you may not have seen from other areas in the volcano. Depending on your route(s), elevation changes will be in the neighborhood of 1,600 to 3,000 feet. Other things to note: The crater receives little rainfall which makes for a fragile ecosystem. There isn’t much life up here but what little there is doesn’t need to be run over by visitors going off trail. Please respect the unique and indigenous Silver Sword bushes and please do not feed the Nene geese that live here. Bring sunscreen, a warm jacket so you can dress in layers, a poncho, and a hat. You’re closer to the sun up here; even if it is cold and cloudy you can still get a sunburn. Speaking of cold, it can be as cold as 32 degrees up at the summit depending on the time of year. Of course, if you are hiking, you may get warm, hence the advisory to dress in layers. It can also rain at any moment at the summit, so be prepared for that. Lastly, bring food and water as neither are served inside the park’s boundaries. Park entrance fees are currently $10 per passenger vehicle and $5 per bicyclist.

Nene birds. Please do not feed them.

Lahaina Pali Pali Trail

Or as I like to call it, the West Maui Windmill hike. If you’ve seen the windmills running up the West Maui mountain’s spine, you should know there is a trail that leads to the very middle of those windmills at an elevation of about 1600 feet. There are two ways to approach this hike, from either the Maalaea Harbor side or the Lahaina side of the West Maui mountain. Hiking from one side to the other will take you 5.5 miles, but the Lahaina side of the trail is considerably steeper if you’re beginning the hike from that end; something to be aware of. Myself, I usually only hike to the top and go back the way I came, which is usually from the Maalaea harbor side which still has decent elevation gains for its first mile or so. Either way you go, though, gives you wide angle shots of the southern and west ends of the island. The nearby islands of Lanai and Kahoolawe are also clearly visible from the windmills themselves. During whale season, this is a spectacular hike as you can spot whales puffing far and wide. (Bring binoculars if you want to actually see the whales if they breach.) Careful when hiking this trail during or after a rainfall; for some reason the rocks here are more slippery than usual, so I advise wearing dedicated hiking shoes. And, you’ll want to go early in the morning, preferably in the winter. Midday summer heat is brutal on this hike and there is very little shade to spare you the onslaught. This hike can also be very windy; that’s why the windmills are placed here, so be prepared for this as well. To get to the Maalaea side trailhead, the trailhead is .2 miles south-southwest of the junction of Honoapiilani Highway and Kihei Road. There is a gate there but you can open it and go through it (close the gate behind you) and drive up the gravel road to a small, six-car parking lot. The Lahaina side trailhead is .25 miles past (or before depending upon which way you are driving) the Pali tunnel on Honoapiilani Highway.

Location of the Lahaina side trail head. Note the tunnel.

Location of the Nailiili Trail. Note the hairpin turn

Nailiili Stream and Waterfall Hike

You may have heard of the Pipiwai Trail/Bamboo Forest Hike that is just past Hana and granted it is a nice easy hike that takes you to a stunning bamboo forest. If you’re the more adventurous type like myself and don’t want to go all the way to Hana to see some bamboo, try this hike which is on the way to Hana. You’ll be treated to four waterfalls, but you’re going to have to work for it. To begin with you have to go .7 miles past the 6 mile marker on the road to Hana and park on the side of the road. Basically, park where you see all the other cars once you make a hairpin turn around a stone wall where it becomes one lane (don’t worry, it goes back to two lanes eventually). Once parked, go into one of the spur trails in the bamboo groves and follow the sound of the water. This will bring you first to a foot and a half stream you have to cross and then to a small waterfall area about twenty feet wide that you have to cross. On the other side of the bank, you will see a fallen tree. To the left of the fallen tree is the main trail that runs along the stream (do not go into the bamboo off-shoot trails unless you like bamboo; these trails go nowhere). Follow the trail upstream. You may soon see a raging waterfall to your left, but this is a diversion waterfall from too much rain in the area. Most of the time it is dry and you may not even see it trickling. When you follow the trail to a nice swimming hole with a twenty foot high waterfall, this is considered waterfall #1. To the left of this fall is a slippery rock face with a rope to help pull yourself up fifteen feet to where the trail continues. Not a particularly difficult stunt, but you are taking your chances nonetheless. Further on is the second waterfall which has a very rickety ladder and suspect rope which you must climb about twelve feet up to continue the trail (the ladder is to the left of the waterfall). From here, it’s approximately another fifteen to twenty minutes until the trail runs out when it hits a large pond with a waterfall (#3) on its far side. Here’s where the fun really begins: If you swim across the pond to the waterfall and climb up its ten-foot face, there is another waterfall a minute or so away. As this waterfall (#4) is the biggest at about 35 feet high, it is the best. Combined with its wading hole, it’s worth the effort to get here. Most visitors never get this far on this trail which is really a shame. Allegedly there is another waterfall beyond this one, but you’d be crazy to try and scale this waterfall. You have been warned. Final note, take bug spray as the mosquitoes here can be merciless. Also be aware that all Maui streams are prone to flash floods. Check local weather reports for recent rainfall before going. This is a short hike, about forty-five minutes to the last waterfall, but it is challenging for its length.