Hiking in Maui
It isn’t “travel” for us if we aren’t hiking somewhere. Here are the hikes we have tackled on Maui thus far – we are always looking for where to trek next!
‘Iao Valley State Monument
Home to Kuka’emoku, the 1200′ “needle” created from erosion that is one of the icons of Maui. This a small, manageable park with paved sidewalks, a river and small waterfall, and stairs leading to an overlook. It’s worth seeing, and gives an appreciation for parts of the island that are held sacred – for many years this area was accessible only to Hawaii’an royalty, who buried their deceased in these cliffs.
There is a “secret” hike here. if you go up the stairs to the viewing area (pictured above), you will see the trail head on the other side of the fence just in front of the viewing area. Officially there is a sign on the fence that clearly says “do not enter”, but if you are the type for whom signs are merely a suggestion, you might hop the fence onto the clearly visible trail head and venture a little. This is a sacred area, which is why the sign exists, and why I can’t officially recommend you go. If you do, mind your manners and respect the sacred nature of these grounds. Early morning is best; we arrived shortly after the gates opened to find only one other car in the parking lot and thus decided to venture beyond the fence. There is a fork in the trail near a very large tree – stay right, keeping the needle on your right.. Be prepared – the trail evolves into a wet, slippery, and very muddy trail that ascends up a rocky path lined with scratchy brush, not designed for the casual tourist in flip flops. The trail ends at a peak with a view of water falls – which, unfortunately, are frequently obscured by clouds. The entire trail is 2.5 miles; we perhaps ventured 1 mile before opting to turn around due to the clouds and lack of bushwacking gear.
Tips: ‘Iao Valley is 24 minutes from the airport, and 30 minutes from the heart of Wailea. To avoid the throngs of crowds, go early when the gates first open, or at the very end of the day just before closing. There is a $5 parking fee (payable by credit card). Just before you reach the park, you will pass Kepaniwai Park – a small riverside garden containing Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Portuguese gardens. We were intrigued…but unfortunately, the gardens are small and were in somewhat rough shape at the time of our visit, so I can’t endorse that it is worth a visit on its own. However, if ‘Iao Valley is packed with tour buses, this could provide a spot for a picnic or bathroom break.
Haleakalā National Park
Everyone comes to Haleakalā for the spectacular sunrise. Some stay to hike. And then there are those of us who couldn’t secure a sunrise reservation and came purely to hike. The view from 10’000 feet elevation here is otherworldly.
We ventured up the steep road just after breakfast, reaching the park entrance around 8:30 am, which appeared to be perfect timing to avoid the post-sunrise traffic (it is a 2 lane, narrow winding road and I imagine quite unpleasant when there are hundreds of cars heading the opposite direction). Be on the lookout for cows, and the nēnē (Hawaiian goose; not to be confused with the nae nae. These birds definitely don’t dance).
For the ambitious, the bucket list hike is a 12 mile loop: park at the Halemau’u Trailhead, and hitchhike up to the Haleakalā visitor’s center, where you will embark on the Sliding Sands trail, descend into and across the crater erosion (so easy to call it a crater, but it was not formed by a volcanic eruption) onto the Halemau’u trail, which will lead you back to your car. Not wanting to pack a lot of gear, and not feeling the hitchhiking vibe, we opted to tackle Sliding Sands trail as a more manageable out and back hike.
One mile in on the Sliding Sands trail, the silence is profound. Most hikers will turn around within the first mile, and we saw less than 10 hikers from this point on. At the 2 mile mark, the views are gorgeous and the ‘ahinahina (silversword) plant starts to appear. This is a vivid, silvery shrub that can live for up to 50 years. It flowers once in it’s lifetime, then promptly dies.
At this 2-mile point, you have reached the “beginning of diminishing returns” portion of the hike – by all means, you can hike further, but the views from here to the end of the trail (3.9 miles in, at which point you arrive in the floor of the valley) are not necessarily going to get any better, the trail is all incline, and remember what hikes down must hike back up. Of course, we kept going. All I can say is, that is a long climb out.
On a future trip, we hope to explore the road to Hana and visit the coastal Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā National Park, which is 12 miles past Hana. Unfortunately, it was far too rainy during our trip in January to make the drive worthwhile – and flash floods in that area are a legit risk.
Tips: Reserve in advance for sunrise. Past the park entrance, the Park Headquarters visitor’s center offers bathrooms and a water bottle filling station. It is then a 30 minute drive up switchbacks before you reach additional bathrooms at the Haleakala visitor’s center. Bring plenty of layers (10,000 feet can get quite chilly!), sunscreen, snacks, and water. Get an early start for the best weather, but keep in mind you may actually be above the clouds during your hike. Great stops on your way back to sea level are the Surfing Goat Creamery and the Ali’i Lula Lavender Farm.
